Greg: ‘Pudsey (Amy’s latest name for me) the road is too noisy’, says Amy from the backseat. She’s got a point, I wanted to turn back after the car started fish tailing on monsoonal size corrugations just 2km in. But no, Emma urged me on (she’s good like that). 36,370 bone jarring, Falcon destroying meters later we pulled into the Gunlom carpark. Which oddly enough is bitumen. Go figure?

Emma: After a short walk to the Gunlom Falls it was decided the trip in was definitely worth it. A refreshing dip in the amazingly scenic pool was only slightly marred by us being the only ones in there. Most people would have been thankful, but Greg being a little paranoid about such matters felt the need place his mum on croc watch and to jump at various shadows. He even felt the need to inquire as to how I was going on my swim across to the base of the falls, all of 50 meters.

Greg: Well you know crocs have been known to move around even in the dry and you really can’t be too careful. Anyway we then ventrued up the hill, more of a steep scamble really. Amy and Oliver were eager to impress us after we framed the task as a rock climb rather than a walk. What great parenting. The top was gorgeous. It’s just a bit hard to take all this swimming in cystal clear plunge pools, swimming pools, hot springs (we’re getting to that bit). Photos below, cause I could write a thousand words… Please ignore the girl in the green top in the photos she was definitely staying in the frame of my pictures on purpose!

Emma: There were three or four pools at the top, but alas the camera battery went flat so you’ll have to take our word for it or go visit yourself, we recommend the latter. The scramble down was uneventful and we had another dip in the big pool at the bottom to ready ourselves for the journey out. And as it turned out the corrugations on the way out were much worse… How does that happen?

Greg: Did I mention that I love bitumen? In Katherine tonight. Earlier today we swam in the Katherine hot springs. Not a patch on Mataranka but pleasant all the same. Amy stayed in for ages… No getting the shivvers to force her out – 32 degrees – just like grandpa’s pool! Oliver stayed in a while also… Long enough to develop a new roly poly maneuver.