Walking the rocky and remote Northern Territory terrain, Tegan Forder finds lush ravines, undulating trails, delicate native flowers and stunning sunsets.
The first day of a multi-day hike is often filled with optimism, despite the heavy load on your back. You're leaving a busy life behind and venturing into the bush where constant phone notifications can't reach you.
Our merry band of hikers - four adults and three kids - have opted for a five-day walk encompassing Smitt Rock and Eighth Gorge in Nitmiluk national park, 30km north-east of Katherine in Australia's Northern Territory.
The park covers a vast area, including 13 spectacular gorges carved out of rusty red sandstone. In the Jawoyn Dreaming story, the water flows through tracks made by Bolung, also known as the Rainbow Serpent.
During the dry season Nitmiluk "cicada place" (Katherine) Gorge is a magnet for adventure seekers and day trippers from the luxury cross-country train The Ghan. Hiking can be a quieter way to explore the park, as some areas can only be reached on foot.
After a night in the Nitmiluk campground, we set off. Our packs strain at the seams, with enough water for the warm day ahead, as well as food for the entire hike.
We start following the Yambi Walk to Smitt Rock, our first campsite on the trail. Rated a grade-four track, it's a rocky challenge for my ankles and, while I think the kids will require regular breaks, it's me who needs to rest.
We're rewarded with expansive views across rocky country, with glimpses of the lush gorges below. As we traverse an escarpment, we're surrounded by native grasses, bright green pandanus and sprays of purple, red and yellow dry-season flowers, some sprouting in areas where fires have been.
We decide to take a (rather long) detour to Lily Pond Falls. A sign warns that only experienced hikers should continue. We descend slowly, placing our feet strategically to stop us sliding down the rocky "path". I'm not as keen as the rest but the desperate desire to submerge in something cold persuades me.
At the bottom we realise that a boat has beaten us there and a group are lunching by the main pond, so we clamber down a bit lower to find some shallow pools to dip in and fill our bottles. After the boat departs we wander through to Lily Pond Falls, taking a moment to appreciate the still, sacred spot before heading back.
Sweaty but rejuvenated by our lunch and swim, we press ahead along the Waleka Walk trail (grade five) until we reach our first campsite at Smitt Rock just before nightfall. Before putting up our tents we rush out to the ledge to watch the sunset and spy a crocodile's yellow eyes as it makes its way across the gorge below us. We later find out from a couple of kayakers that the rangers have already checked whether it's a deadly salty - reassuringly, it’s just a big freshwater croc.
The next day's walk continues along the same rocky and undulating trail but with the promise of a waterhole waiting for us at Eighth Gorge. During the dry season a steady waterfall from the pool above feeds the swimming hole but it can dry up as the months pass.
We spend two nights there so we can have an indulgent rest day, swimming, reading, playing cards with the kids, spotting water monitors and exploring the gorge below. There is also a loop walk into the Jawoyn valley where you can view galleries of Aboriginal rock art. Some careful exploring is required to find the paintings depicting the Jawoyn people's Dreamtime stories.
The kids find us a scenic spot for dinner which we dub the "bistro", a ledge overlooking the spectacular gorges below. After eating our rehydrated bolognese followed by biscuits for dessert, we gaze up at the stars. No matter how many times I see the Milky Way I’m always amazed by just how many stars there are, especially out here, with no light pollution.
Moments like this can only be found hiking. That feeling of being slightly exhausted, humbled by your surroundings and happily full from food that would never usually taste as good.
It's hard to leave this idyllic spot but we pack and eat breakfast quickly before heading back the way we came to get ahead of the day's heat. This time we have the afternoon to hike down the cliff - which is as steep and rocky as it sounds - and run down the giant, piping hot dunes into the crisp water, swimming around Smitt Rock and up to the next gorge. We see more people than we have on the whole hike, with kayakers making their way up the gorges for the day or to camp overnight on the beach.
For our final day's walk, we choose a smoother path back along the Yambi Walk, stopping in at Dunlop Swamp where delicate flowers peak out of the mud. There are still a few hills for our tired feet to navigate before we return to our cars and head in different directions - the family back to the campground for a swim, and my friend and I to Katherine Hot Springs for a recovery session.
The Nitmiluk Cafe serves breakfast and lunch, and the Jatti Pool Bar & Bistro at the campground swimming pool has drinks, snacks and dinner options. If you want an upmarket dinner, the Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Dinner Cruise operated by Nitmiluk Tours offers a three-course meal.
In Katherine, there are coffee, breakfast and lunch offerings at the Pop Rocket cafe at Katherine Hot Springs, The Finch Cafe, The Black Russian Caravan Bar and Maidens Lane.
The Katherine Country Club (the "Golfie") serves Top End classics including baked barramundi and chicken parmi.
The large and shady Nitmiluk campground, which has a pool, has unpowered sites for $60. If you're without a tent there are cabins from $299 a night. Cicada Lodge has luxury rooms starting at $699 a night or there are glamping tents available at the Gorge View Bush Retreat from $120 a night.
In Katherine, the Big 4 Breeze Holiday Park has unpowered sites for $60 or cabins from $120,and Riverview Tourist Village caravan park has unpowered sites for $40 and cabins from $135.Both are pet-friendly and have pools.Motel-style rooms can be found at Knotts Crossing Resort from $253 a night and Contour Hotel from $249.
Katherine is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Darwin via the Stuart Highway.Greyhound buses run daily to and from Darwin.From Katherine,you can hire a car or take a taxi for the 20-minute drive to Nitmiluk Gorge.
There are various Southern Walks to choose from,but you must book ahead and pay online for overnight walks and camping within Nitmiluk national park.Walking spots can be booked up to 12 months in advance and campsites up to six months in advance.It's best to walk during the dry season,from May to September.