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Pat an I drove over to "Adels Grove" near Lawn Hill National Park just shy of the Northern Territory Border. It has been on our bucket list forever. We are finally getting to see the beautiful Gorge.
We stayed for 3 days. The road through the park was rough dirt for about 20 km or so but once in there it was really enjoyable even though the area was dry.
The room wasn't quite what I expected due to me not reading the brochure properly (imagine a beautiful ensuited resort room and ending up with a donga room and bush showers and long drop toilets) needless to say my disappointment was very real for an hour or two.
Having gotten over the disappointment at the bar that night - look at it this way the bed was comfortable, the room air-conditioned, a deck, plenty of hot water for the shower, 20 feet from pristine water to swim in, and about the same distance to the bar & restaurant. Enough encouragement to pull anyone out of a self imposed blue funk. Anyone who knows me, knows I can be a miserable so & so when things don't go my way because I messed up - and Pat is usually around when this happens.
Sunday was spent in the gorge itself. Early breakfast, drive into the national park, a 200m climb (straight up of course) up natural steps to the top of "The Stack" with an easy 1.6 km loop walk around the top.
What beautiful scenery, it was lovely and cool as we watched the sun rising over the canyon walls to highlight the crystal clear water running through the gorge walls. One part of the gorge was sacred ground for the local tribes so no cameras were to be used, this didn't matter as there were other places just as beautiful.
After we left the stack we went to the "Cascades" the group in front of us were enjoying the massage from the water cascading over the rocks.
Then it was time to take a canoe up into the rest of the gorge. It has been awhile since we were in a canoe instead of the kayaks and now I remember why we chose the kayaks instead.
(If I had known they were not running the gorge tour we would have bought our kayaks over with us. Just another little incident of my lack of attention to detail - man am I ever becoming slack)
We went up into the gorge till we came to the waterfalls where you get out at the built landings and port the canoe across the waterfalls and into the upper gorge.
At one point we paddled as close as a few feet of a freshwater crocodile sunning itself on a rock on the edge of the river. We were given very clear instructions on where to find the crocodile from others coming back from up the gorge - half way up the gorge on the left in the bushes. Well that was very clear but also usless - was it our left or theirs, we didn't know how long the gorge was so where is half way? we found him anyway though.
We have not lost our touch when it comes to getting in and out of the canoe, I had to get my shoes wet but in the heat in the gorge it doesn't take long to dry them. Lunch was a packed salad, cake, biscuit, fruit and soft drinks.
During the walk this morning I broke one of my sneakers so I will need a new pair before the next trip. Just my luck I also broke my favourite slip-on's as well after returning to the room, so the only shoes I had left with me were my good high heeled boots and I am definitely not wearing them to go walking around the rocks and dirt. I walked barefoot over to the souvenir shop and bought a pair of thongs. Where there is a will there is a way.
They had music at the deck restaurant and bar each night. Pat and I were able to talk to a lot of interesting people while there. When we arrived home a couple of the groups we met were staying here in our park before going up to Karumba.
- comments
Rejoice Loool @ the resort expectations...you have a habit of not reading the brochure properly....remember that island you guys went to in NZ!
Pat Cronin It was funny Rejoice. Not as funny as Ulva Island where they stood on the beach looking like the penguins from Madagascar after they finally got to Antarctica. Next time you see Dee ask her about Tasman Glacier as well.
Denise Tasman glacier is different, I didn't read anything about the glacier but YOU did and didn't say anything about it being underground at that location and all we would see is a gravel pit.