Category Archives: TRAILS – Camping & The Outdoors

Easter 2024

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Maggie and I went down to Paradise Valley for easter. Quite an expensive flight! But anyway – it was a lot of fun. The weather was absolutely ideal. Hot in the day, cool at night (Wed/Thurs night were freezing) and zero wind. Even rained on the Tuesday we left!

Maggie had loads of fun and was full of stories when we got back. Apparently equal best was kayaking, Kay’s pesto and the dunny run. She spend nearly every day in the water playing. We made the older kids do the big walk. Maggie did not like it – and had trouble watching where she was going. Ended up with quite a few scratches from the blackberry bushes.

Litchfield Trip

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We went down to Litchfield for a single night. Stayed at Litchfield Tourist Park in a cabin, $270 a night but it was very nice and Eddie loved it. The first day we went to our picnic spot near Florence, there were people in the main area but otherwise it went okay. Eddie didn’t like it at first but was soon floating Maggie’s shoes down the stream (where I would catch them) with glee.

That night we went back and had a few beers and a dip in the pool before microwave lasagna. The kids were playing together and loving it.

The next morning after some lovely bacon and egg muffins we went to Buley Rockholes – Maggie’s favourite – so we could jump off. It was a great plan, by the time we left the younger crowd with their stocked eskies were arriving. The 9-1130 trip really went well. After a picnic (and Dad driving up and down while everyone slept) we went to Walker Creek. We tried for the walk but it was too far – however the picnic spot next to the bridge was amazing. It was Eddie’s favourite and I think it will become our favourite soon.

Litchfield Trip

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We decided to book a room in Batchelor and take an extended trip in Litchfield.

We went straight away to the Buley Rockholes. Eddie was very excited and it was a huge amount of effort to keep him from hurting himself. Maggie thought it was the best and was happy jumping and swimming around and playing in the small waterfalls. Clarie did her best to keep up with a broken foot (and was thankful for the footware that I’d bought her).

That night we had a parma and a pint and there was a karakoe night on which made it difficult for me to sleep – but not for the rest of the gang.

The next morning we went to the Walker Creek day area, which was alright but probably not worth a revisit. Eddie had slept the whole way there so it made things awkward and we went to Wangi straight after and he was not in the best spirits, although Maggie was loving it, and we touched both waterfalls.

It was an extended trip back home as we got 45 minutes of sleep into Ed and we all got in the pool when we arrived back.

The next morning we went to the picnic spot and Florence. It was Claire and my favourite and the kids were in good spirits. From there we headed home.

Claire’s 40th in Kakadu

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We went down to Cooinda lodge for Claire’s 40th. We decided camping would be too much with Eddie, and we got a (very expensive) small cabin. It was very nice though and perfectly suited to us.

Each afternoon we went for a swim. On the first morning we went to Nourlangie, and on the second we went to Ubirr. We were unsure how Eddie would go on these sort of long bushwalks. Well the “path” part wasn’t his favourite, although with a bag of pretzels in his hand he did not seem to mind. But climbing the rocks was his all time favourite activity – that and “doing what Maggie does”.

Maggie was loving it of course, but it was just amazing to see Eddie keeping up. He would refuse to let anyone help him too much too – holding the hand was okay but not taking him over rocks.

On the way back home we tried and failed to get to Ikomarrya and we ended up at Pine Creek for lunch. There was old fashioned trains there to play on and Eddie was in seventh heaven!

On the top of Ubirr

Barra fishing at the Farm

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Maggie and I went down to a barra farm today. We also went on Saturday but didn’t manage to get anything.

On my fourth cast of the day I managed to hook a little fella. Maggie helped me wind it in.

A bit later on I hooked my second barra and Maggie reeled it in by herself.

At this point I cast and let her wind it in (teaching her how to jerk it a bit) and soon enough she hooked it herself! I had to get it off a pipe but otherwise she reeled it in all the way by herself. She was very proud and so was Dad!

She really liked the farm, additionally it is a great place to practice casting. She seems to be quite good at it too.