On the road to Darwin

After we left Kakadu we didn't want to get to Darwin too soon, so we made a little overnight stop at the Mary River - at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat.
Sure it's a caravan park of sorts but it was actually a nice place to stay.
There's a huge grassed area for unpowered camping (that's us) several shady powered sites and some nice-looking cabins on the side of the hill.
There's a restaurant with a nice deck, a swimming pool and wallabies.
It fronts the Mary River so is very popular with fisher-type people.

There are a couple of little walks and we rode our bikes around, a much better bike ride than a walk.
Along the river we heard several "SPLASHES" - possible crocs?

The next day we stopped off to have a look at the Adelaide River, just near the jumping croc cruises and at the exact spot where a fisherman was taken by a croc the next day!
We didn't feel inclined to go on a jumping croc cruise...
A bit further along we called in at The Window on the Wetlands, which is set on the only hill around and has great displays explaining the different aspects of wetlands and their importance.
You can sit up the top and have a cuppa - we did!

Another great place is Fogg Dam which had been recommended to us.
This was built a while ago to provide irrigation for rice growing, but it has turned into an amazing wetland.
We saw so many water birds there - ibis and spoonbills and egrets and others that I can never remember.
You can't walk across the dam due to croc danger, but you can drive and a guy said he saw a freshwater croc just next to the road - but we didn't.
Anyway it is a very pretty spot.

Then - heigh-ho! it's off to Darwin we go.......

There's more to Kakadu than water....

.....there are rocks.
And where there are rocks there is amazing rock art.
We're told that this rock art can be more than 20,000 years old! Seems incredible doesn't it?

We saw rock art at Nourlangie, Nanguluwurr near Jabiru and Ubirr in the very eastern side just near the border with Arnhenland.

One of the special things about aboriginal rock art is that because the paintings tell a story and are for the moment, they can be painted over by another story. Touching up someone else's painting is not allowed but putting your own picture over the top is OK.
So sometimes you can see the various layers of images and if you stare or gaze at the walls more images can pop out. Just like those 3D images that were popular a while back. (Except these aren't 3D)

 There are also rocks to walk around, climb on, and watch the sunset from.

Not just another sunset.

This was a very special sunset.

Yesterday we got up ultra-early for the sunrise cruise on Yellow Water at Kakadu and a handy little hint is that if when you buy one cruise you can get another one for just $25! "And would you like fries with that?"
I think they made us an offer we couldn't refuse.

It was different.
The birds seemed more active somehow.
We saw a lot of the same ones, or the same type (not sure if they were exactly the same ones)
We saw some different ones - including brolgas, forest kingfishers...
and we saw heaps of crocs!

Juvenile Nankeen Night Heron -

Egret, not sure if it's a Small, Intermediate or Large (those really are the names)

And then it was time to play Spot the Croc!

 

The late afternoon light on the lotus lillies was gorgeous.

Can you see him?

Beautiful Pied Heron.

There he is!

A very obliging pair of Sea Eagles.
We saw 2 pairs.

The pandanus is pretty too.

Look! There's one!

Darter drying its wings.

This one was huge!
The biggest one our tour guide had seen.
He was very obliging too - sitting in a nice sunny spot and opening his mouth on cue.

Then the sun set.

A magical morning

We listened to all the people who said "go on a Yellow Water cruise when you go to Kakadu" and despite not being morning people (well one of us isn't a morning person) we opted for the sunrise version.

 It was pretty special - the super moon setting on one side and the sun rising on the other.
A slight mist over the water.

And lots and lots of birds.
Seen here  -whistling ducks, magpie geese, Nankeen Night heron,

plus egrets, ibis and spoonbills - you'll just have to trust me on that.

 This is a jabiru, Australia's only stork.

 Lots and lots of whistling ducks - safety in numbers I guess,

because now it's time to Spot The Croc!

White breasted sea eagle - we actually saw 3.

Lotus. An asian import.

As the morning warmed up the crocs decide to do the same and come out onto the banks to bask.
These are saltwater or estuarine crocodiles which are the ones that will eat you if they are hungry.

So swimming in the billabongs and creeks is a big no-no here, there are plenty of signs to remind you.

We were so brainwashed by the whole no -swimming thing that when we went to Maguk the day before we didn't even think to take our cossies.
Of course there is a beautiful rock pool below the waterfall which has been cleared for swimming.

So, yes, we did go in in our undies and tshirts!

The creek below is very pretty but not recommended for swimming!

A story from G about Edith

The pre dawn light over the campground and Edith River is pacifying....

...and the sunrise inspiring

...with a swim in the big pool at the base of the falls enticing
 

...enticing from many angles in fact...
 

...and from up the top...
 

 ...it still looks good...

...so we had a swim (that is Tess backed by towering cliffs) and a swim to the falls is quite a way...
 

...but wait, there is more. A short walk takes you to the upper pool area that is like a water fun park...
 

...with great falls...
 

...and pools at the top of the falls...

...and more falls and pools at the top of those falls (no one goes here though so worth the easy scramble)...

 ...to get a different perspective on the rock formations... 

...that may have beautiful smoothness and circularity (sorry about the contrast problem here)...
 

  
...and plants that have idyllic outlooks like the red sundews here waiting for an unsuspecting insect to wander along the lovely pool...

...and to look down on the 'water park' from a different spot...
 

...and to find views that others don't look for. This is a falls below the water park...
 

...looking back up those falls with Tess waiting patiently and taking in the view...
 

...and the bottom of the falls with a cave in the large rock.

 
The campsite was pleasant though the dead trees here don't make it look so good...

 
...but it highlights the contrast in this land between the watered spots near a creek and the unwatered away from the creek as shown graphically here. No transition zone, just wet or dry...

 
...and the wet supports huge paperbarks, grevilleas, wattles and gums...

...and looks lovely.