Edith Falls

Mon 1 June… On our fist stay in Katherine we visited the Edith Falls but it was closed for swimming because there was still a risk of saltwater crocs, so we thought we would try again. It’s another hot day and a swim in the pool at the falls should be good. The falls consist of a series of waterfalls with deep rocky pools. The main three are the lower, second and upper, but there are more. We decide to climb up to the Upper pool by means of a very rough track. The first 500m are very steep before the track crosses a ridge, and then a scramble down to the Upper pool. It’s a half hour hike but at the end it’s just magical. Photos to follow! Getting into the pool is a bit tricky as the rock are sharp and slippery, but once in it’s lovely. We expected the water to be cold but it isn’t. As we are swimming around, Peter found himself sharing his bit of pool with a two foot lizard and he’s (the lizard) a better swimmer. They chose to go their separate ways ---quickly! No dramas! We saw him again later as he was sunning himself and have a long distance photo of him. We also saw a rather large yellow snake, climbing up the rocks above the waterline so whether he was a swimming snake we don’t know. Too much fun, we make our journey back over the ridge, and down to the van for lunch.
Then we had a dip in the lower pool (the second pool is inaccessible) which is closer to the car park , is easier to get in and out of as they have built some rough old steps into the water and of course it is more popular, why would you climb over a mountain to go for a swim, when you can fall out of your car into the lake. We did! The Navigator goes off for a marathon swim to the base of the falls, 300m out and back. Peter just took the snaps! A lovely day out and it made up for the disappointment of our last visit.