About half way between Pine Creek and Katherine is the popular picnic and swimming spot at Edith Falls. A torrent of water falls into a large pandanus-fringed pool. This is a glorious spot and there are several people swimming here, despite the signs which state that ‘freshies’ (fresh water crocs which are passive and don’t attack unless provoked) inhabit the pool and that ‘salties’ may also be here as well. Just like everyone else, we take a quick dip, straying more than a couple of feet from the edge (not that, that will protect us in the event of a croc attack); but unable to completely relax we don’t stay long. Nature’s way of saying, perhaps, look, but don’t touch!
We are staying at Springvale Homestead in Katherine. It is the oldest original homestead in the Top End and is located 8 km south west of Katherine. The station was established in 1879 and managed by Alfred Giles, the ex-Overland Telegraph linesman. Giles brought sheep and cattle up from Adelaide to stock the station. Near the homestead are four huge South American Raintrees which Giles’ wife planted one for each of their children. In the area around the homestead there is a camp ground and caravan park as well as some cabins, a beautiful, tree-fringed billabong (no mozzies apparently as there are seven ‘freshies’ in it that eat all the larvae) and a deep freshwater swimming pool. It also has too other important benefits not always found on campsites in Australia – a fridge and iron! This is a delightful spot made even better when we are allocated a pitch on the edge of the billabong. Perfect! We are just settling in with a cup of tea, when the owner strolls over to say that a ‘saltie’ has just been spotted in the billabong and would we like to move back from the bank to one of the powered sites? Apparently this is the first time a ‘saltie’ had been sighted in the billabong. We don’t need to be asked twice, and sadly we move to a spot out of range of the potential predator. The authorities have been called and at some point, perhaps even today, someone will come and remove the croc.
There is quite a bit of wild life on the homestead including wallabies, green frogs and cane toads (the latter are poisonous and are considered a pest to be reported to the authorities), numerous types of birds, geckos and every bug you can think of, even one or two mosquitos. This evening we count eleven wallabies grazing in the grass just behind the van, quite unperturbed by our presence; frogs hop around everywhere and Andy came across two cane toads flat out on their backs in the showers!
But tonight the flies are in abundance. They seem to be particularly attracted by the seafood mix that I’m cooking in our little camp kitchen. We are using the camp stools provided with the van as legs and one of the lids from the storage compartments which forms part of the bed base, as a food preparation and cooking area and the flies are beginning to gather as soon as I start to cook. The numbers seem to increase as we sit down to eat and become so overwhelming that we have to resort to waving a plate above our heads while we eat! It’s with some relief that that the flies disappear completely once we finish our meal. Flies must find fish particularly yummy.
As soon as darkness falls all manner of insects appear to make life a misery – huge flying bugs and large grasshopper-like creatures as well as moths and little jumping insects that get inside our clothes. Another early night in retreat under the mozzie net for a bit of peace!