The crocs in Kakadu...

On the next morning, I wake up very early - the night was okay, but restless - the air conditioning was quite loud... Without breakfast, I head towards Abirre - a large group of Kakadu's bid me farewell from my hotel.

After about a 40-minute drive past beautiful rock formations where many Aboriginal drawings can be found - just before Abirre (in the north of Kakadu) - I see a sign that says 'Cahill Crossing' - our guide had told me about it the day before.

It is a crossing that is also used by cars during the Dry Season, where there are said to be countless crocodiles - even on land. The current problem is that the crocodiles hardly come on land, because - just before the Rain Season - the water is so warm that they reach their comfort temperature of 31 degrees without lying in the sun...

And indeed - I go down a first path and already I see several crocodiles in the water - one of them seems to have just caught prey and I watch as it swallows the huge fish in the water.

At the actual Cahill Crossing there are lots of crocodiles - I see up to 6 crocs in the water at the same time - cars drive through, often without taking notice of the crocs. Even large trucks thunder through... Finally one of the crocs takes pity and lays down in the middle of the crossing - it hears the next car long before I do and then immediately disappears back into the water...

Then I decide to drive a little further and make a stop at a remote boat jetty - at first I think there are no crocs... but then - when I look more closely on the other side of the river - I can't believe my eyes - there are 8 crocs in the shade... Each one bigger than the other...

It is very hot and then I decide to retreat after about 1 hour. I drive back to Jabiru, where I have a very modest snack in the supermarket - unimaginable for us - not even a café for hundreds of kilometers...

It's 2:00 pm and I head south to take the alternative route (a gravel road) back to Darwin. In the 3 hours, I only encounter one car... ;-) This is probably the real wilderness of Australia - even the 2 points marked on the map do not appear. Instead, endless road and partly burnt soil. Luckily, I refueled in Jabiru...

When I finally see the highway, I'm not unhappy... It wouldn't be so great to have a breakdown out here... Shortly before 6:00 pm, I happily arrive back in civilization in Darwin.

It was great to be a guest of Crocodile Dundee :-))) !

Let's see what awaits me tomorrow on my last day in Down Under in Darwin.