Jumping Crocs

After catching up with my Aunt and Uncle and being regaled with stories of crocs wandering across backyards and being locked in paddy wagons by local police (what else would you do with a rogue croc after you had caught it?)(wouldn't want to be the next criminal to be busted) we both decided that we needed to search out some of the beasties ourselves.

So we went on one of the jumping croc cruises (apparently something that everyone needs to do while up in the Top End). We chose the Adelaide River Queen (based on an annoyingly catchy internet jingle, the recommendation of my parents and the quirky jumping croc statue on the roadside nearby).

We weren't disappointed.

Seconds after pulling away from the jetty, a little boy on-board shouted out "I can see a real live croc..." We were all thinking "sure, kid - we haven't even properly started the cruise yet", but sure enough there was an ominous looking reptilian body cruising past one of the other jetties. This was shortly followed by half a dozen more sightings as we drifted upstream. If we ever needed more convincing to stay away from NT waterways, this was definitely it - the river was chockers with crocs. Each stretch was owned by a big dominant male with 5 or 6 of his girlfriends hanging around - we stopped and fed each male as they recognized the sound of the boat and swam out to claim an easy meal. At each stop, a chunk of pork was dangled above the water and the crocs would sidle up and eye it off (along with the tasty passengers just on the other side of the glass), then line it up and propel itself out of the water to claim its prize (some of the smaller ones managing to get airborne all the way to having their back legs out of the water)(makes you re-consider how safe you'd be fishing out of a tinnie...). The biggest, oldest male deigned only to bring his head up out of the water (at 5m and 700kg we weren't going to argue).

The boat also stopped along the way to feed a flock of kites. These guys were well used to the boat and swooped in by the dozens to catch scraps of meat thrown out from the top deck (often swooping close enough to feel the rush of air from their wings)(and hoping not to get an over-enthusiastic peck or grab). The guide mentioned that the birds would often fly in front of a bushfire and snap up all the fleeing insects and grasshoppers - and that if they weren't satisfied with their meal, they would pick up embers and spread the fire over a broader front to rustle up some more bugs. Pretty clever!

Anyway, we loved the whole thing (who wouldn't enjoy seeing a 500kg croc launch itself out of the water for a snack??). We rounded the day off by heading out to Buffalo Creek to see if we could finally snare an elusive barra (keeping a wary eye on the water the whole time...). Despite the water seething with baitfish as the tide came in, nothing could be tempted to bite. Maybe tomorrow...