Jabiru – Part One – Yellow Waters
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!
Lovely to hear from you with this update. I’ve been thinking of you so nice to know all is going well.
Look forward to seeing the next Yellow Waters segment. 😊