



The crocodile tour was impressive. We spotted lots of crocs - all 'salties'. Despite being called salt water crocodiles, they in fact live much of their life in freshwater.


There were a surprising number of missing limbs from these guys. They apparently fight a fair bit, and most were missing one or more hands, arms, feet or legs.

Similar numbers of people die of crocodile attack as shark attack (average 1 per year or so). Steve told us of one instance where some guys were out on their ATVs. They stopped for some reason. One guy


The black kites were also fed on the river cruise. They are well accustomed to the feeding and would swoop right in to catch the food mid air. They must have exceptional eyesight.
We stopped by the cultural centre to learn about the traditional aboriginal ways. There are still a few hundred people living off the land in Kakadu in the full traditional way, and many others still follow the traditional rules even if they don’t live in the bush.Then to Nourlangie to see the rock art. On the walk in Steve gave us one of his many insights into local life. These green ants live in the trees and wrap the leaves into their nest. You can actually hear them working if you listen carefully. The aboriginals boil them up. The nectar that rises to the top of the pot is sweet and is medicinal for breathing and lung problems.
There were many paintings – more than we saw at Uluru. And they were a different style. Here there were many more spirit drawings. Several of the larger drawings were done by an elder in the 1960’s. He wanted to make sure the stories were captured. He drew a large image of the spirit which women must avoid. His story teaches girls not to roam into the bush alone. The second story (artwork photoed here) was related to Namondjok (a warrior in the centre here), his wife Barrginj (lower left) and Namarrgon (Lightning Man to the right). The whole story can be read here.
Then we were off to our campsite near JimJim Falls. We all chipped in to get dinner going – sausages, mixed veggies and baked potatoes. And beer. The campsite manager brought over some fresh baked damper for us – made with dried fruit, it was very good. After some impressive didgeridoo playing by Steve, we all packed in for an early bed by 9:30.
1 comment:
WOW!!! Love the photos of the crocs!! Crikey!
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