Gunlom Falls

Trip Start Jun 05, 2008

Trip End Jun 14, 2009

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Flag of Australia Pine Creek, Australia
Thursday, June 19, 2008

This morning we took advantage of the campsite facilities and got ourselves the three significant S's (Shower, Shave, you get the picture!), to pick up where Katie left off, the overwhelming fear today was the fact that we had no, or very little fuel. Staying in 2nd gear for 39km saw to that!! We really did want to see the sights that Gunlom had to offer but we thought that if we packed up early and left the camp at around the same time as all the others, at least we'd have some chance of being rescued if the worst was to happen. They really are a friendly bunch and I don't think any of them would have left us stranded.( The one neighbour we have at the moment however, is a little too friendly and if he pops over one more time while I'm typing this up with another snippet of friendly yet useless information, I'll show him where the bloody pool is!!!) Where was I? Oh yeah, anyhoo, I took a big dose of optimism, an even bigger dose of courage, a huge dose of thinking I'm Stig off Top Gear, mixed it with a dollop of bullsh*t ("of course we'll make it Katie, relax") and took to the wheel like the driving god that I now have to prove that I am

. It seemed a lot less bumpy the quicker you travelled and we were soon bombing down the gravel road with only the occasional butt clenching moment, arriving safely back on to tarmac tranquility and within easy grasp of the nearest roadhouse. If Katie's Jeremy Clarkson, I AM THE STIG!!!

After re-fuelling and a quick rest of our badly shaken bones, we looked at the brochures and realised we really had missed out on something potentially spectacular back at Gunlom....You know what's coming don't you?!....Yep, our newly found outback driving confidence and adrenalin still pumping sent us hurtling back down the same bumpy road that threatened to end our adventure so many times already!! We have now done 120km of unsealed bumpy road. Naughty, but well worth it. (Even if things are starting to fall off the van - OOPS!) The usual meal of cheese and ham sandwiches ensued and then we were off like a couple of dippy Indiana Jones's again!

Gunlom consists mainly of a beautiful waterfall approx 250M high with a plunge pool at the bottom but, as we now know very well with all water down here at ground level, comes CROCODILE warnings!! This place isn't just home to the occasional SALTIE (vicious characters), but is also quite attractive to FRESHIES too (apparantly only dangerous if provoked

. What exactly does a crocodile consider as provocation enough to chomp your arms off anyway?) The over talkative ranger back at the visitor centre did tell us that were plunge pools at the top of the falls where you could swim with a view. Without crocs. That was the one for us!! The climb was a little tricky to say the least, especially for Katie, who has so many bites on her feet, can only wear flip flops. No wonder the bloody crocs stay at the bottom. It took about half an hour to get up there in 30 degrees of unrelenting sunshine, followed by an even trickier 10 min descent to the actual plunge pools.
WOW!!!! We have never seen anything like it!!! I'm sure the photos show it well but this was absolutely jaw dropping stuff, a series of small falls trickling into beautiful crystal clear pools with little fish and shrimp swimming around. The rocks had all been carved into stunning smooth edged sculptures by the sheer force of the water that passes through here during the wet season. It's the dry season now but you could tell by the rock formations just how fierce this waterfall is in full flow. You'd only get there by air in the wet season to view it. We sucked in the scenery and swam about for an hour or so before heading back down the mountain again to set up camp. Didn't fancy driving down that road again today and the campsite is nice and you can have a fire!! FIRE = NO MOZZIES!!!

Our fire didn't actually burn that long because wandering around the bush in a cowboy hat and flip flops collecting wood is only for the very brave or very stupid. I was doing extremley well in both of those departments until I poked a log and something scuttled away at the speed of light!!! Don't know what it was. Don't want to. That's enough wood for tonight. Besides, we'll be in bed by 9pm anyway.

Much more confident at this bushcamping mallarky now. Ray Mears can kiss our bitten bums. Easy!!
Hope I live to not regret that last statement!!

Bye for now

Love

K&P XXX