I called the airport the first thing in the morning to see if we could go for a flight, and we went back on the plane.  Even though we did a B-line to the falls we were able to get another good look at Kakadu since the falls were at the furthest point of the flight tour.  The weather was much better today and we were able to see Jim Jim and Twin Falls in all their beauty.  The flight is a definite must in Kakadu during the Australian summer months since there is no access to most sites.  The flight was the highlight of Kakadu for all of us.

Jim Jim Falls

Twin Falls

After the flight we drove down to Cooinda, had lunch, and went on the Yellow Water River Cruise.  There are 2 entrances for this cruise one for the summer and one for winter, because of the varying water levels during these two seasons.  On the cruise we were really able to see the sheer amount of water.  When we went by the second dock only the handrails were peeking through the water.  This cruse is very different in the summer and winter.  During the winter the main attraction are crocodiles, which we unfortunately did not see. Now the river was too wide and the water was spread out.  Since crocs like to be near dry land they go to the edges of the river, and therefore, they can be seen during the winter since the river is much narrower and they have to be near water to survive.  The flooded landscape, though, is very beautiful and to see the difference between the seasons (since it was obvious to see where the river was in dry season) was the most fascinating for me.

The flooded land and railings

There were also many different and interesting birds such as king fishers, darters, sea eagles, and jacanas or as most people like to call them, Jesus birds, since they seem to be able to walk on water.  We also saw a Jabiru’s nest which was huge, but no Jabiru.

A Darter drying its wings

After the cruise we noticed that large green ants had tried to take over our car but luckily it was bigger than they were so we quickly got in hoping they wouldn’t get inside and drove off.  We drove south through the park towards the other exit and those ants clung onto anything they could find.  Many found refuge from the wind in the side mirrors.  We stopped at the Bukbukluk Lookout and after just getting out of the car it started to rain.  My dad turned back, but Hendrik and I decided to go to the lookout since it was only a short distance from the car park.  Just as we reached the lookout it began to properly pour and we were soaked in no time.  The rain felt nice in the humid weather since it was warm and at least we got to physically experience the wet season.  Of course, there was nothing to see at the lookout because of the storm.  When we came back to the car, it had stopped raining and some of the ants were still there crawling on our car.

Ants on our car

All throughout the park were huge termite mounds which were really impressive because of their size and the number of them in Kakadu.  Close to the exit of the park I took a picture with one.

Then we drove back to Darwin.  It was a very quiet drive on a straight road and we hardly passed another car.  That evening we saw the most spectacular sunset in the abandoned wilderness from the road.

The following day we drove to Kakadu which is a huge National Park about 2 hours east of Darwin.  Originally, I had wanted to rent a 4wd since many of the roads are only accessible with a 4wd.  Then I learned that summer is wet season and those roads are closed anyway 4wd or not.  I was a bit disappointed since we would not be able to get to some of the main sites of the park.  Our first stop was the Mamukala Wetlands where we saw many different types of birds.  It was just very uncomfortable because we felt as if we were in a steam room and flies kept circling our heads and landing on our faces.  We would break off a twig with leaves and wave it in front of our faces which alleviated the problem of the flies though now we had leaves brushing against our faces but somehow it was less annoying than the flies.

Birds of Mamukala Wetlands

We also stopped by the visitors’ center which is a little museum as well.  There my dad was persuaded to take a scenic flight on an airplane since in the wet season it is the only way to see the famous waterfalls.  Then we checked into the Jabiru crocodile hotel.  There are very few hotels in Kakadu and this is the only one in Jabiru.  It’s a novelty since the hotel is shaped like a crocodile but that is mostly noticeable from the sky.  I went to the local supermarket to pick up some food for lunch since the only option was to eat at the restaurant which was very expensive.  Since we were going to eat there for dinner we didn’t want to eat there two times a day.  The store practically didn’t have any food and it was all so expensive.  I bought Jello fruit cups and that was it.  Surprisingly, the gas station had a bit more choice and it was going to be open on New Years so at least we wouldn’t starve.

Jabiru and the crocodile hotel (picture taken the following day from an airplane).

Hendrik and I decided to go see what was going to be happening for New Years Eve and we were told that there were two bars.  The first looked desolate and closed down and the second which was the “golf club” was getting ready for festivities.  The “club” was tiny and looked like an elementary school cafeteria and a few people, in desperate need of a shower, sporting mullets were putting up streamers.  We knew that we were not going to be celebrating there.

I had wanted to spend New Years in Sydney since there were a lot of things going on and it is famous for its celebrations.  My dad wanted to see more of AU than Sydney so he did not want to spend another 3 days there so we were in Kakadu instead, one of them most remote places on earth.  We had dinner in the Hotel which was nice, but they were not going to be open until midnight so we bought a bottle of champagne and just brought it to our room and watched the TV.  Darwin is ½ an hour behind Sydney so we watched the fireworks bursting from the harbour bridge over and over again and when we were sure they were going to announce New Years in Darwin the news ended.  There was no countdown or mention of Darwin welcoming in the New Year, so the night was a flop.

We went to Darwin to see the north of Australia.  It was a tiny town with absolutely nothing to do or see.  It was extremely humid, and there were a ton of mosquitoes in the evening when we went to the city, so much so that I went back to the hotel to get deet.  The minute I stepped out of the car I felt little painful nibbles.

Town Center of Darwin

When we walked through the small park in front of the Parliament House two birds would start squawking and swooped down like they wanted to attack and may have if we didn’t run away.  That was probably the most exciting part of Darwin.  At least we did not plan to spend too much time in Darwin and were off to Kakadu Park the next day.

Parliament House