Up the Creek

A tranquil dry season’s afternoon reflection of the riverbank on the Blackmore River near Berry Springs and Litchfield.

 The Location

This section of the Blackmore River is located just under an hour's drive from Darwin City near a campsite called Tumbling Waters. It is a beautiful place with its own small crocodile(freshwater) enclose with about 15-20 animals (2008). It is also located well as a base for exploring some of the Top Ends best attractions like The Territory Wildlife Park and Litchfield.

The story

On a whim, in mid 2008, my brother and I decided to go camping for the weekend at Tumbling Waters and before we knew it, a group of our friends had decided to join us. It was a great weekend but like any camping trip in Australia, you inevitably go exploring.

We tracked along the riverbanks and as it was the dry season, there were plenty of sections where the riverbed was exposed too. And was on one of these trips that I got this photo.

Despite the Blackmore River running into Darwin Harbour, this section is reasonably isolated due to some rapids downstream from where I got this photo. I was not going to go in and see if there were any of those snappy logs that this part of the world is famous for. As in the wet season, the place where I was standing to get this photo could be three to five meters below the surface of the river depending on how much rain comes through.

This is a campsite I had been to many times before I met my wife so id love to return there and show her and our kids just how amazing this part of the world is.

The shot

Camera:                                Olympus E-410

Exposure:                              1/125

ISO:                                      100

Aperture:                               f/8

Lens:                                     Zuiko 14-42mm

Focal Length:                       14mm

Other:                                   None