Litchfield National Park camping

We have stayed at Wangi Falls camp ground which is managed by the rangers for the Northern Territory Government.  The campground is full to over flowing each night and often there are caravans and campervans lined up along the roadways throughout the area without a specific site to camp on.  The ranger called this morning to check we had paid our fees (which of course we had) and said that they call at various times of the day to move campers without sites on as the facilities cannot support large numbers.  We can understand their dilemma but also that of campers – it costs a family $15.40 to stay overnight here and the local safari camp quoted a family $88 to camp.  Also this camp is within 300 metres of the falls and the safari camp about five kilometres.

Our designated area has two numbered campsites.  The first two nights we shared with a woman travelling on her own (Barb) in a campervan from Beechworth in Victoria.  We were soon joined by two lovely Swiss girls who had met Barb in Alice Springs and as they couldn’t get a campsite they joined in our group.  Anyone that knows Peter and I well will know that we just love girls from Switzerland and these girls were just as lovely as others who have become part of our lives.  Marina has been studying in NSW for a few months and her sister, Pascale, joined for a trip through Central Australia.  We enjoyed some lovely time together and they taught Connor a Swiss game of cards and then Connor taught them pick-up sticks.

Barb did some entertaining of her own.  She has a Spiderman outfit and provided entertainment to young visitors.  Angus was our six year old neighbour from Sydney and he had a Batman outfit so he soon joined Spiderman to have his photo taken.

The campsites are set among the trees and there are lots of birds and we have had a few wallabies wandering around in the early evening.  There was a much larger kangaroo one night.  Connor hasn’t bothered putting the fly in the tent here and he was sure one night he heard a large kangaroo nearby.  Perhaps he did.

Connor went for a walk one night with Angus’ family to see the bats flying.  He tells us that they saw a brown python about eighteen inches long on his way back to the caravan.  I am pleased I wasn’t with him as it was dark and they had torches so lucky to see it.  Apparently there are also a couple of wild pigs near the falls which have scared a few people.  The joys of being out in the bush!