Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
25th September – 4th October 2025
After six days exploring Jabiru, we headed south into the Kakadu National Park. Wanting to make the most of our Kakadu experience we picked three different campgrounds from which to explore Kakadu, the first of these was Gungurul.
Even though it was classed as a campground, it really was little more than a carpark. There were a few marked spots around the circular road, big enough for a motor home. Nevertheless, it was a popular spot and several other travellers also camped here.
We found a space off the road, big enough for Chunky Bum, and it wasn’t a bad camp. This was our first bush camp, so there was no air conditioning, and the average temperature was 38 degrees.
Though the campground wasn’t much to write home about, there were a couple of nice walks; one down to the river and the other (longer and steeper) up to an impressive outlook. We could see our camp way down below.
We were close to the East Alligator River, and that’s where the river walk took us. The river was, for the most part, a dry sandy bed. But it made for a lovely walk, cool in the riverbed, some birds and an overall really nice feel.
We stayed there a couple of nights, mainly because there was a pair of Blue-winged Kookaburras in the area, and family of Crimson Finches. I’ve seen the finches three times since we’ve been in the NT but have had a lot of difficulty getting a good shot of them, but here, I finally managed a half decent shot of a male.
Next stop was the Maguk Campground. Wow! What a great spot. We had plenty of room to hang our hammocks and there was a big colony of Sand Wasps to keep me occupied.
We loved it here even though the average temp was 40 degrees and to get to the swimming hole we had to drive 1.5km to the carpark, then embark on 2km walk, along a track, over rocks, sand, creeks and more rocks in order to get to the falls and swimming hole.
We did this twice a day. 😊
Was it worth it? We think it was… Just beautiful! And there were natural rock ledges all around the gorge and under the waterfall, so you could have a rest while you enjoyed the serenity.
It was a challenging walk, and we were melting by the time we got to the swimming hole. Of course, the same could be said of the walk back so we made the most of the smaller swimming holes on the return journey. We weren’t supposed to, there were croc warnings for the lower pools, but the water was so clear we figured that we’d see a croc coming from a mile away.
On our way back one afternoon we came across this Nankeen Night Herron. He struck a striking pose that I couldn’t resist.
I also saw a little waterfall that caught my attention, the best angle was from the water so, in I went…boots and all.
Our last camp was Gunlom, yet another little gem. The waterfall had only recently been reopened after being closed for over six years. Be warned though, the road in is or was, very heavily corrugated.
The photos don’t show the level of corrugations, but the damage did.
The joys of corrugated roads.
It was so rough that we even lost a bolt out of a camp chair. Now that’s a rough road! Peter had no choice; he had to bind it up with wire if he wanted to sit
It was well worth the damage to get here, the campground was huge, and as with the others, there were very few people there. We could see the waterhole from our campsite. It was… pretty high. There was a lower swimming hole but that one was closed because a crocodile had moved in. It was a little disconcerting that the croc trap was relatively close to where we had parked.
Now, to the swimming hole at Gunlom. OMG! A big walk up for even bigger views. This is the NT that we loved! Even Hugo made the effort to make the climb.
From the start of the track, it’s only 0.5 km but…it’s up all the way with an elevation of 90mts. There were three swimming holes to enjoy, but one of them clearly outshone the others as it went up to the edge of the cliff like an infinity pool. From where we could pick out our campsite below, and enjoy the wide views of Kakadu.
The swimming holes towards the back of the drop-off were, perhaps, more pleasant to swim in as there were less rocks to navigate around. But really, wherever you took your dip, you couldn’t go wrong.
Back on ground level, there was a lot of water lying around the perimeter of the campground, this created homes for dragonflies, lizards… .
…and birds
The average temperature was 39 degrees, and we were beginning to feel it, as was the fridge. So, we put the generator on to run the aircon for a little bit and help the batteries keep up with the load. It didn’t work out. The batteries hit their minimum and shut down so we had to cut the aircon and put all the effort into the batteries, but by 9:30pm we had run out of fuel and were left with no power, no refrigerator, and the overnight temperature wasn’t much cooler; we had a problem.
The campground caretakers came back from their day out and called past. They were kind enough to sell us some fuel, and we continued on through the whole night running the generator just to keep the fridge going. The next day, the caretakers told us that our neighbours, a couple of hundred metres away, complained about the noise, but the caretakers covered for us; after all, we were in an area that said, ‘Generator Zone’. Actually, I’m glad it was the campers who complained and not the crocodile, he was the closest, and he might have really ‘had a piece of us’! The heat, and the inability of the batteries to keep up with the load was our catalyst to leave the next day.
And that brought us to the end of our Kakadu adventure. Pine creek is our next stop and I can guarantee you; we will be running our air-con 24/7.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
23rd September – 25th September 2025
Jabiru really did have a lot to do and see. About thirty five minutes form Aurora Kakadu Lodge where we were staying, and only a short drive from Cahill’s Crossing, is a place called Ubirr. If you love Aboriginal rock art, stunning scenery and glorious sunsets, Ubirr is the place to go.
The walk up to the lookout went past quite a few areas with rock art and a beautiful rocky landscape leading us to a wide expanse overlooking the floodplains.
As the sun sank lower in the sky, the rocky landscape began to show some lovely warm colours.
You can, of course, visit Ubirr at any time, but we went up for the sunset, and so did a hundred other people. It was a very popular spot, and with good reason.
We stayed up at the lookout until the last of the light left the sky, then made our way, carefully, back down the track. A little hint, remember to take a torch for the return trip because it gets very dark, very quickly.
There were a few Agile Wallabies around the carpark area, including this little family.
The following day, Peter took us on one of his famous “short-cuts”. As usual, the road eventually petered out…
…but I did get a few shots of birds along the way. surprise, surprise. 😊
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
23rd September – 25th September 2025
Cahill’s Crossing fords the East Alligator river and is the border crossing into Arnhem Land from Kakadu. Arnhem land is traditional land, and access is not permitted without a permit. We didn’t have a permit to cross, so why go there? Indeed, why are there three, well-appointed, viewing areas on Kakadu’s side of the crossing? After all it is just a causeway.
Well, some of you may have seen some of the crazy videos or reels posted on various media sites highlighting Cahill’s Crossing, crocodiles and idiots…in the same space. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; let me explain a little about the crossing. Cahill’s Crossing is the only way from Kakadu into Arnhem Land, and most people use the crossing wisely. That is, they cross when the tide is low. The experts say, “Crossing is only advisable during the dry season, at low tide, and in a high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicle with a snorkel”. This is one of the reasons why.
This first shot shows the water across the causeway at low tide. It’s still safe to cross as the tide rises, and falls, but when it’s in full flow (for about two hours) it’s impassable and there’s a lineup of vehicles on both sides waiting for a safe crossing.
Even at low tide there are crocs hanging around, and it gets more problematic as the tide rises. There are more crocs and the current becomes much much faster and stronger. More than a few cars have been pushed over the side by this fast flowing river. If you look closely you’ll see a croc in every shot.
During the wet season the East Alligator floods and Cahill’s Crossing often becomes ‘Cahill’s Closed’! Travellers need to find another way over, so most travel to and from Arnhem Land takes place during the dry season; May – October. The crocodiles are gathering in wait for the fish that they know will be coming over the causeway with the tide. The idiots crossing on a rising or falling tide are just a bonus for us onlookers.
The river rose surprisingly fast, and the relatively clean calm river soon turned into a swirling, frothy, latte before settling into its milky chocolate tones, thanks to the suspended clay.
So that’s a bit about the river. What about the crocodiles? As mentioned, they are waiting for the river to flow over the causeway bringing a feast of fish with it. With this much food, there were a lot of crocodiles. When we were there, there were no less than forty crocodiles. There were big females, much bigger males and at least two real granddaddies that made them all look small. But they had one thing in common – they were we were all hungry.
Now, these crocs weren’t posing for photos for the tourists sitting in their little boats. These crocodiles had one thing on their minds, food. As such I’ll warn you that going forward, this post contains images that may not suit all. Fish are going to get eaten, and that cannot be sugar coated. From here on in, you will see teeth, dead/dying fish and a little bit of blood. So now you know, let’s get looking, it is after all what mother nature intended.
The crocodiles don’t actively hunt their prey, at least not in this environment. They simply float on the surface with mouths open and front arms stretched wide (it looks to me like they’re giving the ‘Peace’ sign) and wait for something to swim into their trap.
Once they have the fish, they then have to manipulate it into place before they can swallow it. It looks like they’re playing with the fish, throwing them in the air multiple times, but they’re not. The crocodiles’ teeth are not made for chewing, but for chomping and crushing. So, if they have a big fish, which most of them are, they must manipulate it into the right position before they can swallow it whole. From what we saw it could take on average half a minute for a crocodile to swallow its catch.
There’s a couple of reason why eating/swallowing while in the water is problematic for the crocs. First, they have a palatal flap, a rigid structure at the back of their throat that acts as a barrier between the mouth and the throat. This allows them to open their mouths wide underwater without drowning, but it also means that they can’t swallow underwater.
I took the first image at Billabong Zoo last year, hence the nice clean water, but I’ve put it in so you can clearly see the palatal flap closing off the throat. The following photos are of a single kill, albeit the shortened version.
The next issue that they have, is they don’t have a true tongue that moves freely in their mouth. They have a fleshy tongue that is attached between their teeth on their lower jaw. So, to swallow their food, they must lift their heads well out of the water, open the flap which will allow the food to move down the throat and be swallowed. You can see the skin under the bottom jaw expands and contracts, I think this is how the tongue, and the fish are moved.
It wasn’t a sad ending for all the fish, if this one’s luck held out, he would have made it past the buffet.
Mostly the crocs seemed happy to be in such close proximity, I guess they knew there was plenty of food to go around, however there were a couple of tussles.
Just to prove I haven’t forgotten the bird lovers amongst us, there were a few kites and a young Nankeen Night Heron joining in on the fun, looking for, and eagerly picking up scraps left behind in the feeding frenzy.
This last shot was literally the last before my battery ran out. I did have a spare, of course, but… after four and a half hours it was time to go home.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
19th September – 25th September 2025
We continued our journey deeper into the Kakadu National Park, next stop Jabiru. There was a lot to do in the area, far too much for one post, so I’ve split them up. This post is all about our Yellow Waters Sunrise Cruise.
Yellow Waters is part of the South Alligator River. In the dry it becomes an inland billabong brimming with life; in the wet the river flows, covering most of the low-lying land we cruised by. Side note: During 1818 – 1820, this region was explored by Lieutenant Phillip Parker King. He mistakenly identified the numerous large reptiles as Alligators and named the rivers East Alligator and South Alligator Rivers. There was some attempt to correct the error, but the name stuck.
We were on a bit of a mission in Kakadu; we wanted to see as much wildlife as we could, especially crocodiles. We had previously done the sunset cruise at Corroboree Billabong, so chose the sunrise cruise at Yellow Waters. This meant a very early morning. We had to check in for the cruise by 0600, and it was a forty-five-minute drive. If I’d planned this better, we could have camped a short walk from where we had to board. Se la vie. 😉
There had been a lot of rain through the night, and the sky look a bit ominous, but it turned out to be a beautiful day, and, like our last cruise, the boat was far from full.
Because of the rain, some of the birds were looking a bit sorry for themselves with wings hanging down to dry. The raptors in particular, looked haggard. A far cry from their usual majestic selves. While others just got on with their daily routines.
So, did we see more crocs? Yes, we certainly did. This first slideshow shows a few basking on the banks as we cruised by and I for one, admired their awesomeness. Did you know a crocodiles skin is like our fingerprints? No two are the same and their colour varies depending on their age, the type of water they’re in and how long they spend in the water.
There were of course other things to admire, birds of course, and though we’ve seen many Comb-Crested Jacanas, this was the first time we’d seen juveniles and chicks. If you thought the big-footed adults were cute, just wait till you see these little ones.
Even though the billabong floods and becomes a flowing river in the wet season, Yellow Waters still operate their cruises; might be worthwhile coming back for another trip in the wet.
This next slideshow shows the crocodiles incognito. As if they need to disguise themselves, they are stealth personified.
Something that wasn’t incognito enough, was this aquatic File Snake, so named for its very rough skin. The rough skin allows the File Snake to grasp fish tightly, preventing them from slipping away. We were lucky enough to see a White-Necked Stork trying to eat this one. It wouldn’t be a pleasant death for the snake; the storks use their broad bill to stab at their prey to kill it before eating it whole. We watched for a good ten minutes while the stork stabbed and manipulated the snake, it was clearly dead by the time we had to move on, but it still hadn’t been eaten.
Our snake eating Black-Necked Stork had more luck than this Juvenile. We watched as he speared into the water several times but always came up empty. Still he’s young, well fed and will soon become an expert hunter.
The crocodiles are obviously used to the many boats touring daily, and this allowed us to get quite close from the safety of our boat. Speaking of safety, I loved the safety speech in case the boat sank. “Whatever you do, do not go into the water.” He never did give an alternative.
From one predator to another. There are a lot of White-Bellied Sea Eagles in the area. We saw five separate pairs on our short cruise. Even when a bit damp, they still are something to admire.
If we’re talking about numerous birds, Nankeen-Night Herons make the list. There were heaps of them. I’ve only ever seen them hidden away in trees by rivers, these guys, including a juvenile, were parading their good looks around every bend.
This last lot of croc shots shows that even as we watch them, they are keeping their eyes well and truly fixed on us, and what amazing eyes they have.
From the beastly to the beauty. The wetlands really are a pretty environment as well as a practical one. The water lilies not only provide food and protection for insects and birds, but also as a traditional bush tucker. Every part of the lily can be used or eaten, from the tuber to the seeds and leaves. Me, I just think they’re pretty.
Finally, a bit of a mixed bag of birds, including my favourite wader, the spoonbill. We had a great time on the Yellow Waters cruise, the guide was very informative, and if you only have time for one, we’d recommend this one over the Corroboree cruise, though both were really enjoyable.
Let’s hope that they’re croc aware.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
14th September – 19th September 2025
Although not part of Kakadu National Park, Marrakai is part of the broader surrounding area with lots to see and do.
Just over an hour’s drive from Darwin, it’s easily accessible to all.
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.
Dated fossils show that, apart from size, (much smaller now) they are surprisingly similar to their ancient ancestors. These magnificent creatures are the closest we will ever get to seeing a real dinosaur.
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!
Date 12th September – 14th September 2025
On route to Kakadu National Park is Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, a place well known for its bird life. Of course, I wanted to go there. We stayed a couple of nights in Herbert, twenty minutes from the dam. The Lorikeet Bush camp is very quaint, very small but adequately appointed complete with composting toilet, water, power, and one of the friendliest hosts we’ve met during many years of travelling.
We got up bright and early to visit Fogg Dam before it got too hot. My research had shown me that Fogg Dam is one of the areas visited by a bird watching tour, so it had to be good. Yes, I hear all you non-birders sighing, “Not more birds.” But as a wildlife photographer I shoot what’s available, and right now…that’s birds.
Fogg Dam is very well set up. After a short walk from the car park, you find yourself on the boardwalks over the wetlands. This gives you good vantage points and offers shaded areas to rest and to watch from. It really is a pretty area.
On the walk through the scrub, we came across some more Golden Orb Spiders, (mentioned in my last post). In the first image you can see the tiny males on the web next to the female. They really are quite fascinating and completely harmless to humans, which makes a nice change from most of the other spiders found in Australia.
Soon after the spiders, I had my first sighting of the Forest Kingfisher. As with most Kingfishers they were a striking colour, these ones, blue on blue. I was lucky enough to see a pair resting on an old dead tree.
There wasn’t a huge variety of birds here, I guess it depends on the time of year, but I was pleased to see the Comb-Crested Jacanas strolling amongst the lilies, along with the usual suspects.
There were a lot of Magpie Geese roosting and wandering around the muddy waters. I know the waters were muddy as the geese’s white feathers, were not. Magpie Geese are black and white, not black and brown. Peter thinks they are an ugly bird, I disagree. I also get the distinct impression that they are always smiling, and they are obviously doting parents. I watched this family for a while. A juvenile joined her parents, then a second tried to land but there was not enough room on the tree. So mum and the second juvenile flew off leaving dad and his little girl to themselves.
On the way back I spotted this Juvenile Brown Goshawk. Another first sighting.
Much like the birds, there are often Dragonflies around the water, and there were quite a few variations here.
Fogg Dam is a large body of water, and as well as the walkways over the wetland, you can drive over the dam wall. I was walking around trying to get photos of Crimson Finches when a ranger pulled up and told me not to walk too close to the water as there was a crocodile in there. “Sure,” I thought,” that’s what they always say”. And then I saw this lovely freshwater crocodile.
You know, sometimes we get a bit sick of all the warnings. The ‘Don’t do this’s’ and the ‘Don’t do that’s.’ Then we saw an idiot taunting a crocodile with a towel and I understand why these warnings are necessary. Sometimes I think we should let Darwin’s ‘Survival of the fittest’ take its’ natural course.
After all the croc excitement, I got back to my Crimson Finches. They’re quite a scruffy looking bird, I’m guessing they may be molting, or young birds who haven’t quite grown into their feathers yet. Still, quite a striking colour.
And that’s the end of the Fogg Dam story.
Our next port of call as the Leaning Tree Lagoon Nature Park. This is a lesser-known area, but to be honest, I enjoyed it much more. We managed to get up early enough to enjoy the sunrise, and we had heaps of time to explore. You can walk/drive all around the extensive waterhole.
This was the shot of the day for me. This Little Egret was strutting his stuff in the early morning light, his mating plumage screaming…”Look at me ladies. All this could be yours”.
I’ve seen a few Dollar Birds, but none have been as obliging as this one. He kept to the same flight pattern while looking for food. I was able to get a good bead on him resulting in some lovely in-flight shots.
While walking around with my camera, I often get asked, “What are you after?” Unless I am after something specific, I’ll reply, “Anything that moves.” Just to prove my point, I took this shot while waiting for the sunlight to soften. When I say this shot, I of course mean lots of shots, in order to get some nice ones, like this. Let me tell you, these little buggers move quickly. But how cute is he, even though he looks grumpy?
You may wonder what Peter does to keep himself busy while I’m off chasing whatever it is that I’m chasing. This’ll give you an idea.
Great driver and shady spot finder for Arnie.
While Peter was ‘spotting’ with his eyes closed, this Forest Kingfisher landed on a branch above him. At the same time an Agile Wallaby popped into sight.
Seriously though, he is incredibly patient and I’m lucky that he loves the great outdoors just as much as I love photographing it.
Back to the birds. This was my first sighting of the Green Pygmy-Goose, a very pretty bird, doubly so with the reflections.
I’m not sure what was going on with these Pied Cormorants, they flew together for quite a way, then boom, they started to fight.
The water was so calm and much cleaner than Fogg Dam, I was able to get some lovely reflective images, I particularly like these Wandering Whistling Ducks, but the water splashes from the Pied Cormorant landing adds an additional element.
Early morning seemed to be a good time for fishing. This Great Egret caught himself a substantial feed.
As we completed our circuit of the water, Peter spotted a juvenile Jabiru (Black-Necked Stork). Oh, by the way, we had always thought of ‘Jabiru’ as being the aboriginal name for the bird, but it turns out that the real Jabiru is a sort-of- similar South American bird. The name Jabiru means swollen neck and if you find an image online you can see why. Our bird was misnamed a Jabiru but gradually, there has been a name change, so I guess I should start calling it what it is – a Black-Necked Stork.
Soon after that, a Whistling Kite enjoying what was left of his meal.
All in all, we had a great morning here and would recommend it above Fogg Dam. There were many more birds, a greater variety and flocks of Wandering Whistling Ducks, Magpie Geese, and Rajah Shelducks flying back and forth. On top of that it truly is a lovely area.
Our next stop is Marrakai and our first wetlands cruise. This one is the Corroboree
Wetlands cruise and we hope to see a few more crocodiles, only this time, we expect to see the big salties.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
