Day 25 - Litchfield NP

"Going Matrix" over Florence Falls

Today I toured Litchfield National Park, south of Darwin. It’s a nice mixture of tropical rainforest (some of it classified as remnants of ancient “monsoon forest”, actually), lush low lands (swampy), high escarpments, waterfalls and rivers with designated swimming holes (lacking crocodiles – but what about snakes?), and gigantic ant mounds. Some of these ant mounds were 20 feet tall, easily. It was almost surreal seeing these ant mounds mixed in the low-land forests and swamps.

I shaved and took a bath in one water hole and then went for an incredible swim at Florence Falls. It’s one of those places where you become instant friends with everyone there because you’re all having such a positively unique time. It was hot (34 C) and humid (100 percent?), and when I went hiking along a jungle trail I soon became completely soaked. I think sweat glands I’ve never used before are active here.

Giant Ant Mounds, Litchfield NP

There’s a road sign as you enter Litchfield NP that says “No Pornography Allowed". Why would they need to say that?

Here’s a new song for ya: Gold Panda – Snow and Taxis It’s not my new favorite, but it’s good (and different).

I don’t know how to express the sorrows of The Fatal Shore for you in a brief yet meaningful way. The book’s extremely interesting, insightful, and sad. Mankind has a great capacity to be bad to each other. If you’ve seen the movie “The Shawshank Redemption”, there’s a scene where the lead character (Tim Robbins) plays beautiful music for him and all the prison population. There’s hope and beauty that hadn’t existed before. That, in essence, just happened in the book last night. I was uplifted.

Butterfly in Monsoon Forest, Litchfield NP

I was reading the book in a tiny open-air, back-country caravan park cafe, late in the evening with about four other groups. One group was the work staff socializing, there was me, there was a young couple also each reading, and there was a Hispanic family playing pool (they had a 4-year old girl with long brown hair scurrying about with delight). We were surrounded by glass-door beverage fridges (with white lights inside and lots of condensation outside), the dimmest and yellowest fluorescent ceiling lights I’ve ever been exposed to, ceiling fans, the sounds of frogs and crickets, bug zappers “cracking out", a single metal membrane of a roof, concrete floor, a little coin-operated computer (for internet), an electric juke box playing 80s American rock music (primarily), and plenty of decorations such as you might find in your grandmother’s house (but of the Australian variety). It was the most charming scene (other than Pemberton; see Day 12) that I’ve witnessed this trip.

I got fresh pancakes in a café in Darwin. I think the pancake issues (e.g. see Days 11 and 16) might be limited to franchises. Perhaps they were serving crumpets. Know what a crumpet is? Basically a non-fresh pancake (I learned about these last year – you can get a 6-pack tube of them in the grocery stores here).

I bought a “steak burger” off the hamburger selection of the menu last night. It was an actual steak (medium rare, with gristle and fat needing trimming) in there. I was expecting a ground up steak made into a hamburger patty. Instead I got a real mess.

Kangaroo Burger, French Press Coffee, Homemade Mango Cheesecake: $24

I had a kangaroo burger today for lunch. I had to try it. It was pure meat steak cubes served as you would a hamburger (again, not a ground meat patty). I could not tell the different between it and a piece of beef. It was delicious.

I stopped at a tiny remote caravan park early this morning, hoping for coffee. The front doors were wide open, and I went up to the counter and asked, “are you open yet?” The lady retorted, “the doors open”. “Ah, okay, I’ll have a long black”, I replied. I detected a different accent, but it was unfamiliar. “Where are you from”, I asked. “Berlin, originally”, she responded. Things started making sense. I’ve noticed this type of frankness and gruffness from Germans before. You prove you’re nice, and then they’ll soften. She did.

She told me to help myself to a refill, and then she turned on the music. It was all American country western (e.g. Like a Rhinestone Cowboy, Okie from Muscogee, Know When to Hold Them, and many more iconic songs). I had already come to learn that Germans love the American cowboy theme (seriously), and this just supported it. Her husband then came out, and I asked him about being from Germany. I found out they began travelling in 1994, but since they purchased the caravan park 9 years ago, the travelling had stopped. He said it takes their time and energy. He then informed me that the caravan park is for sale.

Ben’s another caravan park operator I met down the road last night. He’s a middle-aged Aussie, but his accent was slight. I came to find he had travelled extensively in his life. He said when you leave home to see the world you change, and when you come back, others have moved on to change in other directions.

I just heard an American rapper (of Public Enemy) being interviewed by a radio station (Triple J) announcer. The rapper said he’d been coming to Australia for 20 years, and that he’s seen Australia go from being a country like Canada to being like California. I think he meant this culturally. Unfortunately, I think he might be right (that Australia is becoming more like America). The Pembertons of Australia (see Day 12) will soon be gone.

I have a 12-hour wait at the airport here in Darwin tonight. It’s time for Cairns, Queensland starting tomorrow morning.

Florence Falls & Swimming Hole

Butterfly in Monsoon Forest, Litchfield NP

Return to Oz

Day 25 – Litchfield NP

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