Darwin - Crocodile Hunters

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This is our second time in the Northern Territory - our first was when we visited Uluru and Alice Springs. Darwin itself is known for its wet and dry climate and it is the main hub of the Northern Territory, known as the ‘Top End’. However, don’t be misled about the city of Darwin; it is not a thriving metropolis, having only a city population of 85,000 people. Although having survived Japanese bombing in World War II and a massive cyclone in 1974, the buildings are not overly modern and their alternative to the multiplex - ‘deck chair cinema’, was quite quaint (but shut for the season).

One of the most unique attractions we participated in (and one of the cheapest) was a place in ‘Doctors Gully’, Darwin called Aquascene. It’s where loads of fish come to shore to be fed by hand. You’re given old/mouldy bread to feed the fish and once I conquered my fear of having my fingers or toes being bitten off by the fish, it was really quite good fun. It only took me 3 or 4 attempts before I became very brave and I even managed to touch and stroke the fish. We saw catfish, barramundi, mullet, milkfish and sting rays.

We could not stay in Darwin without visiting it’s ‘must see’ - Kakadu National Park. Kakadu is as big as Israel or half the size of Switzerland, so basically - it’s big! Of course in one day, we only managed to see a very tiny part of the Park. During a 12 month period Kakadu is set on fire by illuminating lightening storms, drenched by monsoon rains and parched by the tropical sun. As the dry period ended in October, we expected to experience magnificent thunderstorms. After having experienced one short shower in Darwin that lasted for about 5 minutes and made us think it was a prelude to the monsoon seasons, we were advised that we were a little premature. Although we could see huge dark clouds looming, and the humidity levels rose, the wet period with heavy rain doesn’t normally occur until the end of November or early December, se we ended up being roasted in the sun instead! On our brief journey into Kakadu, we enjoyed a river boat cruise along the Yellow Water Billabong where we caught sight of quite a number of crocodiles but we weren't quite brave enough to go crocodile hunting (we stayed at a safe distance) and saw many different types of birds congregating at waterholes. We were also very fortunate to be able to see some Aboriginal ‘rock art’, with pictures demonstrating their indigenous stories.

While Darwin was our final stop in Australia, it added to the multitude of memorable experiences that we will take away with us.

It is hard to believe that we only have one more stopover - Singapore here we come …

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