Kakadu Waterfalls

Gunlom Falls

On the evening of the fourth day of our trip we made it to Gunlom Falls in the Southern end of Kakadu National Park. Our campsite was about a ten minute walk to the plunge pool and there was a half hour hike up to another set of pools that were at the visible top of the waterfalls. Laura and I ditched our distinctive indecisiveness and went up to watch the sunset. We hurried up and were rewarded by a majestic set of cascading pools and waterfalls. Laura took the opportunity to stand on the edge of the falls and practice her “CooooEEEEEE!” calls.

CooooooEEEEEE!

Barramunidi Gorge

The next day we headed off to Maguk or Barramundi Gorge. The weather was yet again hot and dry. After about an hour walk up, a swim in these immaculate cascading pools were a refreshing end. We did a combination of swimming and scampering and crawling and a little climbing to get to different pools and falls. Simon informed us that all of the formations in the rock and all the pools were approximately 500 million years old and were sculpted purely by rainfall. With a velociraptor about to turn the corner, we headed back.

Simon likes his job.

Twin Falls

Day six was a day of waterfall highlights! First we hiked visited Twin Falls. Bob was able to capture a good shot of the falls while still being able to lounge!... Unfortunately, we were not able to swim at here. A distressing accident that ended in a death upset the local Aboriginals. It is a very sacred place to them, and decided to prohibit visiting the upper pools. There is also restrictions on swimming in the plunge pool because of the increase of crocs. That's a very good reason not to swim.

Jim Jim Falls

That afternoon we visited Jim Jim Falls. I have no idea where the name came from. Maybe some guy named Jim found it and was so proud that he decided to put his name in twice. Regardless, these falls were incredible. Equally impressive were some of the giant boulders that lay near the pools that had fallen from above. The water was frigid, but because it was so hot out we all went for a swim in the outer pools. The inner plunge pool was the coldest. It seemed apparent that most people just jump in the plunge pool to say that they jumped in and then jump back out. Bob decided to take a dip and then actually swam all the way out to within meters of the falls. Simon called Bob a “legend.” We spent the rest of the afternoon there, relaxing and trying to absorb its massive scale and age.