The amount of water tipping over the edge of the horse shoe shaped cliff in to the deep pool below more than matched the thunderous roar that echoed across the plain. After a rest and a few photos we then proceeded to find and make a path to scramble up to the top of the waterfall. When we finally made it, the views both ways, looking bacck down the river as it snaked across the plain, and looking up the river as it wound its way down from the rocky hills covered in the afternoon haze were equally iimpressive.
About a kilometre further on from the falls we found a large rock ledge, with a few small caves offering protection from the sun, plenty of driftwood, a large patch of sand for sleeping and only 20 metres away from the water' edge. This was to become home for the next four days.
The handlines that we had brought along proved very useful, and the fish were soon biting - even for a novice like me ! I didn't catch anything too big, but what I did catch was big enough to eat, and when grilled on the fire, it tasted delicious.
Fortunately no crocodiles showed up to compete against us. A swim in the river was a refreshing escape from the heat of the day, and the caves provided an ideal location for a relaxing read of some books I had meant to read but never had the chance to start. Firewood was abundant, and the wood was so dry that a couple of times the fire almost took on a life of its own.I did find myself pondering from time to time that it was almost the perfect location for a nomadic people to eke out a subsistance living - plenty of water, flora and fauna for people skilled and knowledgeable enough to survive. And plenty of vandtage spots to quickly identify visiting friends or foe.
One day we did try and leave however not farther on from the waterfall the banks became very swampy and the lure to return to paradise was too strong, so we returned to the little bit of paradise for another night.
Eventually, despite my best Rex Hunt impressions, the fish stopped biting and the food was getting a little thin, so we packed up camp and headed off early one morning in the general direction of the car. As usual, the walk back was far easier and shorter than the other way, especially as our packs were now almost empty. With the forced march pace we adopted, we were within a stone's through of the car by the end of the day.
Suprisingly when we arrived back at the car it was still there, so we through our backpacks in the back and fanged it out of there.
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