Katherine

We started off spotting some local fauna! We thought it was a wallaroo.

We started our boat cruise at 9am. It was hot already!

The boys loved it!

The boat cruised along the river. The cliffs started out small and gradually got larger.

Can you see the branches stuck in the fork of this tree. That is high the water got in the 1998 floods. The water level was 18 meters higher than it usual level!

These trees are underwater during the wet season. I am amazed that they are still alive after annual drownings! The trees in my garden aren't that resilient!

When we were there the crocodiles were just beginning to lay their eggs. There is a croc track leading up the beach in this shot.

The colours were spectacular. As was the colour of the water.

There are several points along the gorge that the water doesn't flow during the dry so you have to get out and walk to the next gorge.

This was the part we walked over. The rocks were so smooth and a complete contrast from the rest on the gorge.

You also walk past some rock art.

In the center of the photo you can just see where our next boat is waiting. The walk was only about a kilometer but it was so hot it felt like more! Katherine was the hottest place we visited. It was around 40 degrees the two days we were there!

More croc tracks. We didn't actually see any real ones! They were apparently quiet as it was egg laying season.

The scenery was spectacular.

You can see how hot the boys were!

This is a croc cage. Occasionally, usually in the wet, salt water crocs can get down to this part of the gorge. And do you want to know how many backpackers were swimming in there!

The rock formations were amazing.



If you look really carefully in the photo below you might spot a bat. These bats are apparently very rare!

This is Jedda's rock. A movie was made featuring this rock. The story involved an aboriginal girl running away with a boy from her own clan and eventually she jumps from the rock. It was the first movie to feature indigenous actors.

Just near Jedda's rock is where the rainbow serpent lives. To this day pregnant indigenous women do not swim here. Dream times stories say the rainbow serpent must not be disturbed so we were very quiet and didn't go swimming!