Loooking For, and Finding, Crocs

Kakadu Wetlands
see all photos »

While we were waiting to hear from Dave, we walked around from Hostel to Hostel checking the postings on billboards. We didn't quite know what we were looking for but we knew that Darwin is an excellent place to hitch a ride, buy a car, or otherwise pick up some stuff someone is unloading before heading to Asia, or home.

We found an add looking for some people to share a camping trip to Kakadu, leaving the next day. When we finally got in touch with the poster, she turned out to be a friendly Irish girl with curly red hair and a near incomprehensible accent. We met for cokes after dinner (pizza with Dave and his crazy mate) and agreed to leave first thing in the morning for the park. Coming along with us would be a Canadian who'd also answered the ad but who we wouldn't meet until the morning. We got the sense that it would be an interesting trip after Anne related a story to us about getting literally taken for a ride in India on her first day there. The basics of story are that she trusted the taxi driver to actually take her where she wanted to go, for a reasonable price that they hadn't agreed upon. I think you know the rest.

Nobody was eaten and the water was very refreshing

Kakadu Wetlands
see all photos »

We met early in the morning after a night of drunken Scotsman and went to pick up the Canadian in Anne's roomate's Toyota Rav4. The Canadian's name was Eddy, and we hit it off as a couple of smart-asses pretty quickly. He immediately got the sense that Anne was wound a little tight and started pressing buttons right away. He messed with the stereo the whole way to Kakadu.

Kakadu is lovely. It is the wet season in Darwin right now and everything is a shocking new green. Water flows over roadways that are usually bone dry and a 4x4 is almost required to enter the park. In spots the water was up to the doors of the car, making Anne visibly nervous for her friend's borrowed car. We saw Aboriginal rock paintings and hiked muddy, stream broken trails. At mid-day it became incredibly hot. Anne, Magda and I took a boat tour from Yellow Water, which at this time of the year is completely flooded and therefore very interesting to see. Wildlife is more rare, as territory for crocs is vastly expanded and birds tend to find dryer climates, but we saw plenty of animals, including a giant crocodile that eyed our boat hungrily before submerging for good. As we disembarked at the dock we spotted two dingos chugging through the brush.

Jerk in the Bush
see all photos »

Back on shore we found Eddy again and headed into the bush to find camping, dingos or not. During the cruise a enormous black thunderhead was threatening on the horizon and by the time we got to the campground it had entirely blocked out the sun. As we entered, we saw a wild horse grazing on the lawn by the toilets. It was green and lush by the latrines and there was some shelter behind the building so I suggested we just stay there. All the campsites had standing water in them. The idea was a little depressing and there was no place to cook our dinner, so we drove out to look for a better spot.

Kakadu Cruise
see all photos »

The Rains came, and as they did we were driven back to the launch for the Yellow River tours. They had expensive camping but a seemingly free cooking area. As the clouds tore open and drenched the earth, we ran to shelter in an employees only area where a hot, empty grill was sizzling away. It seemed only natural that we should stay for dinner. Eddy and Magda were all for the trespass, and Anne and I relented. Within minutes we were asked to leave, but when we pleaded that the alternative was impossible, they relented and allowed us to stay. We had a fine banquet accompanied by our first bottle of wine in ages.

Kakadu Cruise
see all photos »

We returned to the latrine camping and Magda and I set up under shelter. Eddy and Anne pitched tent in the driving rain since Eddy claimed proudly that his tent was water proof. I just hope its mildew proof when he forgets to unpack it and leave it out to dry. It was a very long night filled with odd noises, the occasional growl, bugs, and little frogs hopping everywhere. The fact that a croc could very well wander up from the river was on my mind as well as the tent became a stuffy oven in the tropical night heat.

Kakadu Cruise
see all photos »

In the morning we threw together some breakfast and went on to a swimming hole the Ranger had told us about. As we approached it we found it was surrounded by crocodile warnings, illustrations of vicious salties and freshies abounding. It wasn't closed though, so Eddy, Magda and I stared into the water, threw some exploratory rocks in, and the finally took the plunge. Nobody was eaten and the water was very refreshing after being under the steaming hot sun. A frothy, crashing falls foamed at one end of the hole and we swam and splashed against its light current. We finally got out, all limbs intact and felt a bit heroic/stupid for having braved the depths. It was our finest experience yet in Oz though, and we were quite light hearted as we headed to our next destination of Litchfield Park, right next to Kakadu.

Seconds From Making the Front Page
see all photos »

In Litchfield we scoped out more falls, termite mounds and wild green rolling terrain. We stopped at many of the beautiful falls there but most were closed to swimming because of the crocodile danger. Very exciting. We spotted a very nice wallaby up close, but not too close as its claws looked like it could poke a pretty good hole it you.

Finally we headed back to Darwin. On the way back Eddy pushed one too many of Anne's buttons (on the stereo) and she blew a fuse, her red hair flaming in the afternoon sun. She screamed at him to cut it out. It sounded quite good in her thick Irish accent and was indeed enough to shut us all up until the end of the drive.

Lunch
see all photos »

Back in Darwin, Eddy got out and we shared a raised eyebrow or two before saying goodbye. Anne apologised later, having morphed back into her calm unassuming alter-ego. She even went as far as to have a nice word for Eddy before she said he was old enough to know better. Which is probably true.

That night we stayed at Dave's house and watched an excellent BBC series based on the Jekyll and Hyde myth. It did seem slightly appropriate for the day.