“Be careful of the crocs,” Sergio says as we steer our
kayaks up a small creek deep in the mangroves.
“Really? There are crocs here? Cool!” I say, feeling only a
little nervous with scenes from Crocodile Dundee flashing through my memory. I
didn’t really think that there would be crocodiles in this part of Australia,
but who am I to say. Sergio is the expert.
We are kayaking on Evans river in Bundjalung
National Park; part of the
intricately woven Northern River
system in New South Whales. The water is murky brown, but not because it’s dirty;
instead it’s full of tannins from nearby tea trees and minerals from the
mangrove mud. It’s actually quite therapeutic to swim in, save for the
crocodiles.
But it’s winter here, and we’re a bit bundled up. Oh yeah –
and there are crocs in the water, so we are not going to be swimming any time
soon. Instead, we enjoy the scenery and learn a huge amount of information from
our leader Sergio, who runs Evans
River Kayak Adventures.
Evans River Kayak Adventures has been around for about four
years – the only tour of its kind on this expansive river system. This keeps
Sergio hopping, even in the winter when business is a little bit slower.
“Every day is totally different,” Sergio replies when we ask
him what it is like to live out a dream of many and guide people through this
little piece of paradise. He is originally from Argentina,
and his Australian accent with a hint of Espanol mixed in is enthralling. I
could listen to him for hours. “I have to time the tours and routes very
carefully to the tides. In a few hours this section of river we are paddling
through will be completely dry. So depending on the currents and tides and the
group of people involved, I can plan very different trips,” he croons with his alluring
South American flare.
His way of personalizing the trips is quite evident too. We
are very interested in nature, ecology, and aboriginal history, and so we chat
away for hours about all things Bundjalung as we drift on the rivers and
through estuaries. Sergio knows the area like the back of his hand and answers
any outlandish question we throw his way. We also find common passions for rock
climbing and guiding, so conversation is not tough to come by.
It is shortly after we spot a stingray gliding through the
murky waters,
that Sergio points with his paddle towards a spot in the water
below a large tree. I detect a slight tremor cascading through the paddle. We
follow it to where he is looking….at a pattern of bumps sticking out of the
water that smacks of a small crocodile head.
I pull off my sunnies and
peer at the croc from our distance – about 5 meters away. It is staring at us.
I am strangely calm, and don’t really believe my eyes.
“Let’s take a closer look,” Sergio whispers, as he starts
paddling softly towards the ferocious reptile. We figure he knows what he’s
doing, so against our better judgment we follow. It still doesn’t really register
that a crocodile could be right there in front of us, and we’re in the water
with it. “Is this safe?” I wonder, but soon conclude that Sergio has no more of
a death wish than we do, so maybe he knows something we don’t know about
crocodile management. Mr. Dundee himself, Sergio appears to be.
We inch closer, and the croc doesn’t move. It doesn’t even
blink. I’d have figured it would sink below the water and disappear in typical
creepy-crocodile fashion, but it just doesn’t budge. Even when Sergio hits it
on the head with his paddle, the croc – made of plastic – take the abuse and
obediently stays put. The joke’s on us.
Perfect for couples, families, and small groups, Evans River Kayak Adventures is a great
way to see a piece of Australian nature not normally accessible any other way.
Sergio will customize the tour to the needs and desires of the group, and who
knows – you may even spot a croc if you’re lucky.
