To Broome and Back!: Day 34. Katherine Gorge 14/06/2015

A beautiful cooler morning but it didn't take long to warm up so I had a load of washing on the line quite early. After breakfast John booked a Katherine Gorge cruise that we would take at 3 p.m. Decided to pack a picnic lunch to take to the Gorge so we could enjoy the surroundings of the Nitmiluk National Park. The National Park is located about 30 kms from Katherine which took us through some interesting terrain before we reached the Park.
We found a shady area that was a little distance away from a huge colony of bats that were making strange noises and spoiling the peacefulness of the picnic spot.
We boarded a flat bottom boat that seated about 30 people but, on this trip, there were only 8 passengers. Our tour guide and boat captain was a lovely young man by the name of Pat and he was a wealth of information. The first people of the area were the Jawoyn and Dagomen people. The Katherine River was a foundation to their culture as it provided an abundance of food and water. The Gorge itself consists of 13 natural gorges carved through the sandstone by the Katherine River with rocks and boulders separating each gorge. Our trip was to take us through the first two gorges and we would have to change boats after the first before we could continue our journey up the second gorge. At the site of the changeover, we had to walk along a very lovely walkway of about 400 metres where we stopped to view some Aboriginal art that is said to be about 10,000 years old.
The second gorge featured areas where two very famous Australian films have been made (one was called Jedda - the first Australian movie produced in colour), some natural waterfalls that are present all the time, some "hanging gardens" and the iconic Katherine Canyon. Along the way were sandy beaches where the fresh water crocodiles lay their eggs. From time to time there are also saltwater crocodiles but they are trapped and then released usually up in the Daly River.
Pat explained to us the difference between the saltwater and freshwater crocodiles, their habitats and their breeding habits.
Both gorges were so beautiful and our heads were swivelling from side to side so as to not miss anything. We took so many photos as with each metre we moved forward the view was more magical.
On our way back, we had to change boats again then a short distance from our departure point we spotted 2 freshwater crocs, the first sunning himself on a rock in the water, the second on a sandy beach. As Pat inched the boat closer for a better photo shot, both crocs slid into the water before our eyes.
A little further on we came across a family of four who had been fishing in a small boat with a guide and they had just landed a Barramundi so Pat took our boat in closer so we could see the fish. It was a nice size and we believe a legal size to keep.
After driving back to the caravan park we headed to the bistro in the caravan park that is set in a beautiful garden area that features a 180 year old fig tree. We enjoyed a wonderful meal that was enhanced by the lovely balmy night. The stars are quite magical here in the Territory and we enjoyed our stroll back to Calinda who had been cooling off with the air conditioner on full blast!