Edith Falls

Trundling further south along the Stuart Highway we reached Edith Falls, a lush oasis. We drove down to see the waterfall not expecting great things as we are at the end of the dry season. Our travel experiences to date informed us that guide books always promote waterfalls as the most enthrallingly gushing scenes, but when you arrive it is little more than a dwindling brook. On this occasion though, it was a stunning sight. A small waterfall tumbled into a huge plunge pool and billabong, perfect for daytime swimming, as the fresh water crocs only come out during the night. We decided to rest here for two nights and soak up what the place has to offer. The campsite provided free gas BBQs and after a refreshing dip in the soft fresh water pool we took full advantage of it.

The temperatures were reaching 40C during the day, and a muggy 28C at night. The nights are uncomfortably hot and in an attempt to cool the blood to get some shut-eye we had each taken to sleeping clenching a bottle of cold beer (unopened) to our head or chest. This has brought a new meaning to the term alcohol dependence. Our fridge then packed in. This was most annoying and we spent our second night at Edith Falls feeling very clammy and sweaty.

We met the groundsman, a living breathing Mr Rusty from Magic Roundabout. The hat was absent and a long grey bread accompanied his draping moustache. We struck up a good banter on our mutual appreciation of birds. He avidly introduced us to the resident Bower Bird, who builds a love nest to attract a potential mate, and he also moved a water sprinkler so it attracted the dawn flock of Rainbow Lorries. He told us about many of the native wildlife including wallabies and a resident olive python called Olive who frequently hangs around the toilet block to hunt for frogs and scares the living daylights out of most people.

In the morning we woke before dawn and whilst enjoying a brew inside the van we spied through the window a host of wildlife grazing. Wildlife watching from our bed we were enthralled by the wallabies, rainbow lorries and cockatoos.

We cherished a lazy day of rest, played Gin Rummy (which Sarah won) and swam again in the refreshing pools getting a pedicure off the little fish.

The next morning we woke early and walked up t the top pool and waterfall overlooking the flat plains and had a morning dip in its cool waters before heading down to the baking heat of the plains.

 The cool waters of the Edith Falls Billabong

Little lizards crawl through the leaf debris hunting for insects

Sulphur crested cockatoos call out at sunset

The male Great Bower Bird builds his love nest on the ground and decorates it with white materials like shells and plastic to attract a mate

The female inspects the nest, presumably looking at artistic and architectural aesthetics before making a decision

If she isn't happy she tries o destroy the nest and is chased away. We watched this guy for hours having very little luck with the ladies

We had a night visitor - a Tawny Frog Mouth hunting for reptiles, frogs and small mammals 

Plus we caught a few of these strange looking birds on our camera trap - Stone Bush Curlews with a little chick

In the morning as the sun hits the trees with the sprinklers going these Rainbow Lorries would come down for a morning shower 

Trekking up to the escarpment early on we saw our first Kookaburra

and a Bee Eater or Fly Catcher

You can't beat the refreshing rock pools during the heat of the day