Litchfield National lies
100Km South West of
Soon after entering the park,
you come to the field of “magnetic” termite mounds. These unusual
mounds have aligned themselves with the Earth’s magnetic poles and are
broad and flat. All the mounds in this field are aligned the same way.
There are many theories as to why these mounds
are built this way. They are situated on flood planes, where the termites have
no choice but to shelter in the mounds from the heat, not underground as they
do in the cathedral mounds. With the alignment following North south- the
mounds have the smallest exposure to the sun when it is at its hottest and
overhead.
A cathedral mound is seen in the background on
higher ground.
Away from the flood plain,
this cathedral is built in folds that create its own shadows and protect the
mounds from the sun.
The termites can also shelter
underground, an option not available to the termites in the mounds on the flood
plain.
The best thing about the
The Buley
Rockholes
Several tourists enjoy
swimming in the series of cascading pools that make up the Buley
rockpools
The clean water cascades down
towards the creek.
Swimming in the clean creek
is safe and free from salt water crocodiles as the water travels on towards the
The
The falls cascade down a deep
drop into a pool below. The enthusiastic can climb down and swim in it and also
explore the rain forest. I wasn’t that enthusiastic.
Unfortunately after a week in
the car I was hanging out for a swim in a pool with bar service and a lift to
take me down to it.
The lush tropical rain forest
surrounding the creek is appreciated from the viewing platform.
The harsh dry environment of
the escarpment above the creek contrasts with the lush tropical rain forest
below.
The pool below looks cool, clean
and inviting.
Water cascades towards the
top of the falls, cutting its way through the rocks over the millennia.
Once again, the vegetation near
the water is thick and lush, contrasting with the dry bush that exists higher
up.
A view from
the escarpment at the falls, towards the vast flat plains of the Northern
Territory.
This is
There is some lush rain
forest to walk through near the bottom of the falls.
And near the forest floor the
fauna wait patiently for their unsuspecting prey.
Closer to the falls the water
pandanus, or Jim Jim, line
the sides of the creek.
We continued out of the park
towards
Kakadu
day 1
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