I packed and said goodbye to Darwin. Last night after dinner I walked up town and did my shopping at Coles, so I was all ready for today. It was an easy day as planned – only 185km rather than the usual 500-600km of the past few riding days. It finished being easier then expected as I got part way into Litchfield NP and I was turned around (as was everyone) as there was a bushfire ahead and the road was closed.
More on that later, but this morning I took in Howard Springs – yes kids where we swam with the barramundi all those years ago. The pool was closed temporarily for restoration but it looked inviting. 
The springs were developed into a rest and swimming area during the war, trying to reduce the boredom and preventing the “men from going troppo”. Still lots of fish and turtles in the water to swim with.
Howard Springs was also one of the earlier water supplies for Darwin, until the Manton Dam was completed in 1942 which served Darwin until the Darwin River Dam (water storage 10x larger) was built which is now Darwin’s primary water source. The Manton Dam is still a backup water supply but is mainly used for recreation.
I drove into the the Manton Dam water reserve which is used for swimming, fishing, waterskiing, jet skiing, etc. Whilst there a ranger walked up and we had a chat – he said that he was heading out to check the traps. What traps I asked, and his reply was crocodile traps. Yep he said they have to set traps in case they get into the waterway as people swim here. The Darwin River Dam is full of crocodiles and being not too far away during the wet season crocs can travel from one dam to the other – hence the traps.
After that I headed onto Batchelor (just a quick fuel top-up) – looked to be a nice place, with quite a few QLD Govt offices (country style) a general store come post office, come take away, come fuel station. The attendant agreed with me that his town looked like a cool place to live.
I then headed towards Litchfield NP and got as far as the magnetic termite mounds. At this point local bush fire brigades and police had closed the road into the park – we are hoping it will be open tomorrow. I was chatting to the young female police officer and I asked her was she earlier doing random breathe tests at the turn around point. Yep she said with a smile, she recons that she might as well make her time spent there worthwhile.
Earlier, at the breath testing queue she told me I could continue when she was 3 cars ahead of my position. Later she said that she didn’t want me sitting in the hot sun in my bike gear – being a rider herself she new how hot it could get – so I recon she was okay.
Anyway the termite mounds were incredible. There were the normal termites that build towering homes, but in the lower plains the magnetic termites live. They don’t build their tunnels into the earth to maintain constant temperatures, so they align their mounds on a N-S orientation. 
Thus in the wet they don’t get their tunnels inundated with water, and they can move from the E to W side of their mounds to regulate the heat in their bodies – sneaky little mites aren’t they.
So I turned back at this point and travelled about 25km to the Litchfield Tourist & Van Park. What a great place as an alternative. Lots of grassed camp sites, a huge camp kitchen, with gas cookers, sinks, tables and chairs and a pool. 
At present I have this camp area to myself (and there are 3 other areas in the Park available), so not where I planned to be tonight, but really okay and hopefully into Litchfield and the falls tomorrow.
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