Sun 27th July – Day 78: Lawn Hill National Park

Another lazy start, we are relishing the ‘not moving’ part of our trip. As the day heats up we head for ‘Indarri Falls’ — a 3.8km return which takes us steeply over the top of the gorge to some spectacular vantage points. On arrival at the falls, we are hot, dusty and sweaty - it takes no convincing to take a dip in the cool clear waters. The water is so highly mineralised that when you get out your skin is like crocodile (Dry and scaly) and we have been going through the sorbolene cream in bulk!
Back at camp we spent another sedentary afternoon, reading books, taking siestas and having the odd beer with canapés to boot.
Another afternoon walk, this time through creek vegetation to the Cascades (2km return). The kids & Pete had a refreshing swim in the cool spas while I marvelled at the tufa formations. The waters of the streams are rich in lime. Where they flow over obstructions such as rocks or vegetation debris, they evaporate and deposit skins of lime minerals. This material, known as tufa (pronounced toofa) is a porous rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate, and it can gradually build up to form small, delicate dams.
A quick visit to the huge catfish that live near the canoe launching site marked the end of another fine day.
Lawn Hill National Park ($19.60/night)