"Watch out for the crocs man. They are blimmin everywhere"
...my good friend, Rossco, emailed me when I wrote him my work is sending me to Darwin for few months. True to his word, after a couple of hours of landing here, many warned me to stay away from the beach and other waterways. Apparently, if the Box Jelly fish doesn't get (sting) you, the Salt water crocs will. If crocs dont get you, the sharks will. Watta pity! Darwin has got lovely beaches - white sand, clear blue water and all that, sunny warm weather...but no one dares to take a dip.
Anyway, back to crocs. I went on a Jumping Crocodile cruise today. It is a one hour cruise on the Adelaide River which is home to about 9000 fresh water and salt water crocs. Trained personnel hook a large chunk of meat (Pig head chops. Oua!) at end of a cloth string, and tempt the crocodile to leap out of the water to grab the meat. We fed about 10 crocs. It was fantastic to watch one of nature's beasts in their natural habitat at such a close range. One of the crocs, nicknamed Bogart, was a BIG one - he was the King of the river stretch, a 5.5m monster, weighing about 650kgs, almost 70 years old, and was missing a leg. When Bogart leapt out, almost 60% of his body was out of the water. It was a spectacular sight.
Worth the $38.
Here are some pics:
All aboard The Adelaide River Queen
Even the eagles wanted a bit of Pig's head.
Come on ya Bast..ket!
Treats bucket. Pig head chops.
Aaa kaatu!
Croc "Bugger"
Croc "sweetheart" going to its nest for an afternoon nap
