Leaving the vast lands of Kakadu behind, we made our way to Katherine, the closest town to Nitmiluk National Park. The heat continued to build and by now the sensation of cold had become a distant memory. Except for one luxurious icy bottled water purchase that we quickly consumed, there was nothing colder than room temperature to be had (and a hot room at that). Nights felt almost as hot as day and the "cold" water from the taps was lukewarm at best. With drinking water scarce we purified our own water, which was then heated even more once in the metal bottles that absorbed the heat from the sun as we drove or hiked. Even my contact lens solution was hot.
With such conditions we were overjoyed to realize most of our remaining adventures in the Top End were to include swimming. We started out with a trip to the hot springs on the outskirts of Katherine. Not actually hot, but fed by springs whose source we came to after a paddle upstream.
A French backpacker lent us his mask and told us to dive down to check it out - most of the river had been quite shallow, but at the source of the spring about five feet down was the entrance to a cavern, whose length and depth was impossible to determine despite the crystal clear water - Jacob of course wanted to swim in and explore but both the current and his parents prevented further entry.
More swimming awaited at the campsite pool another 30 km away, but first we dashed up to another sunset lookout to catch the final rays of the sun turning the steep walls of Katherine Gorge a deep red before fading to black.
In the morning we rented three kayaks for a full day exploration of the river running between those walls. Signs advised us that swimming was allowed, as long as we accepted the risk from the freshwater crocodiles that inhabited the waters. Generally averse to humans, timid and unlikely to attack unless provoked (so they are nice crocodiles), they didn't pose a grave threat, though the signs also noted that it was always a possibility, remote during the dry season, that a not so nice saltie might find its way into the waters. The hot sun and cool waters made the risk seem minimal so we all took every opportunity to plunge in, jumping off rock ledges,
or wading in off embankments, though it was unnerving to paddle by the crocodile nesting beaches
not far from the green waters we were swimming in. We paused for snacks or portage breaks to get between the first, second, and third sections of the gorge. At the fourth section Paul scrambled across the rocks to see if we could portage further and explore deeper in, but on the other side there was very little water for hundreds of metres so we abandoned the mission and headed back.
The current was gentle, so we enjoyed the easy paddling,
and Tom pulled his weight as well.
his tiny frame dwarfed by the giant cliffs.
We took frequent breaks to appreciate the stilllness,
and occasionally sought shade under rock outcroppings
or in shallow caverns at the base of the cliffs.
Our paddling day ended at 4 o'clock when the kayaks were due back, so we took the opportunity to hike up to the sunset lookout again, this time joined by a friendly German couple who we had met previously in Kakadu. They took our picture - we don't usually get one with all five of us in the frame -
then walked back down to the camp with us, where countless wallabies grazed, including one mother with her joey who wasn't afraid of people and continued to munch on leaves even as we passed mere steps away.
The next morning we left the park and headed back north. Our picnic stop was at Edith Falls,
the first of many waterfalls with plunge pools at their base that made for great swimming.
A short hike from the falls at the top led to a much larger pool down below, and we had a long swim to the base of those falls,
hoping that the sign promising very low risk was true.
Our stop that night was at a former WWII site and cattle ranch called Mount Bundy Station. We were shown our tent site not far from the banks of the river,
but we were cautioned not to swim or walk too close because of the salties.
We were all a little nervous in our tent that night but the owners said they generally didn't come up as far as the campsites, and at any rate we hoped they'd go for the wallabies before us.
Just another night in the outback! Besides the crocodiles the owners warned us against the buffalos, saying we shouldn't enter their paddock unless we could cross the field in less than 10 seconds, which was how long it would take the buffalos to catch, stomp on and gore any intruders. There was a lot more innocuous animal life wandering about the acreage, including peacocks,
some type of grouse,
horses
and ponies.
Though mostly hot and dry
there was a pool
and some flower filled trees that were surprisingly lush.
For our last few days in the outback we camped in Lichtfield National Park. Our first day we stopped to see the Magnetic termite mounds,
so called because they are all oriented north to south which ensures a proper heat balance for the massive colonies within. This area was the only place in the world with magnetically oriented mounds, though we'd seen a different community - the cathedral termite mounds throughout Kakadu and at Mount Bundy station, surprisingly high in stature,
We spent the rest of our time in the park going between brooks like Walker Creek, 
swimming first then hiking up through ancient cycad ferns to swim in a small pool at the top.
We hiked on a windy path
to get to the lovely and cool Cascades,
and spent a night camping near the much larger Wangi Falls, 
where this time a sign was posted that the freshwater crocodiles had been acting aggressive so to watch out and stay away from the left bank of the water where the most aggressive one had so far evaded capture by the rangers. We stayed in the middle and swam to the rightmost waterfall,
though others weren't so cautious so we weren't too worried. At night the bats that had been roosting came out, swooping down to the water for a drink before flying up into the sky.
On our way to the next campsite we stopped to peer down at Tolmer Falls, not very full at the end of The Dry but what water there was fell from great heights.
Florence Falls was much more full,
and had great ledges for doing flips off of.
We walked back through temperate forest, passing trees fliled with giant flying foxes hanging upside down. By now we were able to identify the presence of a colony through the intense burnt and slightly rotten meat smell that the bats created, and could just search through the trees til we found the source.
In the evening we had a swim before dining brookside on pineapple and ramen noodles cooked on our campfire stove.
Back at the campground Tom played pretended he was waiting for the school bus and did his "homework", giving us all a rare moment of peace from his normal enthusiastic exertions.
Just before we left the park the next morning we walked to Buley Rockhole, where there were a series of rock pools, great for swimming. The heat was getting to us and despite the relief of the water Jacob and Kyra started fighting, then Tom. I joined in from pure exasperation so we turned the idyllic paradise into the site of a giant family water brawl until our tempers cooled down so we could all actually enjoy the swim and beautiful surroundings.
Then it was time to drive back to Darwin for our flight out the next day. We were glad to finish our time with a car and be free of the responsibility of driving, though the car was a necessary evil for the itinerary we chose. Biking in the north was out of the question due to the punishing heat and the merciless roads (though we did see a few very hardy cyclists for whom we had the utmost respect), public transport into the parks was nonexistent, so without a car, one is completely unable to access many of the most beautiful of Australia's natural reserves. As it was, our 2WD wasn't able to visit some of the more remote areas and we were limited to sealed roads, which didn't stop us from hitting a pothole in Kakadu, popping off the hubcap which we had to search for in the bush. Our tire subsequently deflated, fortunately close to town, so we went to a gas station and befriended another family who knew more than we did (our knowledge being less than nothing) about cars and tires - they checked that we didn't have a permanent leak, and promised to bail us out the next morning if the tire deflated again. They were camping at the same place as us which was reassuring - being stranded in this kind of heat could quickly turn from annoying to life-threatening.
Our misadventures with the car didn't stop there. Thirty km before reaching Darwin we stopped for lunch at Howard Springs Nature Park. To get to a picnic site we had to walk on a short bridge across a stretch of dark green cloudy river, deep and mucky with no swimming allowed due to high bacteria levels (not to mention snakes and other creatures). What better place to accidentally toss the car keys into? Here's some free expert advice from the Climenhaga Meier travel team - never let the children carry the car keys on a bridge over murky water. When Jacob came sobbing to us at the picnic site to tell us what had happened (and to throw himself prostrate on the ground begging for our forgiveness) we managed to keep our cool, until we phoned the rental agency and found out we'd be paying $200+ for a tow, and the highway robbery fee of $800 to replace the key. Of course we had the wallets and all our stuff locked in the car too. After Louise the park ranger convinced us not toss Jacob into the river to grope about in the dark and fend for himself against the snakes, she lent us her net and the three of us took turns digging down with the long pole. After an hour or so of the three of us trying I went to call our credit card company and left Paul digging with Tom at his heels repeatedly asking what the big deal was and could we please make him some lunch. Louise sifted through the black muck Paul dredged up with her bare hands and brought cold cups of water. After an interminable wait on the phone I was ready to harangue my credit card car rental insurance provider, who was about to tell me that we weren't covered for rentals out of country, when suddenly Jacob let out a victorious cry that Paul had unbelievably found the keys. Oh happy day!
The joy over our good fortune carried through to our last night in Darwin. We had hotwired a hotel and came up with a fantastic 4 star hotel with a/c, an incredible relief after all the heat. After dinner in the park, at a picnic table near a salvaged cannon pointing towards a WWII ship's watery grave,
we went back to our rooms, where the kids relished time in the plush beds and watched movies on the big screen, enjoying treats we bought them as bribery so Paul and I could have a night out on our own. We had a drink at a local bar and went to the outdoor Deckchair Cinema, a longstanding Darwin fixture, where we sat in comfy lounge chairs and watched the latest Woody Allen flick as possums darted by and bats glided in front of the screen from time to time.
The last morning before taking off we spent at the East Point reserve. After swimming in the salt water Lake Alexandria,
and went for a terrific walk that took us into the heart of the mangrove forest, a unique perspective we'd never had before, possible because the boardwalk was built right out into the water.
We sat on the platform for a while watching the tide come in and the waves lapping against the trees, and when Tom got restless he turned to one of his favourite pastimes, taking selfies.
The Top End was an incredible place like nothing we'd seen before, and while we could have continued to explore the amazing sights, sounds and smells of the outback, we were glad to leave the draining heat. I think it would take our Canadian blood a lot longer than a mere two weeks to adjust to the scorching conditions, so when it was time to go we happily flew off towards the cool spring temperatures of Melbourne.
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