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So the next day it was off to Kakadu, on the tour was me, Laura, Dave and Tom from England, Ann and Klaas from Belgium, Marcella from Switzerland, and Pascal and Christina from Switzerland, and of course Dez from OZ!!
The first stop was the Crocs again at the Adeliade River, although before the cruise we saw two different breeds of snake fighting, which is not normal so was weird, one was a water python which is normaly difficult to find. The croc cruise was more of the same, although we did see a sea eagle this time which was very cool!!
After the croc cruise we headed to a small provisions store and stocked up on the important things such as booze!! Then it was off into Kakadu. The first thing we did when we got to Kakadu was go to the visiter centre to find out how the Aboriginals feel about us being there etc, was intresting and our guide Dez could add to what it told us there as he also knows a lot. After that we headed to Barramundi Gorge.
At the Gorge it was a fairly easy 20minute walk through the heat to get to the Gorge at the other end, and it was worth it!! Once again it was an area where Crocs do enter, but it is survied at the start of every dry season before its opened to the public, but as Dez put it the best way to know its safe is the fact another tour group where already in the water and hadnt been eaten!! It was very deep though and had a lovely water fall at the other side, so we swam over and explored a bit, was nice a cool, but not cold!! Even saw a few fish swimming about. (See picture Swimming Pool Kakadu style for Barrimundi Gorge)
After that we headed to Yellow Water Billabong to watch the sunset, we also saw a nest for 2 sea eagles, who where flying around above our heads while we walked along. We then watched the sunset before heading on our night time drive to Jim Jim Falls Campsite.
On the way to the campsite we stopped to collect some firewood for cooking dinner on. Then it was all the way to the campsite, on arrival we unloaded the wood and got the fire going so that it would be hot enough to cook on soon. It was then sorting sleeping mats/bags etc before starting the preperation of food, which meant I cut up a huge slab of Kangaroo, which was kinda weird but could have been a slab of beef. Then it was time to cook dinner, it was very nice, we had salad, baked potatoes (cooked in the embers of the fire) buffalo sausages and of course the Kangaroo!!
After dinner it was onto the more important part of the night.....drinking and playing the digeridoo, was good fun playing the digeridoo, and there was another group next to us who got shown how to play cut straws and they came over an played a song for us, while we played the digeridoo back for them!! Glad we got to play the digeridoo and not straws though, would have been a bit disapointing!! Later that night me and Dave headed over to the shower/toilet block and on the way out I heard a noise in the leaves on the ground but couldnt see anything, so we both stayed quiet and finnaly spotted what it was, it was a snake....a death adder, which a adult one had been caught and killed there recently so the guide knew what it was when we showed him the photo, which would have been a straight to hosiptal had anyone been bit!! Then when we got back to camp, me, Laura and Dave then saw a Dingo trying to come into the camp to get any scraps!! Was an intresting night!!!
DAY 2
It was an early start on day 2, up at 6am to get breakfast and get ready to rock and roll. First stop today was some proper 4x4 action, off along a small dirt track and through water to get to the start of the walk for Jim Jim falls. Was an intresting drive, but was good fun!! On arrival we got out ready for our walk, was a bit worried that it wouldnt be very difficult as earlier that morining Dez had told me he had seen it bring woman to tears before clambering over the rocks.....so off we headed. It start easy enough and the views up to the base of the falls where amazing, but it got harder and harder, then we got close to the end and he stops us and says that was the easy part, this next part is the hardest!! It wasnt too bad in the end and we all managed to make it in one piece!! When we got there the falls had dried up becuase of the dry season but the plunge pool was still full of water so it was time for more swimming, although this time the fish in the water where very hungry so would sometimes nibble at your feet!! which was a little bit off putting!! Then we had to walk back down again!! not so much fun in the hotter late morning!!
After that it was off to our Lunch stop and see the Aboriginal Art, when we stopped for lunch we where hit by a huge swarm of flies, and they stayed and got on everything and annoyed everyone!! So we quickly ate lunch so we could go and see the art. It was amazing to see the art on the side of the rocks, as sicentists and been in and dated that they could be from further back than 20,000years ago, as they are unable to date any further back. Also what the Aboriginals belive and did, has so much relivence to what we do and know is amazing and was very impressive, it was a real privaleage that they allow us to go and view the art that has been left behind by their ancestors. By this time of day most people where begining to get tired and flag a little, so it was off to the main visitor centre in kakadu for a bit more insight into what the park rangers do and an ice cream before heading 1.5hrs down the road to the termite mounds and then another 1.5hrs to Darwin.
That night we then met up with most of the people on the tour and went out and had a few drinks and partied some of the night away!! Was good fun and we got free food in the place we went and its was cheap...first time we could say that about drink in Oz!!
Overall though Kakadu was amazing and I was so glad that I got to see it and would have loved to have seen more, but time and tiredness prevented this....onto Alice Springs on Thursday instead!!!
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