Gismo Queen and her King

Day 33 - Kakadu National Park

We had lots of options for things to do today, because there is so much to see and do here. The Thomas' were off to another remote waterfall (Gunlom) which despite being at the end of a pretty ordinary track, had an access area right at the bottom of the falls and then a steep walk to the infinity pool at the top. Greg and I contemplated doing this as Greg could have enjoyed the plunge pool while I tackled the climb, but in the end, we tried other things today.

So, we had a slow morning, taking our time with a lovely breakfast and enjoying the weather. There is a billabong at the back of this caravan park, which we had a quick look at, especially after talking to the groundkeeper who told us that in the wet, the waters from the billabong come up to near our caravan and  a croc has been spotted on our site! We then headed back into Jabiru to buy a few things, and stopped to check out a lookout on the way back. We had lunch back in the caravan and then headed out again.

Jim Jim Billabong was our first port of call, accessed via a lovely made road to the ranger station and then a very ordinary gravel road to the billabong! It was quite pretty and there were a few caravans camping there, which would have been very peaceful, with all the birdlife around.

Warradjan Cultural Centre was our next stop and the local aboriginal community had put together an excellent display. There were stories about their history, their land, their customs and their seasons. Unlike white australians who define two seasons for this part of the world (the wet season and the dry season), the Aboriginals define six.
Next we were doing the Yellow River Cruise through the wetlands, which everyone had recommended to us and which is a "must-do" in this part of Kakadu. We chose the two hour sunset version so we boarded at 4:30pm and straight away saw crocodiles, whistling ducks, egrets, brumbies and more. It was a great time of the day to be on the water as there was so much wildlife in action.

Having seen so many crocs on the cruise on the East Alligator River the other day, we weren't quite as excited at every viewing on this cruise, when people would move from one side of the boat to the other with camera in hand. Seeing two crocs fighting was a bit more interesting - had only seen the outcome of that on the croc on the East Alligator River cruise. The other wildlife, especially the birds, were more interesting to us. And the plant life, as I am very fond of waterlilies!
Towards the end of our cruise, as the sun started to set over the wetlands, the colours came out and it was a truly magnificent view.
Back to the caravan for another yummy dinner cooked by Lisa as we reflect on what has been an awesome time at Kakadu, even though we have probably barely scratched the surface.

posted by Tracey @ 9:19 pm