Nitmiluk National Park
After exploring Kakadu National Park, we drove to the Nitmiluk National Park (Jawoyn Land) with the Leliyn (Edith Falls) being our first stop in the West of the park. After a picnic we were swimming in the lower pool going close up to the lower falls—the pool was open, but we were supposed to "be croc-wise”.
A short drone flight gave us a good overview of the area and provided stunning visuals.
Next, we went to Katherine, an important crossroad in the Australian Outback with about 7,500 people living there from tourism and cattle farming.
We continued to explore the Nitmiluk National Park taking a two-hour walk at Katherine Gorge to a beautiful lookout platform above the Katherine River. The Gorge is 30 km long and on average 100 m deep, housing 160 bird species. It was first explored by a Scotsman in 1862.
We took a boat tour in two steps with walking from one boat to another as they could not get with the boats over rapids in the dry season. But before boarding the boats we observed thousands of Red Flying Foxes hanging in the trees near the river. I attempted to photograph some when they changed positions to avoid direct sun exposure which seemed a futile exercise given that most trees were devoid of any leaves due to the impact of the fruit bats hanging there to the thousands— in fact, signs warned of tree limbs breaking off due to the weight.
We saw crocodile indicators made of a plastic float that gets damaged when crocs chew on it. If this happens then park rangers try to catch the crocodile and transported to Darwin adding it to a breeding program. Interestingly, Saltwater crocs defend their nest whose temperatures determines the gender of the offspring. The crocs crack the eggs and carry the young ones to the shore—however, if it is a bad year with little food, they just eat them. The invading cane toads have reduced the crocs from thousands to hundreds as they have poorly adapted to the poisonous toads. Crows have figured out how to eat them by opening them and only eat the liver of cane toads.
I took a time lapse video during the tour:
The sandstone in the Gorge has three colours: white signifying the original sandstone, black showing the dormant stage of an alga that is active in the wet season and red where water is coming to surface in the dry season and oxidised the stone. We learned that during the wet season the water amount going through the Gorge could fill up Sydney Harbour in 9 hours.
We stayed overnight at Mount Bunny Station established in 1911 by Pioneer Buffalo hunter Fred Hardy. The original size of this cattle property was 1.1 million acres, or 4,000 sq km. Mt Bunny was one of the first pastoral leases in the Top End of the NT. We walk on the farm visiting water buffalos, wallabies, peacocks. At night, we enjoyed a dinner at home on the screened porch observing the geckos near the lamp eating the insects attracted by the light.
Later we discovered a tree frog in the toilet.
We were told that 30 meters from our porch the pond is full of "freshies" aka freshwater crocs and that 200 meters behind the house is the Adelaide River (well, stream 20 m wide) where there are salties, aka saltwater crocs.
Early next morning, Gisela and I walked around on Mount Bunny Station observing the farm animals, including the Water Buffalos and Peacocks.
The Peacock family actually slept in tree in front of house and woke us up in the morning.
Our first stop was a German-run breakfast place that served coffee and sandwiches. The place was full of kitsch and the owner was quite rude showing many hints of a special Teutonic level of sensitivity. However, we enjoyed the breakfast and marvelled at the Banyan tree: This Banyan is a remnant of coastal monsoon forest vegetation which once covered most of the peninsula. Birds feeding on the small fleshy fruit of the Banyan deposit the undigested seed on other trees. The seed may then germinate and eventually develop long aerial roots. In order to obtain nutrients from the soil, as well as support its heavy crown, the Banyan finally strangles its host.
More pictures here.