Welcome Back! I promised to share the natural wonders encountered whilst travelling on The Ghan through the center of Australia – so here we go – I hope you enjoy the trip.
In summary, there are 3 key stops on the way from Adelaide to Darwin. They are Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin. To understand the wonder of what we’re about to explore, I just wanted to set some context on the Region. The Northern part of Australia is tropical which is a stark contrast when you’re travelling north from the arid plains of South Australia, the driest state. When it is ‘Wet Season’ in the North, the flood waters travel south down a network of rivers and floodplains which are bone dry during the Dry Season. Similar to the transformation of the Okavango Delta, the water germinates seeds, which attract insects, which bring in small reptiles, birds and mammals which bring in larger animals. Fortunately, nothing too scary like the Lions of Africa (apart from crocodiles) but the transformation relies on rain and 2021 was one of the BIGGEST Wet Seasons in two decades. Now let’s explore how water creates an unforgettable and jaw dropping experience:
ALICE SPRINGS
By car, Alice Springs is approximately 1,500kms north of Adelaide. It’s a very arid area with limited water flowing in from the North. However, with high temperatures and low rainfall, the rivers and creeks behave differently – the water runs underground! I’m not joking, there’s plenty of water, it’s just below the surface. Don’t believe me, here’s an example of the apparently dry waterbed flowing out of Simpson’s Gap, a gorge:
Looks like just dry ole sand, right? Well, it is but you only have to dig a couple of feet down to hit the water table. Without this water, the area would not be able to support the amazing gum trees that seem out of place in this landscape – how cool is nature? There’s even burrowing frogs in the area that will stay underground in hibernation for months or even several years before significant rainfall to awaken and reproduce.
KATHERINE
Another 1,200km north by car is the small town of Katherine. The area receives much of the water flows from further north. The Nitmuluk National Park is just out of town and contains 13 gorges which are stepped and linked. Normally, the boat would be able to traverse from gorge to gorge, but because of the amount of water this year, that wasn’t the case. We were only able to explore the first gorge – Katherine Gorge. Its banks were already about 5-7m higher than normal. The week after our visit, the train was unable to offload at Katherine because the water levels of the Katherine River were impassable. The town is often cut off in times of heavy rain up North.
For the local indigenous people, ‘Nitmuluk’ means the ‘place of cicada resting’ which is a stark contrast to the torrenting water that we observed. However, in the dry season, the gorges are calm and you can traverse the entire series of them. The Wet Season not only brings water, but it also washes Salt Water Crocodiles downstream. These monsters can grow to 7m so the National Parks Authority places traps to catch them so the area is safe for swimming. There are many stories, especially of Europeans, not heeding warnings and not coming back from their exploration of the gorge… oops!
DARWIN
Darwin is the Capital City of the Northern Territory and about 300km north of Katherine. It provides easy access to Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. Both are spectacular.
I’ll start with Kakadu which is about 2 hours drive east from Darwin. In this region of the world, the exposed rock is about 2.5 BILLION years old – yes, you read that correctly. It is SO old that it is decomposing at an atomic level which creates radioactive material. In Kakadu and neighbouring Arnhem Land, they are referred to ‘hot rocks’ as the radiation can be picked up by a Geiger Counter as it is in high concentration and close to the surface. Of course, this is the dream of mining companies who want these resources, however, mining is now banned as the area is of spiritual significance for the local indigenous people and the last remaining mine is in the process of being shutdown. Kakadu also contains rock paintings from the indigenous people that date back 20,000 years. I told you this place was amazing:
As I mentioned earlier, this area depends on the rain and is a giant wetland. It is the best rain they’ve had in two decades, so the water level had risen significantly and with it brings a flourish of life:
The waters look tranquil but they’re teaming with freshwater crocodiles -not so bad AND their large, aggressive cousins the Salt Water croc. There’s also rare species like sawfish which are a type of ray with a huge saw protruding from their front used to sift through mud for prey. They can grow up to 7m long. Google them – fascinating and rare. The waterfalls are also overflowing and here are JimJim falls in all their majesty, adorned with a rainbow crown as we flew above:
Next is Litchfield National Park, which is about 1.5 hours South-West of Darwin. There are number of spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes but because of all the rain. The waters are unsafe for 2 reasons:
- There’s salt water crocodiles who follow the swollen creeks and rivers from the seas, inland to lay their eggs and are even more aggressive than usual when breeding. There are ‘no swimming’ signs everywhere and areas where the water is temporarily fenced off during the wet - it is a very high likelihood you will be eaten. When we were driving, we even spotted a number of young crocs crossing the road, squashed on the road or being eating by various birds of prey: hawks, kites, eagles, falcons etc Everything tends to be big here, even the termite mounds which can be up to several metres high and oriented North to South to aid with natural cooling of the structure:
- The current is too strong. There is a lot of water and you risk getting pulled under the water by a current or crashed, smashed and tenderised against the boulders. Nevertheless it was spectacular to look at all the same.
So now you have both sides - the luxury onboard The Ghan and the natural wonders that you experience when travelling from Adelaide to Darwin. I’ve done my best to describe the natural wonder BUT most of these things can only have full effect when you’re there in person - feeling the mist blow from the waterfalls or the electricity of the cicadas buzzing in the last light of the day. Thanks for joining me on the journey!
I love your post, it’s full of enthusiasm, great pictures, great stories - I want more! 
My favorite part is about all this interesting info, you included here, like old paintings on rocks and how gum trees get water. Australia is a continent I’ve never been to, but who knows what future would bring.
