Tag 15: Litchfield National Park

Samuel and Michael take a photo tour around the campsite in the morning while Maxima and I get everything ready for departure.

Our first destination is the Bamboo Creek Tin Mine. We take the buggy for a short hike, which unfortunately is not very rewarding. There isn't really anything to see. The most exciting part is the narrow access road to the mine. Our Maui is quite a large vehicle.

We continue to Wangi Falls, where we have breakfast in the camper at the parking lot. Unfortunately, our battery fails again (this was also the case last night) and we can't get it running again. The timing for the breakdown is not too bad, as there is a public phone at Wangi Falls that is worth its weight in gold due to the lack of cell phone reception. I try calling the 24-hour service hotline multiple times, but can't reach anyone. The rental station in Darwin also doesn't answer. Finally, I reach a very nice lady (who is actually in Auckland) when making a booking and she connects me to the station in Alice Springs. The man on the other end of the line says that we have an overload and need to reset the solar power. If that doesn't work, we should drive back to Darwin. We try our luck and it works (although the battery still fails from time to time afterwards).

After all the excitement, we treat ourselves to an ice cream and then enjoy a swim in the lake at Wangi Falls. This place is really beautiful too!

We continue to Florence Falls. Here we choose the short hike to the swimming area via the steps. This place is also very beautiful and idyllic.

As if the battery wasn't enough, now the vehicle itself is causing problems. Various lights are lighting up. If we drive on unpaved surfaces or on the side of the road, even more lights come on. Mhm, we'll have to make another phone call tomorrow.

We drive to Batchelor and check in at the local holiday park. The man at the reception is very friendly and very interested in our home country and what it's like there. While Michael explores the park with the kids, I cook steaks with mushrooms. We revise our plan to eat outside quickly because of the many mosquitoes. It's just more comfortable to eat in the camper with air conditioning and without a mosquito infestation.

7.11.2016

Accommodation: Batchelor Holiday Park (1 night 36 AUD, nice simple park with lots of greenery and birds, bird feeding in the evening & morning, very nice and helpful staff)

Weather: sunny, 36 degrees Celsius (sometimes 42 degrees Celsius near the car)

115 kilometers traveled today, total of 314 km