Marrakai

14^th September – 19^th September 2025

We stayed in the Corroboree Park Tavern; a lovely park and an ideal kick-off point for the Corroboree Wetland Cruises, amongst others. Although we complained a lot about the heat while we’ve been in the NT, the silver lining is our timing; most of the smart people have gone back south, so we have missed the maddening crowds of tourists. That included our cruise.

There were twenty-eight seats on the boat, only seven were occupied, meaning heaps of space to wander and get the best vantage point for photos. I was the only person on board with a serious camera, so no one else left their seats while I ran around like a kid in a lolly shop. “Ooo, look, a bird.” Snap. “Oooo look, a crocodile.” Snap. You get the picture? So did I 😊

Corroboree Wetlands (or Billabong) is part of the Mary River system well known for its high population of Saltwater Crocodiles (Saltys) as well as the smaller freshwater crocs (Freshies). Apparently ‘Saltwater Crocodiles’ is a bit of a misnomer as they are just as happy in fresh water as they are in salt. So, even in this serene place, there is nowhere to hide.

Only minutes after leaving dock, we saw this little Freshie sunning himself on the bank. A Salty will hunt, kill and devour a human whereas a freshwater will warn, then bite, then run away. Apart from that fact, the main difference, is the overall body size and shape of the head.

The Freshie has a longer narrower head and snout, while the Salty’s have a bulbous nose and their head and jaw are much broader and much bigger. The Salty also has a pair of protrusions on the back of its head, just behind the eyes that almost look like ears; apparently, these are pressure sensors, so Saltys can sense changes in the water pressure even if there’s no sound. Let’s hope you never get close enough to have to use those distinguishing factors.

Corroboree is also known for its diverse birdlife. Not so diverse while we were there, but I was happy to see many Black-Necked Storks.

Want to see more crocs? Of course you do. I think that they are quite magnificent, and they truly are prehistoric. Descendants of the crocodiles we see now are thought to have been around 250 million years ago and have survived through mass extinction events.

Look at the front left limb of the last image in the above slideshow. If it looks deformed that’s because it is. This is a nice segway to a very interesting fact about crocodiles, their anatomy and how they can survive otherwise fatal injuries. Crocodiles have the ability to control blood flow to vessels and their heart. They do this via a “cog-teeth” valve in their heart (thank you Google).  Now, according to our guide on the cruise, this ability is crucial to their survival. Apart from the fact they can control their heart rate, allowing them to stay underwater for longer periods, and control their body temp, they can cut off blood flow to specific parts of their body. This makes chance of survival after serious injury more likely.

We saw a female croc who, many years ago had had half of her top jaw bitten off. I didn’t take a photo, but I’m sure there’ll be something online if you want to see her. The point is, any other animal would have died from such a wound, but she was able to stem the flow of blood, let herself heal, and learn how to survive on smaller prey. She has survived like this for several years, and though she is small for a croc, there’s no reason why she won’t live for many more. There is also a larger male croc in the area who got into a fight and had a chunk bitten out of his side. Again, he was able to stem the bleeding, heal himself and even though his lungs are literally exposed, (mind-blowing) he’s doing fine. We didn’t see him, but our guide often does.

This is where a zoom lens earns its money. I wouldn’t want to get this close to any croc, but I do love the close-up shots, especially their eyes.

While there may not have been a huge variety of birds, there were still birds and plenty of them, including my first decent shot of a Glossy Ibis much prettier than its cousin the Bin Chicken. 😊

There were also large flocks of ducks flying around, Wandering-Whistling Ducks, Plumed-Whistling Ducks, Rajah Shell Ducks and of course Magpie Geese. This little group didn’t seem too bothered by the Salty floating by, but they did get up and move back from the water’s edge. Maybe he had his sights set on the Nankeen-Night Herron. Right of the picture. The ranger told us that the birds are “very croc aware”, but this juvenile looks less a-ware and more like a-feed!

White-Bellied Sea Eagles are an impressive raptor and there were several pairs around the Billabong. Another fun fact: When a river, such as the Mary River stops flowing through the dry season, or when a river changes course, a permanent body of water can be left behind, this is the Billabong.

A very impressive nest. The eagles will use the same nest for many years, patching it up at the beginning of the breeding season.

Wild Water Buffalo are quite prevalent in the Corroboree area, though not always welcome. They can do a lot of damage and if their numbers become too great, the rangers will be called in. The ones we saw here were actually semi-commercial stock. The local cattle station musters them from time to time and sells them. They are supposed to be kept away from this protected area – good luck with that, maybe the crocks can help keep their numbers down!

We had a fantastic time with Corroboree Billabong Cruises. The guide was excellent, the scenery stunning and we got our first taste of many crocodiles in their natural habitat.  Not literally of course, but we want more!

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!