Alligator Creek by Melissa Littlejohn

Alligator Creek

Bowling Green Bay Natio

Written by Melissa Littlejohn Intrepid Tales of a Quirky Girl

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What would you say if I told you that Alligator Creek was a great place to go swimming for the day while you’re in Townsville? What?! Alligator Creek? Yes - Alligator Creek! Don’t worry, we don’t have alligators in Australia, but we do have crocodiles! Luckily for us, the crocodiles do not inhabit the swimming area of Alligator Creek.

nal Park

Alligator Creek flows through Bowling Green Bay National Park which is situated approximately 25 km south of Townsville, North Queensland. Bowling Green Bay National Park covers 57,900 ha of coastal and mountainous country extending from Cleveland Bay on the coast through to inland Mount Elliot. As a result, the habitats of the park range from coastal mangroves (where the crocs are) to rainforest covered mountain tops. A plethora of scenery for the avid nature lover!

But I’m not here to rabbit on about the statistics of the park! Noooo, I’m here to let you know how to get the best out of your day trip to Alligator Creek.

How to Get There There is no public transport so you will need to hire a car if you don’t already have one. Access is suitable for conventional vehicles so a 4WD is not necessary. From Townsville, head south on the Bruce Highway towards Ayr and turn right onto Alligator Creek Road just passed the Caltex Roadhouse. If you cross over Alligator Creek, you’ve missed the turn-off.

What’s There? Camping: with multiple camping areas ranging from remote camping opportunities, no facilities to one with facilities, you are sure to find what you’re looking for. As with all national parks in Australia, you need a permit to camp and fees apply. Hot tip: there are no bins so make sure you secure your rubbish when you’re there to prevent intruding animals and take it with you when you leave.

Day use area: has picnic tables, shelter shed, gas barbecues and toilets - perfect for large groups!

Swimming area: perfect to cool off on those hot, summer, Townsville days! Be careful after rain as water levels along the creek can rise rapidly.

Hiking Trails: whether you choose an easy 1 km return walk to the lookout or a difficult 17 km return hike to the falls, make sure you’re prepared.

Nature spotting: the diversity of habitat supports a large and varied population of many native and migrating species. Hot tip: never feed the animals - this can affect their health and alter the balance of the natural population.

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What to pack before you go:

• Drinking water

• Food/snacks

• First aid kit (especially if hiking)

• Fuel stove (fires and generators are not permitted for camping)

• Sealable container for rubbish (especially if camping)

Ok, so now to the fun part! I’m about to share with you my experience with doing a day trip to Alligator Creek and the tips that I learned upon my visit. Strap yourselves in, it’s going to be a roller coaster ride of adventure!

Tip #1 - ALWAYS have your camera handy! The minute we parked it was on! I shot out of the car with my phone camera at the ready. I had spotted a kookaburra upon arrival perched on one of the parking bay barriers. These are one of my most favourite birds and are notorious for not ever letting you get too close. For such a small bird it is hard to imagine why there was ever a nursery rhyme written about them with lyrics stating “Merry, merry king of the bush is he!”, until you see one eat its prey. Clinical. Ruthless. Efficient. All the makings for a psychopath...well, maybe I’m getting a bit dramatic! Unlike the song mentions, they are carnivorous. Their specially adapted, long, straight beak is a weapon they’ve mastered. As I crept closer, I could see the kookaburra’s powerful

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beak make short work of smashing its prey onto the barrier to break it apart into swallowable chunks. The sound was much like a woodpecker in slow motion. Clock. Clock. Clock. Impressive. I managed to get some photos and video, but nothing decent. The full zoom of my phone and my low-tothe-ground creeping did not make for steady focus. Obviously a proper camera with suitable lens and tripod is needed. Not far up the path to the swimming hole I felt the eyes of someone watching me. I was wrong. It was not someone, but something. I almost didn’t see it. So beautifully camouflaged against the gum tree forest background was a wallaby staring directly at me. I did what any normal human would do - I said hello. I asked him to wait patiently while I took his photo. He obliged. I realise at this point it could have been a girl. I will never know. It then took a few short bounds and disappeared into the bush. Ten minutes! I was only here for 10 minutes and had already spotted two cool native animals. A little further along the path I spotted an elderly couple sniffing a tree. I felt strangely impulsed to go and also sniff that tree after they were finished. You know when you see someone doing something so odd you just feel like you’ve got to go and do it too to see what all the fuss is about?! Maybe that’s just me! Anyway, they beat me to it. As I approached they turned to me with big smiles and the woman asked “Have you smelled the native gardenia flower?” “Oh, is that what you’re smelling? I wondered what captured your attention! No I haven’t smelled it yet.”

“Oh be sure to do so, love! And did you see the native hibiscus flowers yet? They’re on the ground.” My boyfriend piped up, “Ahh I was going to rip them out! I thought they were weeds.” With a chuckle she said, “No dear.

Beautiful natives. Oh and if you want a private swimming spot all to yourselves be sure to take a left at the shade cloth as you go up the hill. You’ll have to bush-bash for a bit, but it’s worth it. A swimming hole the size of two Olympic swimming pools

and deep too. No-one knows about it!” “Ok, thanks!” I said. “Have a good day.” Two Olympic swimming pools... that’s an oddly specific description I thought to myself. Maybe that wasn’t a native gardenia they were sniffing… We searched for far too long for this ‘shade cloth’ marker to turn left at. As I waited for my boyfriend to explore a potential lead, the aroma of jasmine filled my nostrils. Jasmine is the only flower I can pick by smell. I searched everywhere for where the scent was coming from only to find it was right in front of me! I hate it when that happens. I filled up my camera roll with photos of native plants and animals. Always keep your camera handy. And remember the golden rule of national

parks: take only pictures and leave only footprints.

Tip #2: Prepare to swim! We did find the swimming hole that was the size of two Olympic swimming pools. The old couple were definitely on something other than native gardenia as I would hardly say it was this large. Sure, it could fit eight lanes of swimmers, in some sections - but it definitely did not span 100m. I mean, I didn’t measure it….but it wasn’t 100m. And you didn’t have to bush-bash to get there. Just follow the path. Another great tip for national parks: stay on the path to preserve the native vegetation. Now at this point I need to be clear that the alleged Olympic sized swimming hole is a decent walk passed the lookout. The first

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swimming area, which is where most people stop, is only a few hundred metres walk from the carpark. So if you’re not up for a walk - no worries! It’s a decent spot with plenty of easy access points to the creek. I don’t really like crowds so I always explore further, plus you get to experience a lot more along the way. We had the Olympic swimming pool to ourselves. Access was slippery so you have to be careful on entering and exiting the water on the algaecovered rocks. I would recommend a specialised pair of rock shoes for swimming as they provide better grip and protect your feet from the rocks. Even a gentle breaststroke can result in a stubbed toe from a protruding rock. I also wish I had have packed the snorkel and mask to be able to explore the deeper parts of the creek. It’s even just a great spot for practising your duck-dives as there were plenty of sections where I couldn’t touch the bottom. Bear in mind that we were there in March which is at the end of Townsville’s wet season and the area had just had a major rain event bring plenty of water to the creek. I cannot vouch for how deep it would be during the dry season. Another item I’d recommend taking is an inflatable pool ring so you can just chill out and go with the flow.

The area we were in didn’t have much shade so be prepared to be exposed to the harsh North Queensland sun! If you are not from Australia you won’t understand just how strong the sun is in this part of the world. If you do not protect yourself, you will get roasted! They don’t call us the skin cancer capital of the world for no reason! I’m talking widebrimmed hat, sun safe clothing, sunglasses and 50+ sunscreen - non of this 30+ nonsense or being content with your make-up having SPF in it - you need the real stuff! I did not abide by my own rules the day I went and consequently got sunburnt. You’ll see me in the photos strutting my fluorescent white body about - silly, silly girl. I of all people should know better!

Tip #3: Enjoy the digital detox! You are likely to not have phone reception or wifi access at Alligator Creek. Enjoy it. Unplug. Even if

it’s just for a couple of hours, soak up the natural surrounds and appreciate what is right before your eyes. If you’re feeling adventurous do the 17 km round trip hike to the falls. I haven’t done this hike yet as it’s far too hot in the summer months for me to want to walk in the humid forest for 17 km, but once the weather cools off I’ll be straight up there! It’s predicted to take about 5-6 hours

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so what better way to digital detox than to ensure you cannot connect to anything except nature for that time?! Make sure you leave in the morning though to ensure a safe return during sunlight hours. And take plenty of drinking water!!! Whether you’re a nature lover, camping enthusiast or just simply

want a nice place to cool off then Alligator Creek is for you. Just remember: have your camera handy, prepare to swim and enjoy the digital detox.

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@intrepidtalesofaquirkygirl

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