By Marion Halliday, Adelaide, South Australia
Marion is “Red Nomad OZ”, author, blogger and Aussie traveller who loves discovering nature-based attractions and activities – and scenic loos – all over Australia. Her Aussie travel blog and published book “Aussie Loos with Views” provide inspiration for other Aussie explorers.
Half an hour into the Victoria River cruise and I’d already seen more crocodiles than I’d previously seen in my whole life. Three hours later and I was in serious danger of contracting the little-known crocodile overload syndrome.
There is a reason the Victoria River, flowing through the heart of the Northern Territory, is known as Australia’s wildest river!
We rode the river past scenery so stunning—in a hardcore Aussie Outback kind of way—that it kept my shutter button humming. It was so much fun, I nearly missed the first crocodile of the cruise. But that’s only part of my explanation for failing to see the gargantuan six metre (about 20 feet) muscular marauder—‘Lord Lizard’ to the locals – sunning himself on the shore.
Turns out I’d actually seen him. But I just thought the croc was an old tractor tyre lying in the grass on the riverbank, seemingly so fascinating the other tourists were taking snaps of it. And then the penny dropped.
Crocodile-watching lesson #1 – don’t take anything for granted!
As Lord Lizard slipped into the murky, mud-stained water I guessed we were about to find out just how crocodile-proof our cruiser, the purpose-built MV Fleetwing, really was.
The Victoria River Sunset cruise isn’t just about the crocodiles. Or the sunsets. Or even the cruise! After we boarded a nicely restored 1971 tour bus, complete with nicely aged shock absorbers, we took a circuitous route from the tour’s Croc Stock Shop starting point to the jetty via some of Timber Creek’s best attractions.
Just 600 kilometres (370 mi) south of Darwin and an easy 289 kilometres (180 mi) drive south-west of Katherine along the Victoria Highway, Timber Creek is almost in the middle of Northern Australia, known to us Aussies as the “Top End”. A small town of about 250 permanent residents, it’s the real Outback deal with an intriguing blend of Indigenous, Colonial and Military history.
There’s the Escarpment lookout – a superb spot for sunset watching—where a memorial plaque tells of the Nackeroos, a Bush Commando unit stationed here in World War II, who worked with local Aboriginal People to defend Australia’s coastline after the Japanese bombing attacks in the Top End.
There are the Police Station Museum and its historic memorabilia, including reminders of a shameful past with the shackle and chain used for Aboriginal prisoners still attached to a tree outside.
There’s the Gregory Tree, a giant Boab in the 13,000 km² Gregory National Park named for explorer Augustus Charles Gregory, whose expedition passed through the area in the mid-1800s.
Then there’s the bridge across the Victoria River – pedestrian traffic only unless you’re on official business! Once I’d read the warning signs, I figured I’d take my chances with the crocodiles and use the bridge to test out my long-range crocodile detecting skills and admire the 560 kilometres (350 mi) long river.
And if the cruise doesn’t deliver up quite enough crocodiles for you, just head down to the creek behind the caravan parks in the late evening for a freshwater crocodile feeding frenzy!
Aboard the MV Fleetwing, I scanned the swirling, crocodile-coloured waters where Lord Lizard had sunk below the surface. Perhaps I was just being paranoid, but wasn’t it possible a prehistoric predator at the top of the food chain with a killer combination of ruthless cunning, environmental adaptation and brute strength could easily take out a small boatload of tourists?
But Lord Lizard must have had a better offer because his gnarled and leathery hide failed to reappear, and the MV Fleetwing continued upstream with no crocodile collisions to spoil the view. Despite that view being littered with giant crocodiles, many of which seemed to be personally known to our guide, the scenery just kept getting better and better. In that hardcore Aussie Outback kind of way!
The chances of seeing a broad cross-section of Australia’s only two crocodile species on this tour are better than average.
“Salties’ ie Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are big with a wide snout, whereas “Freshies” ie Freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) are generally smaller with a narrow snout and smaller teeth. But don’t be fooled into thinking their common names describe their habitat – they’re both found in abundance on the Victoria River, and in many waterways throughout the Top End.
On full crocodile alert aboard our croc-proof cruiser, I was far less likely to become one of Australia’s annual average of two fatal crocodile attacks than those who:
- swim in known crocodile habitats (ie pretty much all the Top End);
- feed crocs for selfies;
- camp, clean fish or leave food near the water’s edge; or
- ignore the warning signs.
After passing Whitey and Old Broken Jaw (those names are self-explanatory, aren’t they?) lying on the riverbanks as crocodiles do when they’re digesting whatever they last ate, smaller freshwater crocodiles with their deceptively dopey demeanour began to appear on the river’s gravel islands and sandbars.
The massive Saltwater crocodiles are far more dangerous than Freshwater crocodiles to large mammals (think kangaroos, cows, humans) but if the Victoria River wasn’t discriminating between the two species, then neither was I.
I’d heard that smaller freshies are ‘safe’ to swim with – what’s a bite or two between friends? – but I wasn’t offering to be the first human to disprove that theory because just the thought of swimming with them gave me the cold shivers.
Happily, swimming wasn’t an option on the cruise which meant I could enjoy the late afternoon’s golden glow as it lit up the Yambarrin Ranges. As the 35 kilometres (~22 mi) to our date with a red-hot sunset came to an end, the MV Fleetwing docked at what would probably look like a flimsy pontoon to a five or six-metre crocodile. With a flimsy narrow gangplank and equally flimsy fence around the deck.
But after a hard couple of hours cruising and croc-watching on the river, I had more important things to do than worry about the wildlife. Things like snacking, drinking and sunset watching. And things like – uh-oh. Exactly what do you do and where do you go when nature calls and you’re in the middle of a crocodile-infested river?
Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t the first person to ask that question and the pontoon’s full potential became clear. Alligator amenities? Crocodile conveniences? Or Wildlife WC? Whatever you decide to call it, there’s something quite surreal about doing your business on Australia’s wildest river with just that flimsy pontoon between you and the crocodiles!
Just 90 kilometres (55 mi) east of Timber Creek and right on the river crossing, the Victoria River Roadhouse is surrounded by Gregory National Park, 13,000 km² (over 3 million acres) of Top End wilderness and heart of the Victoria River Region. It’s an easy day trip from Timber Creek, but the campground also makes a great base from which to see more of that hardcore Aussie Outback kind of scenery and explore its natural attractions. It’s close to the Escarpment Lookout and Joe Creek Loop trails, and although they have some steep sections, it’s worth it for the spectacular views, stunning scenery, Indigenous Art and endless red sandstone escarpments.
The Victoria River, a fisherman’s paradise if you can keep the crocodiles away from your barramundi, is easily accessible as is the network of 4WD tracks through the park.
Eating at the roadhouse can be an exercise in multiculturalism with both staff and visitors from all around the world. I was so pleasantly surprised by how many activities I fitted into my overnight (and nearly 24 hours) stay, and would love to have spent more time here before the short drive to Timber Creek.
So there I was. I’d eaten, drunk and answered natures call on a pontoon in the middle of a magnificent waterway flowing through a wild and remote frontier. The day’s heat had died away, and water lapped gently at the boat as the light of the afternoon sun painted the distant ranges with a golden glow. Wallabies grazed on the banks and birds settled down to roost as the sun slowly sank towards the escarpments.
Peaceful. Serene. Tranquil.
Could anything possibly make this picture more perfect?
Evidently yes.
“Don’t you wish one of those crocodiles would attack a wallaby,” the man behind me whispered to his wife as they gazed across the water. “It’d be great to see some action.”
Silly me. There’s apparently no situation that a healthy dose of blood and guts won’t improve!
But unhappily for my bored fellow tour participant, the crocodiles stayed put as we left the pontoon and boarded the MV Fleetwing for the 90 minutes or so it would take to return to Timber Creek. The sun set behind the ranges as we sped back upstream, the sky’s glorious colour intensifying around us while the moon slowly rose ahead.
And for a few magic moments, Australia’s wildest river was the most civilised place on earth.
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☛ Read more: Coming soon…
Marion is “Red Nomad OZ”, author, blogger and Aussie traveller who loves discovering nature-based attractions and activities – and scenic loos – all over Australia. Her Aussie travel blog and published book “Aussie Loos with Views” provide inspiration for other Aussie explorers.