Nitmiluk

…is the Indigenous name. This is part of the Nitmiluk National Park and means the noise that the cicadas make here. This is part of the Katherine River which flows west from the Arnhem Land plateau across the northern/ centre of the Territory and eventually forms the Daly River. The sandstone is very old and brittle from its own weight…. cracks have formed where the river and gorges are situated. There are no fossils as the rock is too old. 

Despite rain the planned cruise went ahead, you can see from the range of clothes we were unsure of what to expect. They say keep hydrated but I was not sure if they meant inside or outside our bodies. I got drenched and was pleased I decided to leave my camera behind. 

Our 4 hour tour went up three of the 13 canyons. There was a walk along a rocky shelf between the gorges and another boat waiting for us. The river almost dries up before the wet at the end of the year. Monsoons bring a lot of heavy rain and the river rises so all the different gorges are linked, at that time they bring the boats in for servicing then return them up river while the water is high. 

There are many freshwater crocodiles which are not a threat to humans. They lay their eggs on the sandy beaches hence the sign saying keep away. There is plentiful fish, bird life and the occasional Saltwater croc, which is a danger to humans. They have traps for them up river and interestingly red lures or soft floating balls to monitor the reptiles. Apparently they are very curious and take a bite if they find one. So…if there are thumb sized holes in the red balls it means there are still crocs in the system. They do night and day patrols and helicopter reccies before allowing people in the water from Gorge 2 upstream. They can’t monitor the river from the first gorge downstream so they are always on alert for crocs. There was a big flood a few years back when the town of Katherine 30 km away was severely flooded. Apparently while they were cleaning up, some locals were chased out of the butcher’s  shop by a large saltwater croc. 

We enjoyed the tour and beautiful gorges before returning to the campground where the noise started ( see todays blip ). This one of two back blips.