Move to Merl

We’re staying tonight at Merl in Kakadu, up near the border between Kakadu and Arnhemland.  We are about 500m from Cahill’s Crossing, on the East Alligator River.  Apparently they saw about 74 crocodiles on the river during this morning’s cruise.  Dominic and Joseph are mad keen to catch a Barramundi and so this afternoon, when we arrived, set up camp, applied tropical strength bug repellent and long shirts and pants, Grant headed off with Jo and Dom and Katie and Oskar and a few fishing rods to Cahill’s Crossing.  It turned out to be pretty late and dark when they headed off and I wondered how they would get on.

It was a little while later the adventurers returned.  They hadn’t caught anything.  In fact, they hadn’t even thrown in a line.  They had rocked up at the crossing, after walking a fair way in the gloom through  crocodile shaped cliffs, dark, shadowy forests, past numerous crocodile warning signs and surveyed the murky waters.  A moment later they heard a loud snap and crunch….they decided the large shapes in the water were crocs and that it might be better to fish for Barramundi when they had less competition.  So, back they came!

This morning we rushed everyone along and made it to a free Ranger Talk at Yellow Water.  This wetlands area is host to numerous animals and plants, and Joel’s girlfriend made a good ranger guide!  Maybe next ranger talk we’ll get Joel’s mum…

We saw large catfish, and comb-crested Jacana (those birds with big feet that walk on the lillies).  There were whistling kites and an immature Nankeen Night Heron, but no crocodiles.  There were water lilies in bloom, and lots of wetland grasses, we prayed over the spot that Grant’s glasses dropped in last night, but they didn’t float to the surface… 

After the ranger talk we headed back to Mardugal and packed up the caravan.  It took 23minutes.  I think that was pretty good.  We drove up the Kakadu Highway to Nourlangie, where there are examples of aboriginal rock art.  It was a nice walk, if a bit hot, but we had a good look at the paintings done with different types of ochre and resin. 

Lookout at Nourlangie

The Bowali information centre provided more air conditioning relief for the middle of the day and we watched a video about the animals in the area and how they survive through the different seasons.  There were some interesting pictures of wallabies and sugar gliders, and later, when Dominic and I went for a walk at Merl around dusk, we saw a rock wallaby timidly emerging from his little cave, just like on the video.  It was very exciting!

After the information centre we found the township of Jabiru, the only town in Kakadu National Park, and topped up on fresh food.  We had some good fishing tips from a keen fisherman who told us the right lures to buy to catch Barramundie.  The milk is very expensive, but there was a large crate of enormous tins of powdered milk so I think that is what people use up here.  I’m content to stick with the UHT for a few more days until we make it to Darwin.  We bought some Billabong Ice Blocks and enjoyed them outside on the grass.  I don’t think we’ve ever enjoyed ice blocks more!  It’s very hot and humid.  This morning at 7am, before the sun came up, it was 27 degrees centigrade with 53% humidity.

The campsite here at Merl seems very nice.  There are many more trees than our last two campsites and it is very private.  Most of the campsites are virtually empty because it’s the end of the season and very hot.  The campsites are all spread out around a circular roadway which surrounds a bushy communal area and toilet/shower/washing up block.  It is very nice and shady in the day time but full of suspicious shadows and heart-stopping rustles at night, when we’re walking by torchlight through the avenues of pandanus, the sounds of distant snoring travelling on the cool sea breeze.

Tonight I happened to share my toilet cubicle with the largest black and hairy spider I had ever seen, so I’m a bit nervous of this toilet block.  It is inhabited by matchbox car sized frogs that look white in the strange yellow bug discouraging lights.  There are also several white geckoes with large round dark eyes.  Can't really relax with that much wildlife inside a toilet block!