Kakadu Nourlangie and Ubirr

Drive another 50kms to Nourlangie. Now 12 noon and scrorching hot. Picnic in shade of our usual tins of tuna in olive oil and bread. Walk around rock art then up to lookout. Big sandstone cliffs and a sign to a longer walk. Dave desperate to continue to the escarpment top but after 30mins of red hot climbing Youngmi says we are going to die and refuses to go on. Great walk back.

Another 30kms to Jabiru a functional town mainly for the nearby Ranger Uranium mine. Delicious meat pie in the café. 40kms further to Ubirr. Pretty  campground with lots of spaces between camping spots and a toilet block with showers in the middle of the trees. Only when it is dark do we notice there are no lights. Quick dinner at up to the Ubirr lookout for the wonderful sunset. Loads of people high on the rocks looking out over wetlands. On the way back have a quick look at the rock art but too dark. Driving back into the campground the ranger says hello. I lower the window and clouds of mosquitos pour in. A nightmare. The brief chat to the ranger was justified by his croc spotting tip for the next morning but the mossies ruined the night. Back at the camp spot we lit 20 mossie coils and a fire and sprayed ourselves and covered up and lost the battle.

Youngmi wisely refuses another night at Mossie central and we pack up and drive 1km to Cahills Crossing. As told by the ranger there is a croc lookout and at 10am the tide will come in. We are about 100km from the sea but the tide rises 3m and comes over the road. As the river changes direction the fish start jumping and maybe 30 crocs appear catching the fish. They swim into the current then float back with their hands in the air waiting for fish to swim under their arms and snap. For a couple of hours there is a lot of croc action then the tide turns and the water falls and all is quiet again. Amazing.

More croc pictures on the next post

Next is a 3km walk through sandstone towers and along the river bank near the crocs. We walked fast.

Back at Ubirr rock car park we were lucky to meet Tec and aboriginal ranger. He led us to the painting and up to the lookout and gave an extra dimension to the area. Brilliant. His grandad was one of the elders of the area and had taught him heaps including the law and how to catch crocodiles.

Back at the border post café two aboriginal guys from Arnhem land were showing and teaching painting. What a great place. Time to get away from the impending mossies so drive to the Aurora resort. No good for us. $29 and no kitchen. Drive another 100kms to Bark Hut roadhouse. Better but no kitchen.  3kms down the road was the Mary River wilderness resort. Beautiful with pool, kitchen and wifi for $24. Heaven
Kids find a cane toad in the kitchen which there dad kills with a blow from a shoe.

Enjoy the buffet breakfast of unlimited cereal, toast, jam and coffee for $9. Laundry despite the high iron content bore water then walked along the river. At Bronzies bar there is the biggest crocodile led on a sand bar. Must be bronzie. 3 to 4m. The buffet breakfast is killing diabetic Dave. Too much food, high blood sugar level and so thirsty. Back to the campground for an insulin injection and lots of water and all is well again.