The Jumping Crocs in Adelaide River

This morning our pack up was a little slow, as we missed the boat, literally. We rocked up to the Jumping Croc cruise at 8:55 only to watch the boat pulling away from the jetty. So we went to the Window to the Wetlands information centre just down the road to pass time until the next cruise. This was quite interesting and we got to watch a documentary about Kakadu, so that made Troy happy! We also saw our first water buffalo. 

We arrived back with plenty of time before the next cruise, and were kept amused with snakes. Yes, they had pet snakes that you were able to hold! Yay!! Ronan and Stella were straight up there again to hold Tiger the carpet python. 

Missing the first cruise was a blessing in disguise as it had been very full with two big bus loads of people and they went on the bigger boat the company have. We ended up in a smaller group and went out on a smaller boat, allowing us to get much closer to the action!! As the Captain of the boat, Tamara, said, we were like an ice cream truck and the kids came running when they heard the music. As soon as the boat meandered past a croc it started swimming right for us. They looked quite friendly really, especially one they had affectionately named Stumpy, as he had one leg missing. He was a big 5m male salty and a bit of a poser really. 

He even sat on the bank and had his head scratched by a rod one of the staff were using to hold out the food. We saw quite a few crocs despite the murky water. The staff had them jumping out of the water for a piece of meat. Apparently they looked after the welfare of the crocs by ensuring they weren't fed too often. 

Another great part of this cruise was when they fed the brown kites. These amazing birds would soar above the back of the boat and would then fly to the front and catch a piece of meat the staff threw into the air. They never missed. It was very impressive! 

We then made our way along the Arnhem highway toward Kakadu National Park, stopping at the Bark Hut Inn for lunch. We made it to Jabiru by early afternoon and set up camp at the Kakadu Lodge. Tonight while Troy and the kids watched the footy I went to a ranger talk about what it takes to be a ranger in the Top End. She showed a heap of photos as well of the rangers catching crocs to ensure the swimming holes are safe, rescuing cars that thought they could make it across a water crossing but forgetting about the tide and getting stuck, weed and feral animal management, among other things. It was very interesting!