Wetland Cruise and Jumping Crocs

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Today we decided to take a wetlands cruise and a jumping croc show. The wetlands cruise we did at Corroboree Billabong. This Billabong is part of the Mary River wetlands which is full of birdlife and has the largest concentration of Saltwater crocodiles in the world. We had already purchased our tickets and were onboard the boat before we found this out. This cruise was in the lower budget price range at $90 for a family which we thought was pretty good. It was a very beautiful spot and the commentary was very informative. They also gave a safety warning regarding behaviour on the boat and the fact that falling in the water would almost certainly end in tragedy within a few seconds. This was very timely as a croc surfaced only metres from the boat. Probably about 4 metres long. Suffice to say we had a great time and would definitely recommend this cruise.

On our way to the wetlands we came across a speed sign we don't see in Queensland, 130km. The kids kept saying do a hundred and thirty dad, do a hundred and thirty dad. So dad did, went on was a little corrugated but not too bad.

For the Croc show we headed back towards Darwin, and stopped at the Window on the Wetlands Information Centre. The centre is quite modern and has a lot of fantastic interactive displays to look at. The kids had a great time. So did we. Definitely worth a visit. It is situated on a little hill jutting out of the flood plain next to the Adelaide River. And best of all it was free.

Just along the dirt road past the buffalos, and we were at the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise. We were there a little early but that gave us time to have lunch. Before the cruise they allow you to hold a carpet snake if you want to, but the kids said no. It was about 6 feet long, not exactly small. It was time for the cruise, so we boarded the boat, with another croc looking on. Soon we were cruising on the Adelaide River. We didn't have to go very far to find our first Croc. They stopped the boat and the croc started to swim over to the boat for lunch. It floated under the meat which was dangling from a pole, and was checking out its target. The croc was about 4 metres long and about 2 metres from the boat. It came up out of the water to its back legs, it was unbelievable. The meat was pulled away so the croc didn't get it. It had no sooner splashed down in the water, and it was jumping again. This time it got the meat.
We cruised up the river a little further and we all pointed to another croc over close to the bank. This one had bark on it. Yes, a stick. The tour guide (boat driver) gave us a hard time, but said he has pulled up the boat plenty of times to find out it was only a stick.

Off again, we found one of the oldest crocs on the river, (that they know of). He has his own territory and is about 6.5 metres long. They think he is about 90 years old. He looked it too, plenty of scars from his years of fighting with other males. They tried to coax him over. He very slowly came closer to the boat, but was just playing with us. He kept disappearing and resurfacing somewhere else, so we moved on again to find another one that was a bit more interested in having a feed. We only had to travel about 500 metres to see all the crocs during the tour, they are everywhere.

After a busy day we headed back to Darwin to go to the famous Mindil Beach Markets. These markets are popular for the wide variety of international foods available. We bought prawns and thai, then settled on the beach to watch the sunset.

The Mierans

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