Jumping Crocs.
Happy Birthday Auntie Carol!
Well to be Big Steve for passing all his exams. Maybe now you can quit making excuses and get off your butt and go travelling.
Off to Kakadu today. I've become a very lazy traveller. I think Australia does that to you, but also after 10 months on the road a little weariness has come in. I booked this trip with Kakadu Dreams from Cairns and it's a 2 day 1 night camping trip. Glad to be getting out there.
Managed to land myself in a group of 8, me and 7 girls. I can't believe that some people turn up in flip flops. It seems so dumb, but hey mustn't forget the image.
First stop was Howard Springs to feed the huge Barramundi fish in this swimming hole. You'd have no chance of getting me in there.
We carried on towards Kakadu stopping at the Adelaide River to feed the jumping Crocs. They are wild Crocs although many of them see the boat as a food source. I have a good video of a 3 metre croc jumping to get the food. It managed to get it's back legs out of the water. Pretty Impressive. We also saw Hannibal the Canibal sunning himself on the banks. He's over 5 metres longs, nearly a metre wide and esitmated to weigh a tonne. Wouldn't want him nibbling on my toes.
These Saltwater crocodiles are extremely agressive and territorial. If anything enters the water near them they will attack. They tend to prey on things smaller than themselves and have been known to attack small boats. Salties can be found in Freshwater as well and sometimes up to 200 kms inland.
Freshwater Crocodiles are generally smaller, growing to about 3 meters. They are only live in found in Freshwater and upto 300 kms inland in Northern Australia. Freshies are much less aggresive and shouldn't attack unless they are provoked or see you as a danger.
The basic rule in North Australia is that you shouldn't swim in any water hole. No matter how tempting they look.
After a quick stop at the Bark Inn for a restock of supplies we headed into the National Park via the Old Jim Jim Road through the Eucalyptus Forest which about 80% of Kakadu's 20000kms sq are. We stopped for lunch at the Water Lily Billabong. There was a lovely view across the water hole with all the lilies in flower.
We collected some dry fire wood and set up our tents at Jim Jim Billabong. There were 5 tents between the 8 of us and none of the girls wanted to share with me so I got a tent to myself. Can't understand it really, Briggsy knows what a good tent mate I am.
Next up was a drive to Nourlangi Rock to check out the Aborigine Rock art. Some of it dates back 45000 years, but it's still looks like it was drawm by kids. Over the 1000's of years that they lived happily here on there own they didn't make much progress. 400 years ago white man arrived and tried to educate them, that's when there problems started. From the Rock lookout there was a lovely view across the Forest to the Escarpment. We had a walk around Anbangbang Billabong and a lovely view back to the rock.
At Yellow Water Billabong we watched a beautiful sunset of pinks and purples. Marvellous.
Back at the camp we had a good meal of T Bone Steaks, Chilli Buffalo sausages, mashed potatos and vegetable stir fry, cooked on the camp fire. Around the fire we had a few beers and a didge lesson. I learnt that I can make lots of noises with the didge although none of them are tuneful or anything like the ones that Rolf makes.
Later we took a torchlight walk down to the Billabong to see the red croc eyes reflecting back at us. On the ground you can see the silvery spiders eyes. Very wierd.
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