The highlight of my Darwin has really got to be the Jumping Croc Cruise. I love the name – It basically tells you everything about the activity: It is a cruise, and you get to see crocodiles jump. Really straightforward.
We drove for a couple of hours from Darwin City Centre before we reached the place. It was right smack in the middle of wilderness, and I wondered how the staff got to work everyday.
The cruise boat that would bring us to sea was a double decker. The upper deck was open-air, and lower deck in air-conditioning. The weather was too hot, so I opted for the latter. =P Turned out we had a much better view than those who went upstairs!
Spectacular.
It was such a peaceful place. Everything was still and quiet. But everyone knew what lurked below those still waters. NO ONE in their right mind would swim here.
The cruise boat had large windows for good viewing. They only open 1 window flap, for obvious reasons. I cannot imagine if a croc jumps in. I might seriously freak out. But no, I would NOT jump into the river to escape, because that’s as good as attempting suicide.
It’s scary how quiet these animals are. The whole river surface was quiet and still until one staff from the upper deck knocked the water surface with a bait made up of beef steaks. The moment the smell spread, we started seeing them floating to the surface. Huge and sinister ones.
The fearless lady who knew exactly what to do to entice the crocs. To make the crocs jumps, you need to know when to lift the bait up fast enough, cos these crocs were amazingly fast.
A bucket full of baits. These crocs are fed very good food.
It was really interesting to watch. We saw how the crocodiles came floating to the surface, observed the bait and waited for minutes before attempting a bite. These crocs were patient and careful. They were not rash or foolish. They were willing to wait until they were very sure.
And after confirming that it was a bait safe to be eaten, they would ‘jump’ right out of water to grab a bite. Of course, the jump was orchestrated by the lady from the upper deck, who lifted up the bait as the crocodile made its attempt to bite it.
I managed to catch a shot of the bottom belly of a croc ‘jumping’ up! We were told the bottom belly was the most expensive part of a crocodile. It sure looked gorgeous.
Aren’t you glad I also managed to capture a video of the whole Jumping Croc experience?? Click to watch! =P
After most of us witnessed the jumping crocs, the staff on board started feeding the eagles and large birds hovering above our heads. They were so swift & huge that I was too scared to stick my head out. I mean, I’m sure they won’t bite my head off, but if any of them knock into me, I’m sure I’ll suffer a concussion.
The lady fed the birds straight from her hands. Very brave. Wasn’t she the least bit worried for her fingers?!
It was quite a nice sight seeing the huge birds soaring down from the skies to grab the food, then swiped back up to the skies. Quite frankly, I felt very close to nature. =)
And the lady genuinely looked like she enjoyed her job, as with most of the other Australians I’ve met in Darwin who handled wild life & exotic animals. She was very knowledgeable, knew the crocs and birds very well, and could answer all our questions about them. And look at the way she watched the birds – As if she was looking at her friends.
I shall abruptly end with a picture of this bird in flight. =)
My next post would be on the Wildman Wilderness Lodge, which was a gorgeous place we stayed at for one night, and ridiculously ulu and deserted. =)
