M-whY

It wasn't in my budget to purchase an aerial viewing, so sort of as a consolation prize, I settled for the more easily accessible Litchfield National Park. At 7:00am, I got on a tour bus with some British, Swiss, German, and Canadian travellers. Our first stop of the day was at the muddy Adelaide River, where we would hopefully spot and feed some wild crocodiles.

"What better way to wake up, than with some, tea, coffee, and snake," proclaimed Joey, our tour guide, when we got there.

The dozen of us stumbled out of the bus, still a bit sleepy from waking up so early. But we were all soon wide awake when Joey came back with a boa in his grasp.

"Anyone without sunscreen or insect repellent on want some photo ops?" The stuff apparently stung the snake's skin. I hadn't sprayed myself with the armor yet, so I soon had the boa around my neck.

I tried holding the snake's head near my own for the picture, but he didn't seem to want to cooperate.

"Don't squeeze him too hard," suggested Joey, "Or you may end up with a little love bite."

After everyone had had their turn with the snake, we ate some breakfast and waited for the other tour buses to arrive. When the gathering was complete, we headed onto the water and started our hunt for crocodiles.

It didn't take long to find them. One was sunbaking on the banks, and ignored our efforts to entice him into the water. Another was floating stealthily along the surface. A piece of meat was dangled in front of him, but he must've had a large dinner last night because he didn't seen interested.

"That's a lazy croc, he's not going to jump."

Begging for food.

We motored on and soon came across a smaller one. Smaller crocodiles are generally more active as it didn't take as much effort for them to move. This one was particularly keen on getting the meat hanging above his head. As he leapt up to grab his breakfast, the meat was pulled away. Undeterred, he came back for a second attempt. Again, the meat was lifted just out of reach of his powerful jaws. This continued for a few repetitions(video 1.4MB). It reminded me of the way I played with Moggy back home.

"So do you let them have it in the end?" someone asked.

"Yeah, or else they'd learn and not come back."

The croc eventually got his food and we moved on in search of more playmates. We teased few more before turning around and heading back. On our way back to the dock, we got a real treat. A white bellied eagle made a rare appearance.

"No guarantees guys, but let's see if it'll come down and take some food from us."

Our boat sped forward and a piece of meat was held out. Like a trained performer, the eagle swept down and grabbed it. Good show!

Back on land, we drove an hour and a half to Litchfield National Park. Under a large banyan tree, we had lunch. As I've mentioned, it takes a great guide and a good group of travellers to make a tour enjoyable. Our guide knew his stuff and had a great personality, but up til now, the group had remained fairly quiet.

"So have you played a didgeridoo before?" Joey asked one of the girls after we had finished our sandwiches.

"Yeah, but I'm not really good at getting a sound out of it," she replied.

"Would you like to learn? I'll teach you how to blow later."

"No, she'll teach you," cracked her (presumably) boyfriend.

The whole table burst into laughter. And just like that, the ice was broken.

We cleaned our plates and proceeded further into the national park. Here, I got an upclose look at the termite mounds I had seen from the train. Many different species of termites inhabited the area, and could be distinguished from the mounds they built. For example, magnetic termites built wall-like mounds that ran north south, while cathedral termites built mounds that looked like like, well, cathedrals, I guess.

Better than chocolate covered ants.

Joey pointed out some ants with green butts that were crawling on the trees.

"These ants here edible. They taste like lime. Who's brave enough to try some?"

It's just an ant, I told myself as I popped one in my mouth. Like he said, they really did taste like lime!

The day had reached the hottest point, but fortunately we were headed to Florence Falls to cool off.

"Keep your eye open for rock wallabies as we head down," said Joey. "They'll stay really still, and they blend in really well with the rocks. We might not see any since they usually don't come out until it gets cooler, but just keep your eyes peeled."

We hadn't gone more than ten steps when, "Bingo! A rock wallaby!" (Can you see it?)

I haven't had a swim in a long time, but I was pretty sure I remembered how. I waded into the water, navigating carefully on the slippery rocks. The water was clear enough to see the fish. With my camera in a waterproof bag, I swam out to deeper end to take some pictures. I even went under and behind the falls, but there was no ledge to hold onto and I quickly got tired treading water. I returned to shallow waters and rest a bit.

I felt something nibble at my ankles. A small fish was picking at my scabs.

"Do you feel that?" I asked one of the Canadian girls.

"Yeah! They're nibbling at my feet!"

For the next hour, I swam around the waterhole. It was great exercise. I should go to the pool more often when I go home.

Litchfield had quite a few waterholes, and Buley Rockhole was the next one we visited.

"Are you up for some excitement?" Joey asked me.

"Uhh, sure."

"Put your bag down and follow me. Take off your glasses too." Joey took a running start and leapt into the pools. I was right on his heels.

Massage chairs.

I was exhausted after my swim at Florence, and like everyone else, found a spot under one of the many cascades for a natural massage. It was so relaxing that Joey pretty much had to drag us back to the bus when it was time to go.

As we were driving out of the park, Joey slammed the brakes. "Whoa!! A frill necked lizard! He won't stay on the road for long! Get your cameras out quick!" We all fumbled for our cameras, but no one go a decent shot before it ran off into the bushes.

Up ahead we could see the park rangers practicing some controlled burning. Forest fires are actually good for the landscape, and the indigenous aborigines used to set fire to the dry grass at regular intervals. Two weeks after the burning, the land would come alive again with new plant life.

"It's a bit windy today for them to be setting fires," commented Joey. "Aborigines would never light a fire in the wind. Must be the stupid white rangers on duty today."

We made a quick stop under the banyan tree again for people to change out of their swimwear. Joey passed out free vouchers for meals, internet, and ice cream.

"If you enjoyed the trip, let your a friend know about it. We can have the shiniest, prettiest brochures, but word of mouth is always the best advertising!"

So here you go. If you're ever in Darwin and want to visit Litchfield, go with Litchfield Dreams. Be sure to ask for Joey!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!