Tuesday 3rd June
The day started off as quiet as the one before. I had some food, sat on the internet for a bit, and generally passed the time before we were due to leave on our crocodile trip later in the day.
The bus from the 'Spectacular Jumping Crocs Tour' picked us up from outside the back of the hostel at 13.45 and we drove about an hour east of Darwin towards the Adelaide River where we would get the chance to see crocodiles in the wild. We stopped off at a bird sanctuary and a wildlife reserve to learn more about the area but this was just filler ahead of the main attraction. We got to the riverside location of the tour company and got to handle some pretty large snakes, which was cool.
We got on the boat and were given some safety instructions, most of which warned us of the dangers of sticking your limbs outside the window, because there might be a hungry croc waiting to take a bite of you. Once we got started, it wasn't long before the crocs on the riverbank – and some already in the water – smelled the meat that was being dipped in the water by one of the crew, ready for an easy feed. The first croc to come along was nicknamed Michael Jackson ('He performs well in front of kids' was the drivers line) and he was absolutely huge. A member of the crew ties a chunk of meat to the line, which is attached to a rod which is then dangled over the water, and the croc has to jump out of the water to get the meat. It really was a spectacular sight which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Later in the evening, a few of us met in the pub to get a team together for the quiz, and we did reasonably well, coming in fifth. A crowd of people gradually turned up including Emer & Sean who were waiting about to get their shuttle bus to the airport. They were the first of a crowd of people who would be leaving Darwin over the week. Most of the guys from the bus eventually turned up and we chatted for a bit but the group was starting to dwindle.
