Day 116 - Monday 29th April 2024

Today I wanted an early getaway as I had a 09:00 cruise at Yellow Water, which is 45 minutes down the road from Jabiru, so up with the alarm at 06:00, packed away and ready for loading before heading for breakfast at 06:30. I waited at the restaurant door, and got the signal that they weren't opening until 07:00 (despite it saying 06:30 in their resort guide), so I returned to the room and loaded the car before returning at 07:00 for my cooked breakfast. 

Checked out and away at 07:45, I had an uneventful run down to Cooinda Lodge on empty roads, where I picked up the transfer to the Yellow Water boat; the road down to the jetty was closed to the public due to the water being immediately adjacent to the road and therefore a crocodile risk. We disembarked the coach, and took a boardwalk protected by a steel mesh on either side to the boat jetty, and then we were off.

First we sailed down Yellow Water inlet, and then out into the South Alligator river. The flood plains are still all underwater, and covered in water lillies. We stopped frequently to watch the wildlife; primarily birds which I have little interest in, but we found a Saltwater Crocodile relaxing close to the bank that we stayed with for a few minutes.

Then onwards, the boat skipper (for want of a better term) and guide was full of stories and information about the environment we found ourselves in; in a month the flood waters will have subsided, and the flood plains will be dry once more. The lakes will have dried up, but the billabongs will still have water, and this is where the wildlife will gather.

We learned that the male crocodiles each have a territory, and there is trouble if one strays into the wrong place; there is one crocodile here who seems to take pleasure in wandering into other territories and getting into fights with the other males.

We found another crocodile basking on the bank below a tree, and before we knew it our two hours was up, and we were delivered back to Cooinda Lodge. 

Into the car, and I had a two and a half hour run to Katherine and the same location as a week or so ago. There were no convenient places to stop, and no other planned activities, so I made my way onto the Stuart Highway and retraced my steps of a few days ago, arriving in Katherine at 14:30. All checked in, and a different cabin to my last visit.

That's about it for today; nothing else of note has happened. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow, so may have a quiet day before the 520 km drive and entry into Western Australia on Wednesday.