We are on holiday!

Sunday 31st July 2022

We woke up feeling a bit better rested this morning – whilst the wind did pick up again during the night it either wasn’t as bad, or I was more relaxed about it knowing we had secured everything before bed, and was able to go back to sleep! The day warmed up quickly, as we packed to leave, going by 9:45.

Andrew and Tegan were heading to Maguk, which is listed as 4WD access so we weren’t that keen to see if we could get there. Instead we decided to try for lower Ikoymarrwa Falls – the unmarked falls Andrew and Tegan went to yesterday. They weren’t sure if we would be able to drive in, but the waterhole is not so far from the main road, so we could hike in if needed.

Getting there is interesting – the upper falls are signposted, as is a lookout for the falls, but the lower falls is off an unmarked little dirt track, not far from the visitor info centre. Luckily Andrew and Tegan got the directions from friends who had visited recently (thanks Mike and Sam!). Thankfully we were able to drive all except the last couple of hundred metres or so, when it became very steep and rocky.

The waterhole and falls are a short walk from the carpark. By this stage we were feeling caked with dust and so keen to get in the water, it was pretty exciting! A few people came and went but for the most case we had the place to ourselves, which was pretty special! The waterhole was teeming with fish – a couple of different rainbow fish and sooty grunters. I can’t remember the particular species but Andrew has counted five different species of rainbow fish at the various pools we have swum in!

We stayed for a snack and a couple of swims before heading off. The carpark is quite small, and capacity would be limited, but it would be an awesome spot to camp! There is a picnic table and a fire pit, and one or two spots you could pitch a tent, and you would have the falls very close for swimming and keeping cool. Next time we come back, with a 4WD!

From here we headed on to check out Mardugal campsite no.2. the original schedule for the Kakadu leg was to stay at Kambolgie, Maguk then Mardugal for 1 night each. This has changed because we decided one night camping is too much hard work, so the idea was that Maguk be missed (since we might not be able to access it anyway), and we do one night at Mardugal, which is close to yellow waters for the early morning cruise the next day. However we were feeling unsure about one night of camping still, so we figured we would look, and if it was amazing we would stay. The campsite did look lovely, well vegetated and spacious camp sites that looked quite private, but we decided regardless to go in to the next stop – Jabiru, and just set up there for 3 nights. This means a very early start to get to Cooinda by 6:25, but avoids the camp pack up in the heat of the day.

We booked in at aurora park in Jabiru, and found ourselves another dry, dusty campsite. We all felt hot and tired by this point, so we set up and headed to the pool for a cold swim. Whilst the park doesn’t seem to be anything special, the pool is large and shady, and likely to be a useful feature, as the forecast temperature is 35C for the next few days!

We had a cup of tea back at our camp, watched a dingo who was watching us on the other side of the fence, and had dinner. With everyone still feeling hot, Richie took the kids for a night swim to cool down before bed, while I tidied up and prepared for a very early start in the morning. I also took advantage of the phone reception and uploaded a weeks worth of blog posts! Then with iced coffees in the fridge, and pikelets ready to go for breakfast, it was off to bed!