Day 3 - Jim Jim Falls & Yellow River

ilseluypaert
Jul 10, 2022
2 min read

11 July 2022 - Kakadu National Park

The dilemma of today is

- going to the famous Yellow River where we can see lots of water birds around the last remaining billabongs of the dry season, a real tourist hub with boat tours etc

- making a detour of 70km dirt road to visit the deep dark plunge pool of a dried up waterfall?

We chose the last options as we believe it to be calmer and less touristic.

Jim Jim Falls

The falls are only reachable in the dry season by 4WD. This road is really not that much a road... we take our time, following the turns and driving through the last puddles (no way we want to get stuck another time ;-)

Once arrived we discover that even in this remote place, there is a completely full car park and plenty of people (nothing compared to the outback, where we were alone in nature most of the time).

From the car park there is only a 800m walk to the falls. Easy! we thought. But nothing is less true! A valley of huge boulders is ahead of us. And we literally are climbing meter by meter ....

Aiko has special travel arrangements on daddy`s shoulders. Chloe is proving exceptional in boulder jumping. Thomas is my hero keeping equilibrium at all times. And I am wrestling with 3 coloured noodles (That is what the sausage shaped floating devices are called down under ;-)) After litres of sweat we arrive at the pool. The water is dark deep and freezing cold. The swim rewarding.

The last picture is how Jim Jim Falls looks like in the wet season : a deafening and violent torrent of water falling 200m (!) down. Only way to see it, is from the air .

Yellow River

As floodplains recede in the dry season, all water birds are crowding together around the last remaining billabongs in Yellow River. We arrive just after sunset, the birds are gone to bed, but the spectacle of colours is amazing....