26 April 2024
Well, that heading got your attention! And no, this isn’t a retro post about an 80s and 90s Aussie rock band.
Edith Falls is a beautiful place. A very hot (in late April), beautiful place. A very hot, beautiful place with a crocodile issue (saltwater not freshwater this time). A very hot, beautiful place with a crocodile issue, and no powered sites (meaning no air conditioning).
After setting up we quickly realised it was going to be hot here, with little breeze and temperatures of around 34 degrees. Then, pretty much straight after arriving, a Park Ranger came to see us to explain that the Edith Falls Plunge Pool (the bottom pool most popular with swimmers and a major attraction given the weather) was currently closed for swimming and would be completely off limits for any visits from 6pm that night to 8am the next morning due to a “wildlife exercise” being undertaken. When Nicole asked exactly what that meant, the Ranger advised us they were trying to catch a saltwater crocodile that was active in the pool. In addition, there was the possibility we might hear a gunshot that night and, if so, not to be alarmed. We are definitely in the Top End!
The Upper Pool (about a 1km reasonably steep hike to the top of the escarpment) was open though, with no crocodiles.
So, we waited until as late in the afternoon as we could for the weather to cool. As part of this time waiting, we chatted to Bev, owner of an identical motorhome to us and camped only 50 metres away. She travels on her own and is a lovely person.
Anyway, we left at around 5:00pm to walk up to the Upper Pool (getting very hot in the process) and it was magnificent; an ancient amphitheatre with the setting sun firing off the red rock surrounds, a waterfall, and a beautiful cool natural pool to swim in to cool us down. Which is exactly what we did! We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves too, which made it even more special.
After a refreshing dip I started taking photos left, right and centre — excited as a kid in a toy shop with such beautiful landscapes to photograph. As usual, I got a bit carried away and we started losing the light, so down we headed.
The track we were taking down finished at the Plunge Pool, and it was already 6:20pm or so. We realised we were going to have to walk past the “no go zone” after the 6:00pm curfew so, as we got to the bottom, we made some loud coughing and talking noises to make sure nobody thought we were a croc and tried to shoot us (I exaggerate a little here — call it poetic license). As it turns out, all we got from the rangers who were out on their little tinny was a, “Hey there!” We’re definitely in the Top End.
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