We had grand dreams of Elyse sleeping on the late night flight from Singapore to Darwin. In my fantasy, we would all fall asleep and woke up refreshed after the 4.5 hours midnight flight. The reality was, none of us slept a wink. Elyse was too excited at the prospect of flying again and was full of beans throughout the flight.
We overestimated the availability of transport into town from Darwin airport at 5.30am in the morning. There was not a single cab in sight and it was only due to sheer luck that we managed to get one as the group of travellers who queued in front of us gave up their spot just before a cab pulled into the taxi stand. The rest of the morning was a blur. After drawing the curtains in the hotel, the 3 of us slumped onto the king size bed and drifted off to bed almost instantly.
We woke up just in time for brunch before heading down to Crocosaurus Cove, one of the highlight of this trip! There are more saltwater crocodiles in the Northern Territory of Australia than anywhere else in the world. Therefore, it was not surprising that a building right in the heart of Darwin, is home to these apex predators. The Crocosaurus Cove is also famous for its iconic Cage of Death where one is carefully lowered into the water in a large glass cage to come face-to-face with a large saltwater crocodile for 15 minutes.
Instead of being fearful of these modern day dinosaurs, Elyse was very curious about them and had no qualms about standing right in front of the glass display to see them clearly. The water was crystal clear and when the crocodiles swum right up to the glass, I could observe their snouts, bellies, hides and claws. This was the very first time I came face to face with these living fossils to realize how soft their bellies were! The highlight of the day was the "Big Croc Feed Show" where raw chicken were dangled at the end of the trainer's fishing line for the crocodiles to chew them off. When the crocodile jumped out of the water to grab the meat, it made a popping sound as the jaws snapped shut right after missing the target. We also had the chance to hold a baby crocodile with no squirm or wriggle from Elyse. In addition, she had an amazing time exploring and meeting the different turtles species found in the Top End's river systems.
We were glad that we chose to visit the Crocosaurus Cove instead of joining the Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile cruise. With more than 5000 crocodiles in the river, and a toddler in tow, we did not want to put any of us at risk. Also, part of me remembered Pavlov's theory of classical conditioning where the crocodiles might link the presence of humans to the availability of food and launch a savage attack upon us. Enough said.
The other highlight of our trip was visiting Kakadu National park! That was the real reason in coming to Darwin! Kakadu is dual-listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a massive, biodiverse nature reserve in the Northern Territory with a rich history of Aboriginal culture and traditions. Being one of the largest national parks in Australia, Kakadu has a myriad of ecosystems and natural features and we were going to explore them by taking a flight across the terrain. February is the wet season of Darwin and we were hoping to see the famous Jim Jim Falls!
We took the flight around 9am in the morning and we were expecting Elyse to feel rather uncomfortable on a Cessna aircraft but our worries were unfounded. She was happy as Larry and excited to see the plane gaining ground and taking off! The flight tracked over the Adelaide River, Mary River National Park and the winding South and East Alligator Rivers. We were busy spotting crocodiles as the plane was flying at a lower latitude. We flew past massive flood plains before we saw the magnificent Arnhem Land Plateau, truly a sight to behold.
Arnhem Land remains one of the largest Aboriginal owned reserves in Australia and we were thrilled to be able experience the sheer beauty of this vast landscape and to soak it all in while flying several hundred metres above ground.
As it was the wet season, we were able to witness the majestic 200 metre high plunge waterfall, Jim Jim Falls, at its full glory! The aircraft circled the waterfall so we could observe the bird's eye view of white frothy water cascading down the Arnhem Land escarpment and soft clouds of mist billowing out where water and rocks meet head-on. Despite being a distance away, we could hear the magnificent roar of the water over the aircraft's propeller. Elyse was kept entertained throughout the flight and was an absolute darling with her little pair of blue aviation headset.
We then did a cruise on the Yellow Water billabong and were fortunate enough to spot a crocodile in the wild as we navigated alongside an aboriginal guide who educated us on the rich flora and wildlife found along the river system. Cool breeze brushed softly against our hot sweaty faces as we journeyed through the Kakadu's wetlands and its changing landscapes, home to around 2000 plant species and 60 different mammals. A visit to the Warradjan Cultural Centre brought us back to the past where I read about the personal histories of the traditional owners of Kakadu, and understood more about their beliefs and practices. This aerial sightseeing tour was truly a trip of a lifetime for our family!
Besides the 2 main highlights of the trip, back in Darwin, we also explored the Parap Village market and its speciality stores as well as visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. We are very fortunate to live in Singapore where natural disasters are unheard of and huge predators can only be found in the zoo. Through the Museum visit, we learnt about Cyclone Tracy that devastated 80% of the city of Darwin in the wee hours on Christmas Day 1974 and examined the taxidermy of Sweetheart, a large male estuarine crocodile which was an illustrious part of the Northern Territory history.
With this, we ended this short trip on a high note and were prepared to head home for Chinese New Year Celebrations! Till next time, the Outback of Australia!
