After a great time in Jabiru we headed back out to a lovely motor camp by the Yellow River at Cooinda. As usual if there is a swimming pool around in the mid afternoon were in it and as there was two,we left the busy one with slides to the kids and soaked a hour away in the shaded adults one. Nice.
Having booked a river cruise for next morning we chilled out and enjoyed the nice surroundings and had a bbq after dark and again no bites with plenty of spray on.
Well the early sunrise cruise was a bit of a shock as we had to get up at 5.30am to be picked up at camp and be on the boat by 6.45.
The bird life was just amazing with lots we had never seen before, Jabiru's
sea eagles etc. but the highlight was the croc's. Many were seen either cruising the river or on the banks and the one in the picture came to within two metres of the boat . Absolutely no hands holding cameras outside the boat! It sure is fantastic to get a live informative and entertaining commentary on the history of this very special world heritage national park which words can not properly describe. The cruise also included a all you can eat breakfast at 9am in the restaurant back at camp with every thing from bacon and eggs etc. to museli and fruit with everything in between amazing and as you guessed it filled us up for the day. On the trip into Kakadu we saw a just killed dead horse on the roadside, imagine the damage it did to someone's vehicle!, and on the trip back a bunch of big eagles had eaten 2/3rds of it with the rib cage open skin gone with nothing left inside and picked clean to the bones ! Nothing gets wasted here with the aboriginals eating the buffalo that need culled and the legs from wild pigs get used as bait for croc. traps when they need to catch and relocate troublesome croc's. There are plenty of wild horses (Brumby's they are called) and donkeys feeding on the side of the road but very few kangaroos it would seem. At some places there are are hundreds of fruit bats that start flying around sunset very very noisy and it's best and safer to be sitting under the awning than risk something landing on you I suppose rather like the starlings in Dunedin.
After breakfast it was time to head off to Edith Falls where we were lucky to get the last camping spot. Luck seems to be with us sometimes getting into busy motor camps when they are fully booked. It was very hot there so off to the falls and big rock pool for a swim we went which was very refreshing. There were little fish in there which were like cleaner fish and nibbled at your feet when you sat still. It was okay on the bottom of your feet but a bit tender on the top. Natures own pedicure!!! The pool apparently had fresh water crocodiles in it and you are not allowed in between 7pm and 7am as this is when they feed. Then it was time for a read and we sat outside til quite late under a lovely starlight sky. We woke this morning freezing cold as the temp had dropped to 18deg to in the van overnight and wondered how we will ever survive back in Dunedin. Then this morning it was back to Katherine where we are just about to go to the hot pools we visited last time then tomorrow we will look at heading west. Go the Highlanders!!!!!