Day 395 | Sam Creek crossing: Jardine River National Park
45 km | zzOz total: 11,426 km
I’m back with the bulk tourists: the northern section of the Telegraph Track has two big and accessible attractions and the people are flocking.
Fruit Bat Falls was otherwise deserted when I had my swim, perfectly timed between influxes. It’s sort of low key from a tourist visuals aspect, a 50 m wide shallow creek dropping about 2 m but the pummelling my back received was a saving from my usual $60 at the osteopath.
Eliot Falls is more dramatic, a very miniature Iguazu, 3 m drop this time, the same creek further down. You swim at the adjacent Twin Falls, kinda like Buley Rockhole at Litchfield National Park near Darwin, with similar numbers, ie, far too many for a pleasant soak.
For the record my personal favourite bathing spots on my travels to date have been:
1. Turquoise Bay, Cape Range National Park, WA. Must be, I went back every day for a week for the coral reef.
2. Maguk, Kakadu National Park, NT. Best freshwater swimming, ever, in pure clear water at 25ºC.
3. Twilight Beach, Esperance, WA. At least until I saw those 2 big sharks.
4. Green Ant rockhole, Litchfield National Park, NT. Maybe because of those 2 French women.
5. Fruit Bat Falls, err, today.
6. Buley rockhole, Litchfield National Park, NT.
7. Bell Gorge, Gibb River Road, WA. For that slippery slide into the water.
8. Koolpin Gorge, Kakadu National Park, NT. Clear green water, yumm.
9. Kermit Pool, Karijini National Park, WA. Bit cool but there for the novelty value.
10. Marella waterhole, Buntine Highway, NT. Just a surprise in the middle of not much.