Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now popular top end waterhole Berry Springs. It's reopen for
swimming just in time for peak visitor season. It is
the closest swimming hole to Darwin City in it attracts
about one hundred and eighty six thousand visitors a year.
Now joining us on the line to tell us more
is indeed well the Director of Northern Australian Parks, Dean McAdam.
(00:21):
Good morning to you. Dean Cody, good morning and Dean
tell us what work went into reopening Berry Springs.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
There's a significant series of events that have to happen
for very Springs st oven. Firstly, the water has to
drop to a safe flowing level. We then initiate water
quality tests to make sure there's no ecoli in the water.
We have to do visibility tests, so we've put a
second disk in the water and you have to be
able to see that. I can white disk at a
(00:54):
five meter level so we can cease at the bottom
of the pools. We've put a crocodile deterrent vents up
and then to cap it off, we do five nights
of spotlight survey of the waterway to make sure there's
no crocodiles in there. And then when all that's being
kicked off, we can open up.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Well, good to hear that all of that has happened.
Did any crocodiles have to be removed? No? Oh good,
Well that makes everyone feel a little bit safer as well.
But I know you guys do a heap of work there.
Tell us. So I understand a crocodile de tourrent fence
had to be installed as well. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
It's a fence that's some large panels downstream from Berry
Springs and an old weir. So to install that we
do one night, a night of survey before we install it,
just to make sure there's nothing hanging around. And then
a team of half a dozen rangers get these large
aluminium panels and fix them to the existing causeway. And
(01:52):
it just is a deterrent fence. It doesn't mean that
crocodiles can't walk like you and I do and get
into the waterways, but it did can prevent much larger
animals coming up straight.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah right, Well, that again, that is good to good
to hear. And I know that there's pretty regular checking
out there anyway, isn't there.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, So additional to that, the ranges do a weekly
check when it's open, so weekly spotlight checks to make
sure that there's nothing sneaking in there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Now I understand that in addition to all of that work,
there's also been a d fair be installed out there
at Berry Springs.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, we've got some revamped signs, safety signs, so some
more colorful, and we've put an AD in in response
to you know, the number of visitors we get there.
In medical advisors that an ad can be a life saver,
so we've put a new AD in.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And then I know that there's you know, obviously Berry
Springs is nice and close to home for all of us.
It is one of the closest spots to go for
a swim. But what other water holes and camping grounds
have recently reopened?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
In the last couple of weeks, we reopened Central Valley,
so that's you know, that's been going for three or
four weeks and as well received by the public. It's
booked out online most of the weekends and all of
the school holidays. Eil isn't Florence. We only shut in
really rare circumstances. They've been open all year. The Upper
(03:18):
Cascades is open. We're working currently on the tabletop track
and one guy fall, So watch this space in the
next week they're likely to open if we move a
bit further south towards you know, Catherine region, these falls
(03:38):
is likely Lellen is it likely to open in the
next week or two and parts of Nitmelock will be
opening up as well. So Raja spent a lot of
time this time of the year getting things ready for Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Well, and I understand that there was defense personnel from
Tyndall also recently working within t parks to try and
help reopen some of the walking paths there at Nitmler.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, so there was a whole range of them that
helped with the jet Buller trail. So they walk along
the trail and you know, put up markers clear the
trail so people can clearly see the trail. You know,
it's quite a significant effort. That's the Jet Buller trail.
There's Larapina trail, the same thing ranges do in Central Australia.
There's a tabletop track that's been done up here, so
(04:20):
it is a significant body of work. The ranges are
also of course doing things like control burning so that
we can protect the assets and protect people who are
visiting these areas. You know, we don't want people camping
at Central Valley and be threatened by fire, so we
do a lot of mitigation burns early on in the
year so that we can protect them when they're there.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah, which is fair enough. I mean that work has
to happen so that, you know, so that you can
keep these areas nice and safe and enjoyable. You know,
there are some of our best and most popular tourism locations,
aren't they.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, they certainly are very you know, we opened it
on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. There was two thousand visitors over
the weekend, so eight hundred on Saturday, twelve hundred on Sunday.
You know, we're talking in the vicinity of seven eight
hundred cars, so car parks are full. Yeah, people were
very busy using the facilities.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Well, which is wonderful news. I mean, what are like,
what are our most popular locations? Obviously Berry Springs is
a popular one because it's sort of so so close
to town, right.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, look, Berry Springs one hundred and eighty thousand. Perhaps
they get you know a year. It's close to town,
it's it's well loved by the rural people. You move
towards Litchfield. Litchfield had I think in the city of
turn and fifty thousand last year met My look is
the same in Central in Savannah there's two hundred and
(05:47):
fifty thousand people. So up north, all these places are
places where people love to go out and camp and
swim and you know, so ranges. You know, we don't
have a lot of ranges. We've got Litchfield, for instance,
has twelve rangers that do all that work out there.
So it's a significant effort by the ranger to get
things open as quickly as we possibly can for the
(06:09):
enjoyment of everybody.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, good on them now, just having a look at
and I know you touched on this before, Jack Buller Trail.
How are the bookings they're looking? Is it fully booked
at the Mink?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, it books out. It books out within an hour
of opening, so you have to you have to pretty
much wait for cancelations and stuff. It's very popular.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Well, I'd never get booked in mate. I'm just not
somebody who books into things early or or is that
that organized?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, you have to be organized. You have to be
organized nowadays to make sure that you've got a good
camp site.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, oh well, doing good to catch up with you
this morning, the Director of Northern Australia Parks. We always
appreciate your time. Thank you very much for having a
chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Thanks Codie anytime.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Thank you,
Now popular top end waterhole Berry Springs. It's reopen for
swimming just in time for peak visitor season. It is
the closest swimming hole to Darwin City in it attracts
about one hundred and eighty six thousand visitors a year.
Now joining us on the line to tell us more
is indeed well the Director of Northern Australian Parks, Dean McAdam.
(00:21):
Good morning to you. Dean Cody, good morning and Dean
tell us what work went into reopening Berry Springs.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
There's a significant series of events that have to happen
for very Springs st oven. Firstly, the water has to
drop to a safe flowing level. We then initiate water
quality tests to make sure there's no ecoli in the water.
We have to do visibility tests, so we've put a
second disk in the water and you have to be
able to see that. I can white disk at a
(00:54):
five meter level so we can cease at the bottom
of the pools. We've put a crocodile deterrent vents up
and then to cap it off, we do five nights
of spotlight survey of the waterway to make sure there's
no crocodiles in there. And then when all that's being
kicked off, we can open up.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Well, good to hear that all of that has happened.
Did any crocodiles have to be removed? No? Oh good,
Well that makes everyone feel a little bit safer as well.
But I know you guys do a heap of work there.
Tell us. So I understand a crocodile de tourrent fence
had to be installed as well. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
It's a fence that's some large panels downstream from Berry
Springs and an old weir. So to install that we
do one night, a night of survey before we install it,
just to make sure there's nothing hanging around. And then
a team of half a dozen rangers get these large
aluminium panels and fix them to the existing causeway. And
(01:52):
it just is a deterrent fence. It doesn't mean that
crocodiles can't walk like you and I do and get
into the waterways, but it did can prevent much larger
animals coming up straight.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah right, Well, that again, that is good to good
to hear. And I know that there's pretty regular checking
out there anyway, isn't there.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Yeah, So additional to that, the ranges do a weekly
check when it's open, so weekly spotlight checks to make
sure that there's nothing sneaking in there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Now I understand that in addition to all of that work,
there's also been a d fair be installed out there
at Berry Springs.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, we've got some revamped signs, safety signs, so some
more colorful, and we've put an AD in in response
to you know, the number of visitors we get there.
In medical advisors that an ad can be a life saver,
so we've put a new AD in.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And then I know that there's you know, obviously Berry
Springs is nice and close to home for all of us.
It is one of the closest spots to go for
a swim. But what other water holes and camping grounds
have recently reopened?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
In the last couple of weeks, we reopened Central Valley,
so that's you know, that's been going for three or
four weeks and as well received by the public. It's
booked out online most of the weekends and all of
the school holidays. Eil isn't Florence. We only shut in
really rare circumstances. They've been open all year. The Upper
(03:18):
Cascades is open. We're working currently on the tabletop track
and one guy fall, So watch this space in the
next week they're likely to open if we move a
bit further south towards you know, Catherine region, these falls
(03:38):
is likely Lellen is it likely to open in the
next week or two and parts of Nitmelock will be
opening up as well. So Raja spent a lot of
time this time of the year getting things ready for Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Well, and I understand that there was defense personnel from
Tyndall also recently working within t parks to try and
help reopen some of the walking paths there at Nitmler.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, so there was a whole range of them that
helped with the jet Buller trail. So they walk along
the trail and you know, put up markers clear the
trail so people can clearly see the trail. You know,
it's quite a significant effort. That's the Jet Buller trail.
There's Larapina trail, the same thing ranges do in Central Australia.
There's a tabletop track that's been done up here, so
(04:20):
it is a significant body of work. The ranges are
also of course doing things like control burning so that
we can protect the assets and protect people who are
visiting these areas. You know, we don't want people camping
at Central Valley and be threatened by fire, so we
do a lot of mitigation burns early on in the
year so that we can protect them when they're there.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Yeah, which is fair enough. I mean that work has
to happen so that, you know, so that you can
keep these areas nice and safe and enjoyable. You know,
there are some of our best and most popular tourism locations,
aren't they.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, they certainly are very you know, we opened it
on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. There was two thousand visitors over
the weekend, so eight hundred on Saturday, twelve hundred on Sunday.
You know, we're talking in the vicinity of seven eight
hundred cars, so car parks are full. Yeah, people were
very busy using the facilities.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
Well, which is wonderful news. I mean, what are like,
what are our most popular locations? Obviously Berry Springs is
a popular one because it's sort of so so close
to town, right.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, look, Berry Springs one hundred and eighty thousand. Perhaps
they get you know a year. It's close to town,
it's it's well loved by the rural people. You move
towards Litchfield. Litchfield had I think in the city of
turn and fifty thousand last year met My look is
the same in Central in Savannah there's two hundred and
(05:47):
fifty thousand people. So up north, all these places are
places where people love to go out and camp and
swim and you know, so ranges. You know, we don't
have a lot of ranges. We've got Litchfield, for instance,
has twelve rangers that do all that work out there.
So it's a significant effort by the ranger to get
things open as quickly as we possibly can for the
(06:09):
enjoyment of everybody.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, good on them now, just having a look at
and I know you touched on this before, Jack Buller Trail.
How are the bookings they're looking? Is it fully booked
at the Mink?
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, it books out. It books out within an hour
of opening, so you have to you have to pretty
much wait for cancelations and stuff. It's very popular.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Well, I'd never get booked in mate. I'm just not
somebody who books into things early or or is that
that organized?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, you have to be organized. You have to be
organized nowadays to make sure that you've got a good
camp site.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, oh well, doing good to catch up with you
this morning, the Director of Northern Australia Parks. We always
appreciate your time. Thank you very much for having a
chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Thanks Codie anytime.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Thank you,
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