Darwin,
Australia – February 27
We
had a Humpty Doo day here in Darwin!
Today
we were joined by Bob & Phyllis, Stacey & Wally, John & Toni, Kris,
Lou, Horst & Mark, Tom & Cathy, Harriet & Charley and Judy &
Phil. It was a great group today. There was only 1 person I hadn’t met before.
(plus 2 people the tour company added)
A
couple of days ago Kris asked if we could add Ed to the tour. The boat/van held
20 and so I said no problem. I emailed the tour company to add him and they
emailed back they had filled the last 2 spots. I emailed back to say “you added
2 more people to my private tour?” It was booked over a year ago and it was
private since their regular tour left too early for us to make it off the ship
in time. I knew I needed 15 people to get the price break. So, I got that
months ago. So, imagine my surprise when I was told I couldn’t add anyone to my
tour. I felt really bad that I had to tell Ed he couldn’t come.
The
tour company said the couple contacted them and knew of the tour and were from
our ship, so they thought it would be OK. I have had tour companies email to
ask if they can add someone. Sometimes I say yes and sometimes I say no. If
they had told me I HAD to have 20 to do the tour, I wouldn’t have turned away
people that wanted to join. We generally like to keep a few seats open for
comfort. In general, we prefer small groups of 6 to 8, but some tours have a
minimum that require a larger group.
I
like smaller groups, but we needed to “fill the boat” to get the special time
that fits our timeframe. It was a great group today. Anyway, nothing I could do
about it since our tour was in 2 days.
My
group of 18 met in the casino lounge to get off together. We made our way out
of the terminal and found our van. Tony, our guide for the day checked us in
and I said we are all here except for the 2 they added. (he used their names
which I’ll leave out for the blog) He said where are they? So, I said they
weren’t part of my group and I don’t know. They actually had already gotten
into the van without checking in with the guide. Since I’m last to get in, I didn’t
have anywhere to sit. There was 1 seat left and the person sitting next to it
wouldn’t get up so I could get in. Finally, we all got situated and we were
off.
sunrise
Our
guide was stereotypical Aussie and was great! He was very knowledgeable and
gave us a lot of history and explained the sites as we passed by. He had a
great sense of humor.
We
stopped at a convenience mart where we could use the restroom, get snacks etc.
I was hoping for a magnet, but they didn’t have anything like that.
Masked Lapwing
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Blue-faced Honeyeater
White-bellied Cuckooshrikes
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
Blue-faced Honeyeater
Pied Butcherbird
Our
first stop was the Adelaide River where we boarded their purpose- built boats
to get us right up close to the really big crocodiles for our jumping crocodile
cruise; a must-do Territory experience! There are only 4 licenses in all of
Australia to “interfere” with crocs in the wild and so there are limited boats
that can do this. It is not a show and they don’t feed them. They change where
they tempt them to jump so they don’t get used to it. They do give them the
chicken carcass after everyone on the boat has gotten a chance of getting good
photos.
Pat & Tony
the group
Here
we met Pat, our guide & boat captain for that portion of our day. He was
even more stereotypical “outback Aussie”. He gave us our safety briefing and
gave us a lot of information on crocodiles. Then, we walked the short distance
to the boat where he told us we could only cross the raised walkway to it a
couple of people at a time. There was a croc that lives under it (he was
missing a hind and a front leg) Pat chased him away with a stick and then we
could continue. Once everyone was on board we started off down the river in
search of crocs and Pat gave us our final instructions for our croc encounter.
Pat leading the way
croc boat
he moved really fast when Pat coaxed him away
croc tracks where they lay on shore
Cathy & Tom getting on
Phyllis & Bob getting on
John & Toni getting on the boat
We
found a large male and Pat ties a chicken carcass onto a stick and they react.
They move so fast! What an awesome experience. Then, we moved on and came
across a female. She was smaller, but still huge.
flood levels
Rainbow Bee-eater
Whistling Kite
Next,
we found another female that had a nest and she was more interested in
protecting her nest than eating. Then, her mate shows up to help protect the
nest. She positioned herself to submit to him and he then comes to our boat. It
was great to get photos of both of them together. The male jumped for us and
the female went back on land and later Pat threw her a chicken carcass before
we moved on.
Whistling Kite
Radjah Shelducks
Radjah Shelducks
Radjah Shelducks
There
were also lots of Kites there. Sometimes, they tried to steal the chicken from
the crocs, but Pat also tosses them food and they swoop down onto the water to
get it. There were 3 different kinds of Kites and Pat said most had been
injured and he had rehabilitated many of them and returned them to the wild.
All
too soon, it was time to head back to shore. We got back in the van and we
stopped at The Humpty Doo Hotel & Pub for a cold drink. Most had the local
beer (yes, it was before noon) Still no magnets to be found, so I got a Humpty Doo
sticker. We also ran into a Princess tour that had stopped there.
driving to Humpty Doo
We
continued on to Litchfield National Park via Bachelor
Township. He pointed out some things that we would stop and see on the way back
if there was time.
Our
first stop in Litchfield was to see some very impressive magnetic and cathedral
termite mounds. They were HUGE. We had a little time here before moving on to
where we would have lunch.
magnetic termite mound
Cathedral Termite Mound
Greg
Annette
We
had our lunch near Wangi Falls. While Tony set up the Tropical lunch, we walked
down to see the falls after checking out a Bower Bird courtship area. This was
a different kind of Bower Bird than the one we saw in Sydney. This one likes to
use anything shiny. So, there were lots of shells and pieces of aluminum out
front and back of his dancing area made of sticks. The sticks seem to be the
same amongst all the types of Bower Birds. Greg got a nice shot of the male
working on the area. Once it is ready, he will attract the female. She will
then decide if it is worthy. If it’s not she destroys it and leaves. There was
a small store with cold drinks and I did find a magnet, though I wasn’t crazy
about it. There were no other shopping stops the rest of the day. We left too
early in the morning that the vendors in the terminal weren’t open yet and got
back too late at night and they were closed. I asked about a possible stop on
the way back to the terminal, but Tony said everything would be closed.
Bowerbird courtship area
Bowerbird courtship area
Bowerbird courtship area
Bar-shouldered Dove
Great Bowerbird - male
Great Bowerbird - male
Bar-shouldered Dove
Torresian Crows
Bowerbird - male
Bowerbird - male
Spangled Drongo
Spangled Drongo
Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls
Tony
set up a nice picnic of cold meats, tuna, cheese, salads, fruits and more. We
found a shady picnic table and enjoyed our lunch. Then, Toni noticed a Wallaby
very close by. Many of us got some photos of the them. There were two of them,
but I never saw both of them together. One was larger and so it was easy to
know there was more than one.
After
lunch and some free time, we continued to the swimming spot for those that
wished to do that. It was hot and steamy so many were eager to get cooled off.
We got photos of Florence falls and then walked on some short trails looking
for birds. It was quite a walk to the bottom of the falls for a swim, so most
opted to just swim in the creek.
Shining Flycatcher
White-gaped Honeyeater
White-gaped Honeyeater
Florence Falls
Toni, Cathy & Tom
Torresian Imperial-Pigeons
Pacific Reef Heron
Double-barred Finch
We
stopped to take photos in Bachelor of a castle replica and then one last
refreshment stop. We got some soda and an ice cream. Bernie Havlik built this
replica of Karlstejn Castle after he retired. He was a major influence in
forestry and mining at the Rum Jungle Uranium Mine. He later came the town’s
gardener and then worked on this replica in his retirement. He originally was
from Czechoslovakia & Yugoslavia and was beloved in the community. The
towns people finished the replica after his death.
We
then had a long ride back to Darwin City and East Point Reserve to take in a
legendary Top End sunset over the ocean. We had managed to dodge the rain all
day, but it probably wasn’t the best sunset ever, but it was quite dramatic
with all the clouds and then bursts of blue sky and the yellows and oranges
that formed. It was photo worthy none-the-less. Tony set up a picnic table with
a bowl of prawns, crackers, chips, dips and cookies and champagne for all. YUM!
Charley, Harriet, Horst, Mark & (Don & Bev that the tour co added to our tour)
Charley & Harriet
Charley, Harriet, Horst, Mark & Bob
Horst, Mark, Bob, Kris
Tony
Little Friarbird
Double-barred Finch
Little Friarbird
Masked Lapwing
Little Friarbird
Pacific Reef-Herons
John & Toni
What
an awesome day, and it seemed the whole group enjoyed it. (except the added
couple, she seemed to have a lot to complain about)
We
got back on the ship and had a quick shower and went upstairs to have a bite to
eat and then off to the evening entertainment at 9:30 of David Copperfield. We
have seen him before and he is hilarious as well as a talented opera singer. It
was a fun show after our long, but fun day.
1,306
birds (19 new here today) for our "life list".
Darwin photos will be posted in a few days.
All videos will have to wait until we return for all ports.
We
have 2 sea days before Komodo Island.
Photos of Darwin
Darwin, Australia – Part 1
