Arnhem Land Trip 2018, Days 17 and 18: Out in the country

We couldn’t spend the rest of our time lazing around Darwin and availing ourselves of the wonderful guest laundry, could we, so we planned two days of outback sightseeing. One was to an area we hadn’t visited before – the Cox Peninsula – and the other to one we had – Litchfield National Park.

Mandorah and Wagait Beach

Our goal for this day was to get to Wagait Beach and Mandorah, which are located 8km (I think) across the sea, west of Darwin, that is, a 15-minute ferry ride away. Or, the way we did it, a circa 140kms drive the long way, but on, thankfully, sealed roads.

Palmerston

Our first stop, though, was a little detour to the new satellite city of Palmerston, named for Darwin’s original name, which caused us some confusion for a while but we got it sorted. We just stopped briefly in Palmerston, for a cuppa at a cafe attached to the Library. A lovely little cafe, called Mosko’s Market, with a focus on fresh and healthy it looked, though we weren’t there for a meal. The coffee was good though …

I also popped into the library, and was intrigued by the inviting way they arranged their books. As a librarian, I can see the classification challenges they’ve set themselves – some examples will be in the stills below – but I bet they know their community and how to attract the different readers within it. Good for them. Lovely to see libraries being lively and inviting.

We then continued on our way down the Sturt Highway, and soon came across some fierce patch or mosaic burning. We’ve seen much of this before – on this and previous trips – but this particular fire the strongest we’ve seen. The flames were much higher for a start, and the smoke therefore much heavier. The birds of prey were congregating, on the look out for fleeing critters, and being tooted at by passing cars when they got too close to the road. Fascinating. We didn’t hang around long, although it was clear that the fire was being contained (by the road on our side, for a start).

Berry Springs Tavern

Soon after the turn into Cox Peninsula Road is an area – is it a town? – called Berry Springs. There’s a nature park here and the Territory Wildlife Park, which we’ve yet to visit. Next time perhaps! There’s also the Berry Springs Tavern, complete with buffalo statue out front, and a crocodile on the roof. It was well-reviewed and so a likely place for lunch. I love visiting local taverns or pubs. We decided this was a high-class Humpty Doo Tavern – casual, friendly territory culture but far more refined! The verandah was clean and spacious, so we sat there to have our lunch (of baked barra for me and beetroot cured salmon for Len) before hitting the road again for …

Wagait Beach 

… which is at the end of Cox Peninsula Road. A quiet place, with a small general store, a casual friendly looking country club, and the Mandorah Ferry jetty.  We cautiously explored a couple of the beaches (being wary of crocodiles – as you do) and the ferry jetty, from which many were fishing, rapidly pulling in their lines (as the signs instruct) when the ferry appeared.

Dinner at Hanuman

That night we went to the Hanuman Thai-Indian restaurant, recommended by Driver Ian. We’d booked for outside – which meant sitting in the well-covered patio, but window-less, patio area. The food was tasty. We particularly liked the GF Prawn Pakoras, and I loved the GF-DF Rice Milk Pannacotta with Watermelon Sorbet. Our mains were fine, though we felt the whole fish with three sauces was a bit heavy-handed. We should have remembered what Ian recommended! The Hannuman Iced Tea cocktail (syrup of ginger, chili, mint, lemongrass and brown sugar, topped with fresh iced tea, soda and house gin) went down nicely, however!

Litchfield National Park

Expecting a long day, we got up early-ish, and were off by 8am. It’s a 120km drive to the park, which takes about 90 minutes, even with a brief 130kph section. We arrived at the park entrance at 9.30am, and visited several sites, but by no means all, during the day:

• Termite mounds: these were mainly magnetic or meridian termite mounds, plus some cathedral mounds. We didn’t stay long as we’d seen quite a few during our travels. 
• Florence Falls: these are probably the best falls in the Park. We did the 135-step-400metre-walk down to the plunge pool, which was popular with swimmers, and then the circa 1.4km Shady Creek walk back. Along the way, beady-eyed Len spotted, on a tree overhanging the creek, a Golden Orb Spider in its cobweb. It was in a awkward position to photograph but we gave it our best shot.
• Tabletop Swamp: I loved this place last time, and enjoyed it again. It comprises gorgeous paperbark wetlands, one section of which was covered in waterlilies. I also spotted a pretty red dragonfly.
• Wangi Falls: this is the most popular swimming spot in the park, with two waterfalls flowing into it. We lunched here at the cafe – nothing very exciting but did the job – and then did the 800m walk, under a canopy full of flying foxes, to the treetop lookout.
• Litchfield Cafe: we then drove a little further down the road and stumbled across the Litchfield Cafe, which is just out of the Park. We spent half an hour or so here in its delightful, shady grounds, watching the Little Corellas in the two huge African Mahogany trees – and for Len, trying its signature Mango Cheesecake. It was hard to leave the peace here after the busy-ness of Wangi. The place was being renovated and looks like it’s positioning itself to offer something a little smarter than the Wangi Falls cafe.
• Cascades: our final stop in the Park, and one I don’t recollect visiting last time we were here. We didn’t make it all the way to the Upper or Lower Cascades because it was rather hot, and we still had 130kms plus to go home. However, we did some of the walk, to a point where we could dangle our feet in the creek (this is a “low risk” crocodile area). I particularly enjoyed some of the vegetation along the way.

We didn’t visit all the park’s sites – but we have been here before. It was an enjoyable day, in a beautiful place. What more can you ask?

Berry Springs Tavern, again

A quick stop for a refreshing drink as it had been a hot day, and then “home” …

Dinner at Curve

We decided to dine in the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, walking distance from us in an area which had been redeveloped between our first trip here in 2006, and our second one in 2010. We ended up at Curve. It was very quiet, which gave us pause, given all the activity and noise a little further up the walk. What was wrong with it? Nothing, we decided. We enjoyed our meals. My panfried barramundi with pumpkin mash, and steamed veggies, was perfectly cooked. Len enjoyed his meal, including his Lychee Spritz. And, best of all, the temperature was balmy, and it was quiet, quiet, quiet.

The pics

Stills …

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Movies …

Controlled (patch) burning along the Sturt Highway

 

Mandorah Ferry Wharf

 

Litchfield Park