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After 1200km of driving north from Alice, we reached Katherine Gorge on the morning of our third day. We went on a three-gorge boat cruise. Because it was the Dry, we actually had to get out and and walk on land between each cruise, switching to a boat waiting on the other side. There was ancient rock art, birdlife and we even walked past a snake – which our guide thought was a taipan.
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Snake we spotted in Katherine Gorge. After looking into the species, I think it's a common tree snake, and not the venomous taipan as we thought!
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We had a lunchtime boat cruise on Katherine Gorge.
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Star trail photo taken in Kakadu. Probably my best star trail shot yet.
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Kakadu's amazing Yellow Water river at sunset.
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Yellow Water, Kakadu.
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Dawn breaks over the Wetlands.
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A young male saltie on Yellow Water.
One of the biggest highlights of our Interior trip was going barramundi fishing on Yellow Water. For one of the first times in my life, getting up at 5am was actually worth it. It was just the two of us on a speedboat with our fishing guide, Deano, who's been fishing these waters for more than 20 years. Since Yellow Water's within a national park, there are numerous restrictions regarding fishing. For instance, bait can't be used, which means Deano uses a technique involving a continual flicking of the wrist so that the lure looks like a wounded fish in the water, making it a more appealing catch for barramundi. There are also size restrictions governing which barramundi you're allowed to keep, and which you have to release: fish have to be more than 57cm in length to keep, and it's recommended that barramundi more than 80cm in length (mating age females) be released. We managed to catch one 65cm barra, which we ate (see below). |
One of the two pairs of jabiru that live around Yellow Water. Also known as the black-necked stork, the jabiru is the only species of the stork family native to Australia. This one stood at more than 1m tall.
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A female jacana, or "Jesus Bird" – so called because of its big feet which makes it appear as if it's walking on water.
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White-breasted sea eagle. The second largest bird of prey in Australia, after the wedge-tailed eagle.
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Azure kingfisher.
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Our largest bird of prey: the wedge-tailed eagle.
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Sly saltie.
Saltwater crocs have posed a problem in recent years due to the rising number of people killed by them. A number of people have been killed by salties in the NT this year, including a 11-year-old girl. Many think that wildlife protection programs in the past decade have resulted in a spike in croc numbers |
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I caught one barramundi, and Kris caught three, but they were both under the 57cm limit. This 60cm-plus one above was caught by our guide, Deano, which we later ate (see below)... Deano reckons barra tastes best when you kill them immediately by snapping back their head to break their spine, then draining their blood, as he did to our one above.
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Best barra ever! Cooked up by the chefs at our hotel's restaurant.
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Okay, so we may have only hired a pissy Rav 4, but we couldn't finish our trip without trying out its 4WD capabilities. Cue our traverse of the 60km Old Jim Jim Road on our final day in Kakadu. It really wasn't necessary to have a 4WD, as we soon realised when we passed a station wagon loaded with six teenage guys. Still, crossing this river was worth the photo op.
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Jumping shot over Ubirr rock.
We hiked up to the popular viewspot at the top of Ubirr rock, where you have 360-degree views over the Nardab floodplains and Arnhem Land. I would've loved to have gone into Arnhem Land, but permits are pricey and only 20 vehicles are allowed in at a time, meaning that expensive tours have a monopoly (3-day Arnhem Land tours cost about $1500). This is the rock where Peng planned to propose to Mish after getting there early and finding a nice secluded spot with a prime view... Only to change his mind when the rock became overrun with tourists half an hour later! |
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Psycho jump over Ubirr rock. I totally kicked Kris's arse when I got airborne.
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Kris at Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park, NT.
After the intense dry heat of Kakadu where temperatures reached 34 degrees in mid-winter, going on a day trip to Litchfield National Park was a welcome cool escape. It's full of crystal-clear waterholes and majestic falls, and slightly fewer tourists than Kakadu. There was, however, the slight problem of crocs. At Wangi Falls, there was a sign warning us that freshwater crocs dwelled in the waterhole, and that saltwater crocs occasionally visited, too! Luckily there were lots of other people in the water. Kris and I decided our best game plan was to make sure there was a young kid within 15m of us at all times, as crocs go for the easy prey. |
Florence Falls, Litchfield NP.
Luckily there were no crocs here. |
Me at Florence Falls.
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Mindil Beach, Darwin.
For east-coast Aussies such as ourselves, watching the sun set over the water is a rare pleasure... and doing jumping shots at the same time? Hours of fun! |
Mindil Beach, Darwin.
There are some night-time hippie markets along this beach. |
Kris (middle), my cousin James (right), who works for Aboriginal Legal Aid in Darwin, and a long-lost Piper relative who I'd never met before, David (left – I think that's his name! I've already forgotten!)
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