Saturday 21st August - Kakadu National Park (Kambolgie Campsite) to Katherine Gorge

We can now see why Katherine Gorge is so popular.  It must be one of the most impressive gorges we’ve seen, especially in terms of size and the amount of water flowing, and so far we’ve only checked out the bottom section.

It was a couple of hours drive down from Kakadu to Katherine, during which time I managed to burn my arm as I rested it out the open window.  A timely reminder as to the strength of the Australian sun.  We had a quick stop in Katherine for antihistamine tablets to subdue Anne’s desire to scratch (as it was like sitting next to a dog with fleas), then headed down to Katherine Gorge for a bite of lunch and a walk up to a couple of the lookouts.  

It was very warm going, but the views were worth the sweating and the thought of a swim in the Katherine River on our return spurred us on.

Apparently only freshwater crocodiles inhabit the river, but we still waited for somebody else to jump in just to be sure!  Then we both dived in and tried to bring our core temperatures down a few degrees.  It really is the only way to end a hot day.

A danger we haven’t encountered before in Australia is tripping over one of the resident national park campsite wallabies in the dark as we make our way to the ablution block.  They seem very friendly as they root through the leaves for food (with the occasional hopeful glance in the direction of our dinner table). SPOT