Meet the Crockers
Today we had a sleep in. Justin woke us at 6.30am, We ate and then hit the road. I'm enjoying the seemingly leisurely pace and can enjoy my morning coffee in peace - we still manage to get away by 7.15am.
First stop was a cruise on the Mary River. This has been the highlight so far - all the wildlife on the billabong were just waking up and the morning air was crisp and clear. We spotted a few crocs, jumping fish and thousands of birds. The boat driver, Damian was well informed and delivered his excellent commentary in a very casual manner. As the morning warmed up, the crocs started appearing more frequently, basking on the muddy river banks. Fascinating creatures straight out of prehistoric times.
After our cruise we left Kakadu and Mary River National Park and headed west into Litchfield National Park. We had a brief stop at Batchelor and ate lukewarm hotdogs for lunch before going to Florence Falls for a much needed swim. To get to the rockpool required a 1km hike down 135 stairs, each and every one sending daggers into my knees but the pool was an absolute delight. Deep, crystal clear pond with warm water, about 100m in diameter with a waterfall at the far end. If only I had this in my backyard I might even be tempted to do some aqua aerobics and get some much needed exercise. Even the 135 stairs seemed easier going up. We moved on to Buley's Waterhole nicknamed the Top End Spa because you can sit in the shallow rock pools and let the water rush over your shoulders giving you a lovely strong massage. Such an excellent way to end our visit to Kakadu.
We were back in Darwin by 6pm and checked back into the Cav in a private room with ensuite and real sheets. Luxury! We hastily put our washing on and tracked down GEM who had been staying here since our last tour. She was also leaving in the morning to start her Kakadu trip and we had a quick coffee and catchup before heading off in separate directions for dinner.
Adventure Tours very generously put on a free meal and farewell drinks at the Vic hotel for all the passengers finishing tours on that day. Only about 7 of our group turned up - not that I had any interest in socialising with them, we just came for the free grub. The food was less than average and when the 2 Richards started talking football yet again, it was our cue to leave. On the way back to the Cav we stocked up on supplies including chocolate mousse for dessert (what diet?) and biscuits and lollies for the bus trip. We retrieved our washing from the laundry (ahhh clean clothes) and packed our bags ready for yet another ridiculously early start.
GEM called by around 10pm and we all went down to the bar for one last farewell drink.
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