Crocs



Big Croc



Gun Emplacement ~ East Point



Darwin City



Claire Kissing Croc



Jumping Croc



East Aligator River



Escarpement



The Plane plus us


Thursday 10th June
Having showered with lots of little green frogs we departed Cooinda for Jabiru. It was only a short drive to Jabiru of about 50km. We had a choice of two caravan parks to stay at and we selected the smaller of the two. To our surprise it was not only one of the cheapest we stayed at, but also the best! We had our own ensuite site where we parked the Motorhome right outside the door. Closest we were to the shower and loo of all our stops! Having settled into the site, we then went for a 30 minute flight from Jabiru taking in more of the sights of the Kakadu National Park than we would have ever seen from driving through it. The flight was truly fantastic. Vicki & Claire were apprehensive about flying in a “little plane” and were not helped by the pilot trying to start the plane 4 times before it finally fired, but their fears were allayed once we got into the air. On returning to the caravan park we soon met our neighbours (Dave & Sharon) for the night and started chatting. We enjoyed our happy hour with them which went on and on! The sun went down on Jabiru which meant meal time so Alan & Reg cooked the BBQ while Claire & Vicki made the rest of the meal. Our day in jabiru was over.

Friday 11th June
Today we are heading into Darwin. After a hearty breakfast (Alan & Reg) of a delicious Omelette made by Alan we packed up the Motorhome and left for Darwin around 10.00am
We had quite a distance to travel stopping for lunch at a place called the “Bark Hut” After lunch we headed towards the Adelaide river where they have the jumping Crocodiles. We arrived there at 1.07pm and the boat tour left at 1.00pm. We missed it by just 7 minutes! The next tour wasn’t until 3.00pm so we decided to give it a miss and head straight to Darwin. We stopped briefly at the Humpty Doo Hotel for photos (which was made famous by “Crocodile Dundee”) We arrived at Claires brother in laws (Bill) place in Palmerston around 2.30pm, but as no one was home, we went to the local shopping centre for an hour or so. Reg bought new sandals, Vicki bought a couple of tops and we all had cuppas from the food outlet where Claire’s sister in law (Zeny) works.

Saturday 12th June
Still in Darwin - lazy day - rest and relaxation.

Sunday June 13th - Darwin
Vicki and I went with Zeny while Reg and Alan went in Bill’s car to look around Darwin from one end to the other. Firstly we drove to East Point to look over the gunning placement from the second world war. Then over to Nightcliff beach and along Fannie Bay and Mindil Beach. Happy hour as usual around 5 o’clock on Bill’s balcony, slop on the repellant and relax, heaven. BBQ for dinner round 7:30pm.

Monday June 14th - Darwin
We have our usual lazy wake up, cuppa time and get ready to go to out around 10:30. We decided (using Google to check options) to go to the Crocodylus Park (which is quite close) to see the crocodiles being fed. Since they had a Seniors discount of $8 our entry fee of $22 was excellent value. The feeding tour started at 12noon. They first fed the crocs in the main lake. then proceeded to feed 6 more in smaller areas. The guide made sure everyone got a good viewing position. At the end they brought out juvenile crocs and people got to have a hold. Back to Bill’s for a roast lamb and Zeny’s yummy potato bake.

Katherine Gorge



Crocodile in Gorge



Termite Mound


Monday June 7th
Mataranka to Katherine 130 k
Arrived in Katherine about 1pm. We went to the information centre which was very interesting in itself and beautifully set out. Came out with lots of pamphlets to pursue. Had large list of grocery items to purchase. We learnt a valuable lesson on the way to the caravan park. That is: Don’t rest 10 cartons of milk on the bench as you go round bends thinking that they will remain there. They don’t, they drop and break on the floor sending a stream of white liquid heading for anything that was on the floor, e.g. cameras and computers. This meant we had to stop and clean up the mess before we could go proceed to the caravan park.
Tuesday June 8th
Had a great trip up the Katherine Gorge for 2 hours. We saw a few crocodiles and a species of crow that eats Cane Toads and has learnt not to eat the poisonous part. A late lunch flowed into happy hour and then of course dinner. At night in the caravan park the amount of stars that can be seen is amazing. The Milky Way is clearly visible and we are getting better at spotting various constellations, e.g. Scorpio. Where the laundry is there is a wildlife show to be seen if you take a torch. Lizards and frogs gather to feast on the insects that abound there at dusk.

Wednesday June 9th
Left Katherine Caravan park around 10.a.m for Kakadu National Park , stopped for lunch at Mary River Roadhouse and continued our journey on the Kakadu Highway where we saw hundreds of termite mounds which were as high as 10 feet and incredibly solid like concrete. We arrived in Cooinda at approx 3.00 p.m.and have another lovely site in a very nice caravan park. The current temperature is around 30 degrees and a lot of people are heading for the pool.

The Spring



Sign at Spring



Pathway to Spring



Spring Source



Spring Source pandanas



Kangaroo



Mataranka 5th – 7th June

We booked into Mataranka for 2 nights. The Caravan Park wasn’t great, but the Thermal springs made up for it. Alan & Reg went into the spring around dusk on the Saturday and stayed there for around 30 minutes or so. It was so therapeutic, warm and relaxing! The thermal springs are a constant temperature of around 30C. Sunday saw us doing more or the same, such a routine we have now! We all headed down to the spring and spent a good hour or so in the water. A constant stream of people coming and going to the spring for a dip, with Alan always having someone new to talk to! All good things must come to an end with us packing up and moving onto Katherine on the Monday Morning.