Filling up the camping equipment

After we noticed in the evening that our camping equipment was far from complete, the plan for the next morning was to buy everything we still missing before heading towards Litchfield Nationalpark.

While I slept very well at night in the roof tent, the boys had less good nights behind them. We were all awake at 7 am in the morning. First we all showered, got ready and then packed the car together.

Before 10 am we were ready to leave. First we drove in the direction of the park, which was right by the sea, where we had breakfast and refilled the water canisters.

From there we went first to Kmart. To save time, I went to Kmart with Mathis while Marcel drove to the gas station, checked the tires and filled up the car including the petrol can.

In the meantime, Mathis and I have bought boxes for the car so that it is a little more organized, another chair and a larger tent.

From there we went again with Marcel to Coles to buy some food for the next few days as well as mosquito spray. From there we went back to Bunnings to buy a turnstile and a jack in case a tire went flat.

Let the roadtrip beginn

After we finally had everything, we left around half past twelve in the direction of Litchfield Nationalpark. The drive to Litchfield Nationalpark took two hours. During this time we actually wanted to take turns, but in the end I drove the whole way on my own. I have to admit, driving straight ahead all the time without anything happening can get pretty tiring.

Already on the way to the camp we had no network at a certain point. Not in the camp itself either. However, you could only book a pitch at the campsite online. Of course, very well thought out if you don’t have internet reception there. Another option was to call the front desk with a payphone, which we did.

The Wangi Waterfall at Litchfield Nationalpark

Then, once we had a place for the night, we parked our car there and walked to Wangi Waterfall, which was only 300 meters from our campsite. There we then cooled down in the water as it was pretty hot.

When we finally went back to the campsite, it had already cooled down a bit so we could set up the tents. The tent we bought that day was already a lot bigger than the one from the day before. This time two people could sleep in it.

After we had set everything up, we went back to the waterfall. In the meantime nobody was there anymore, because all tourist buses finally left. At sunset we walked a little further along the waterfall trail. There we could observe a huge swarm of bats in the trees, which has settled there.

But since it was about to get dark, we quickly turned around and went back to the camp. There we started preparing our dinner, which is pasta with pesto every night. Eating in the dark is quite annoying, because all the mosquitoes and small animals come when the light is on.

Since it was so dark we went to sleep after eating. Before we could see the stars in the sky. The starry sky in the outback is really beautiful and clear. You can even see the Milky Way.

A hike around the waterfall

That night I slept on the mattress in the tent. At first I had the feeling that the mattress was a bit uncomfortable, but in the end I was able to sleep well in the tent that night.

I actually like camping life much more than hostel life. Hostels are usually a bit dirty and you never know where the dirt is coming from. In addition, you always sleep in beds in which 100 other people have already slept. Since we bought almost everything new, the blankets and mattresses in our car are a lot more hygienic and I feel much better.

The next morning we woke up at half past seven. Immediately after getting up we made our way to the waterfall. At that time nobody was there. Since it wasn’t too hot yet, we walked the 2-kilometer walk around the Wangi Falls. We were back quite quickly, but very sweaty. Then we all went to take a shower and then took down the tents.

Exploring the Litchfield Nationalpark

Shortly after ten o’clock we drove down from the campsite in the direction of Tjaynera Falls. Once there, we found out that you can only get to the campsite with a 4WD. We have a 4WD, but since the way to the campsite should be 1 1/2 hours long, we decided not to risk it with our small car and the half-empty tank.

So we drove on towards Florence Falls. On the way we passed Tolmer Falls, where we spontaneously decided to stop. That’s the nice thing about having your own car, that you can stop spontaneously whenever and wherever you want.

We didn’t like it that much at these falls and it was oppressively hot. So we drove on to Florence Falls quite quickly.

There we parked in the parking lot and went to the waterfall. We went there for a swim. Since it was still early and way too hot, we couldn’t go to the campsite and set up the tents. So we just got back in the car and drove down the street looking for other nice spots at Litchfield Nationalpark to check out. In the end we only found one unspectacular lake where we had network again, which is why we stayed there for a while.

Finally we drove a bit further to the next town and filled up the car there again. From there we drove back to the campsite. There was a 2WD and a 4WD campsite. Since we have 4WD, we really wanted to go to this campsite. There was a sign saying that bookings can only be made online. Of course again very practical if you have absolutely no network there.

Camping at the Florence Falls

But since we found the campsite at the Florence Fall very nice, we decided straight away that we wanted to stay there the following night as well. So the only way we could book the campsite was by driving out to the village where we had network.

It then took another half hour to get there. At the lake where we were already at noon, we stopped again and booked the camp. We spontaneously decided to book two nights there.
After we had done that, we drove back to the camp for more than half an hour.

When we got there we had to hurry to set it up as the sun was about to set. We quickly set up the big tent, the roof tent and the chairs. As soon as we were done we started cooking the pasta. After dinner we fell asleep very quickly.

A lazy day in the heat

The next morning I was awake at 6 a.m. We all got up around half past six and I walked to the Florence Falls with Marcel. There was nothing going on there shortly after sunrise. After Marcel had bathed in the waterfall and I took pictures with my camera, we went back to the camp.

We had breakfast there before it got too hot for us and we made our way back to the Florence Falls. It was now 10 am and the place was overrun with tourists. We then cooled down in the water until it got too full for us in the water. Then we walked a small path through the jungle that led to the parking lot. We then sat down at a small stream and put our feet in the water.

Around noon we made our way back to the camp. But since it was now so hot that you couldn’t bear it outside the water, we just had a quick meal and then went back to Florence Falls. There we spent the rest of the afternoon in the water. In the meantime it started to rain, wo it became a bit colder.

Then we walked back to the camp. There we went to take a shower before it started to rain. We didn’t have time to put our things in the car, so by the end everything was wet.

Sunset at the Florence Falls

Luckily the rain passed quickly. Since it was only 6 pm we decided that we can go to the lookout point of Florence Falls again to watch the sunset.

From the viewing platform, from which we had a really nice view of the jungle, we then walked the circular route. In the meantime it was getting dark, so that it got a little spooky in the forest. Everywhere it rustled because of some animals and constantly an insect flew past. Nevertheless, the little night hike was quite exciting.

Just before we arrived at the camp we could see that in the distance it started to lighten. Luckily, the thunderstorm passed us because none of us wanted to spend the night in the car.

After dinner, where of course we ate nothing else but pasta with pesto, we made a campfire before we went to sleep.

The next day we continued our roadtrip to the Mataranka Hotsprings. If you would like to know what we experienced during our time at the Maataranka Hotsprings, please read my next blog post Hot days and crocodiles at the Mataranka Hot Springs – Australia Travel Diary.