We return now to my 1999 trip around the world. From Mount Isa in Queensland, the last place I wrote about from that trip, I caught a bus westward to Tennant Creek and then headed north to Darwin. For most of the way, the weather had been pretty awful and it had been touch and go nearly every day as to whether or not the roads would be open the next morning - but I finally made it to the top end. On my last day in Darwin, I arranged a 4WD tour of Lichfield National Park, noting in my diary at the time that the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the better...

I was picked up from the hotel this morning by a friendly Aussie guy called John, in an 8 seater 4WD Toyota. What I had booked, it turned out, was a small group tour that John runs with his brother, and from what I had been told this was quite simply the only way to see "The top end". Already on board were Richard and Scott, two tourists from Somerset and Wales respectively, and an older couple from Melbourne.

We stopped briefly at the youth hostel to pick up a gorgeous girl called Shauna who was from Sydney doing a tour of her country, and then we set off along the Stuart Highway towards Lichfield National Park. Our guide, John, was a serious comedian from the start - the sort of guy who chuckles privately to himself every time he manages to persuade some mug in the group to look out for a Koala Nest or a Kangaroo Egg. He had Shauna well and truly stitched up waving a compass in front of a Magnetic Termite Mound - in case you were wondering, they're called this because the termites build them facing North. After that she wasn't going to listen to a word he said for the rest of the day, which was a shame as he was our guide and I imagine that a fair amount of what he told us was actually true.

We stopped for breakfast at a little café along the highway, where we all snacked on tea and toast at John's expense before heading into the National Park for a really great 4WD tour of the lakes and forests. Being in a small group really adds to the whole atmosphere - we went swimming under the spray of a huge waterfall, and John was able to point out features of the surrounding landscape and wildlife in the tree's that we wouldn't have been able to see if we had been in a bus full of tourists. However much I explore this country, it still feels very strange to be so obviously miles away from anywhere. We had to scramble down a seemingly endless flight of stone steps that had been chipped into the riverbank, and then suddenly we were in a grassy clearing through which the river ran out of a big pool of crystal clear water, accompanied by the roar of the waterfall. After swimming for an hour or so, John took us on a tour of Lichfield - showing us the aforementioned termite mounds as well as the homes of the local Rock Wallabies. It started to rain, though, so we weren't lucky enough to see any today, despite returning to the rocks several times during the day.

We drove through the small town of Bachelor, and stopped at a place where a wooden walkway had been constructed over the swamp so that we could wander around some truly huge Magnetic termite mounds and take in the sheer scale of the things, some of which were five times taller than me. We sheltered from the rain for a while under an information hut nearby, and John produced a big box of fruit and snacks in which we indulged.

This area of the country appears to specialise in amazing waterfalls, and in the afternoon we went to see another couple, one of which had a walkway that took us right underneath the spray. At mid-afternoon, we reached a small campground where we followed the trail for some distance into the forest while John told us about the native flora and fauna. Before leaving, he told us to check our clothes for leeches, and as you can imagine this sent Shauna into a fit - I think John had been secretly hoping that she'd just rip her clothes off and stamp up and down on them like in the movies! The thing is, though, that in the bush there really are more creepy things than it's healthy to think about. Some of them even make it as tour guides.

We finished up the day with another free meal at the place where we had stopped for breakfast. John offered to buy us whatever we wanted to eat, so naturally we emptied the place out and sat around on benches in the garden outside talking about what a great day it had been. Afterwards, sad to be parting, we wished each other luck for the rest of our respective trips and carted our bloated selves back into the Toyota for the return to Darwin.

Back in my room tonight, I immediately picked up the phone and called Greyhound. I had been hearing some disturbing rumours that the roads to the west were closed off again, and this would've once again put my plans back by a few days. At this point, it's already looking as though I'm not going to have as long as I had wanted in several places without being set back even further.

"No Sir," the girl at central reservations assured me, "At the moment the roads are clear - But we don't know for how long it will stay that way."

The only available coach leaves Darwin at 7.45 in the morning, and so I finally get to head towards Australia's famous West coast. I have never been to Western Australia before, except for a brief visit to Perth a few years ago, so from here on out it's nearly all new to me.

About Simon and Burfords Travels:

Simon Burford is a UK based travel writer. He will be re-publishing his travel blogs, chapters from his books and other miscellaneous rantings on these pages over the coming weeks and months, and the entry on this page may not necessarily reflect todays date.