Aug 12 ... Timber Creek

No need to rush off this morning as we had less than 200kms to drive and our cruise up the Victoria River was booked for 4pm. We did lose 1.5hrs though when we crossed into the Northern Territory. Before we left we went for a last look at the lake and it was at its most beautiful.

Lake Argyle Dam

Lake Argyle

It was not far to drive to the border and we really felt the scenery changed into more monotonous scrub, at least for the first hour. As soon as we got closer to the Victoria River we were back amongst the impressive red escarpments and the boabs. These trees only grow naturally in the area from here to Broome, and it was sad to be seeing the last of them.

The Victoria River

We checked in at a small park in Timber Creek and went to confirm our cruise. The boat was to take us 35kms down the river and it would be over 3.5 hours before getting back in the dark. We wondered why this was but all was to be revealed later!
Our tour guide was Neville and he firstly took us on a very interesting drive around the town before heading out to Big Horse Junction ... apparently this is a reference to size of the local barramundi. On the way we were shown a "crocodile" tree as well as some historical sites.

The crocodile tree

The bark of the tree looks like the skin of a crocodile

The Victoria River is the largest in the Northern Territory. It is over 800 kms long and in places it is over a kilometre wide while towards its mouth, it can be over 4kms wide. It has a huge tidal flow and it rises over 8ms with the high tide, but it can also be very shallow in places. And the crocs love it!

Travelling downstream

Late afternoon on the river

Soon after setting out we were shown a big boab of cultural and historical significance. Augustus Gregory was an explorer who spent some months in this area during 1856. Before he left he engraved the tree with his name, date and directions for retrieving his charts in case he did not survive the return journey. He then undertook one of the longest overland rides in Australian exploration, from the far north down to Brisbane. His work is credited with the opening up of this country to settlement.

The "Gregory" Tree (boab) as seen from the boat

All along both banks of the river we literally saw dozens of crocs ... both salt water and a few freshies. The later will get eaten by the salties if they are in the wrong place. Freshwater crocodiles only grow to about 2ms but we saw some very big saltwater ones, easily over 3ms.The older ones were wary of us and quickly scuttled their way into the water but the younger ones were not as bothered and we could often get quite close. Neville said it was because they had no experience or memory of when they used to be shot.

Freshwater croc

Saltwater croc

Saltie checking his territory

We could get really close!

The favourite food of the crocs are the wallabies of which we saw hundreds. They come down to drink from the river and end up as dinner instead.

Is something watching me?

Dinner being served

As well there were lots of birds on the river. We saw two pairs of sea eagles, hundreds of whistling kites, a couple of jabirus and numerous egrets, corellas, wading birds and cockatoos.
Neville feeds both lots of eagles and they put on quite a display for the tourists. They were quite huge birds and it was amazing to see them come in for a feed.

Taking the freshly caught fish

The whistling kite is known to the aborigines as the fire bird. This is because it has the habit of picking up a burning stick from a fireplace and dropping it some distance away into long grass. This effectively starts a fire and the bird feasts on all the insects fleeing the blaze.

Whistling Kites (Fire birds)

The Jabiru taking flight

Our journey downstream ended at a pontoon anchored off the Bradshaw Cattle Station. This huge property was bought by the Australia Defence Force and is used as a training facility and a bombing range. It was a beautiful setting at which to enjoy the delicious selection of nibblies Neville supplied and watch him feed the eagles while also watching the crocs try to catch their dinner.

Bradshaw Station

The river at Bradshaw Station

On the way back it became apparent why Neville waited until sundown to begin the homeward trip. By manoeuvring the boat across the river he created hundreds of ripples which resulted in dozens of "steps" to the sinking sun. It was a magical effect.

What an excellent cruise and a wonderful experience. The  sheer size of the river was so impressive and we got it all for only $85 each. We were absolutely exhausted when we got home and even though the local indigenous people were giving a bit of an impromptu concert in the caravan park, we opted for bed and I am sure nothing could have woken me.