Amazing Kakadu

3rd -6th August

After arriving in Cooinda and setting up its off to the pool for me. Very refreshing and a nice spot to laze the afternoon away.

The bus picks us up from reception for the sunset cruise and delivers us to the boat dock around 4.30 for a two hour cruise. It’s a beautiful evening and Yellow Waters Billabong and the South Alligator River are teeming with life. Crocodiles, not Alligators live here. Big, fat salt water crocs. There are plenty of birds about and our guide Batch (from South Africa) is very knowledgeable about them all. Jabiru, egrets, white bellied sea eagles, whistling ducks and kingfisher are all about. Crocs lie along the riverbank, some partially submerged, others soaking in the last of the suns rays on the banks. The granddaddy of all the crocs here is Van Gogh, a one eared croc that is massive at 6 metres was lying on the bank and barely moved as we cruised right up to him. (P:- the big croc had the meanest set of teeth! And a very aged, scared skin. Evidently crocs teeth re grow after being lost in a fight or eating a tough old buffalo or similar. Van Gogh may have grown over 2000 teeth in his lifetime).

The river winds through floating grass and reed beds, with lotus lilies in patches throughout and along the edges. Tiny Jacana (Jesus Birds, because they walk on water), padded about the Reed beds, their two tiny babies scooted around after dad who does all the raising of the chicks.

As we turned to head back towards the dock the sun starts to set over the river and billabong. The quiet of the night, the sounds of the birds and the sun turning the sky golden bring an end to this lovely cruise.

Next morning Philip and I are up early to do the sunrise cruise. Pickup is at 6.30 as dawn breaks and we are on the water shortly after. Steam rises from the water creating an eerie cloud as the sun peaks over the horizon and turns the sky pink. Our guide today is Jess, from the Blue Mountains in NSW. The birds are out in force this morning, and although Jess has told us we probably won’t see many crocs this morning , we are barely away from the dock and one is cruising down the river, no ripples, no splashes just eyes and nose and a small part of its back visible and it’s huge tail moving back and forth propelling it along.

Jess takes us on a different route to last nights cruise and we see six white bellied sea eagles, a large flock of pelicans, jabiru or black neck storks as they are correctly named. Saw a buffalo and calf in the distance. The scenery is just gorgeous and there are many reflections, beautiful trees, birds, crocodiles and stunning views. After our fill of gorgeousness we head back to the van for breakfast and then off for a hike.

(P:- Two very informative scenic cruises on the iconic waterway. Both this cruise and the Katherine gorge cruise are evidently Indigenous owned businesses, which is great – It’s a pity they weren’t ( in my experiences) Indigenous Operated! A bit sad that us tourists have to be guided and informed of our Australian history, nature and geography by overseas backpackers ( in most cases). Same applies to shop attendants and hospitality workers. Sad really)!

We are driving out to a Jim Jim Falls, a two hour drive from the caravan park, the first part is just gravel road then the last 10 k is a 4WD track, narrow, winding, creek crossings and bumps. Lilly was not too keen on the bumps and kept complaining, Paaa that bump was a bit much, Paaa did you have to hit that bump. Made it a fun drive. Once we reached the car park we had a good hours walk ahead of us. It started off quite easy but soon we were negotiating huge boulders, rocky, narrow paths and beautiful views along the way. We did wonder whether it would be worth the effort but as we reached the base of the falls it was awe inspiring.

Jim Jim Falls drops 200 metres from the Arnhem Escarpment into Jim Jim Creek. The water is clear and cold but refreshing. After taking a rest, having a snack and drink and soaking in the beauty surrounding us it’s back to rock climbing and boulder hopping to make our way back to the truck. Lilly did an amazing job, at several points leading the way and quite enjoyed the experience. By the time we made the return trip up the 4WD track and back to Coinda it was late afternoon and time for another swim and some dinner. (P:- can add Jim Jim Falls and the area into a sight in my top 100 it would be fair to say! Awesome day out (even with Miss Lilly as my back seat driver)!