Hunter river& Prince Frederick's Harbour

The Hunter River, not to be confused with the one in New South Wales, is one of the most scenic parts of the Kimberly Coast. This is a sheltered area and therefore no whales to be seen until we get into the open sea again. The excursions Naturalist Island and Porosus Creek are both zodiac rides, morning and afternoon. We have time to take in the spectacular geology, the tropical vegetation, the birds, reptiles and other strange creatures. This is classic Kimberly country. The sandstone rocks contrasting so dramatically against the blue of the water and even more blue sky. Between the river and the sky is vegetation in various shades of green. The high and low tides are reflected in the color of the mangroves down the bottom a greeny /grey color above the water line more green.

The birds and animals are not always easy to see however as they are often well camouflage even crocodiles can be hard to see. Some of the passengers are disappointed because we only see two crocodiles and both are juveniles. They are very gray in color and blend perfectly with the mud of the banks on which they sun themselves, mouths open to help moderate body temperature.

On other muddy banks are mud skippers, a black slimy slug-like creature from which it is likely we evolved. A mud skipper is an amphibious fish spending most of its time out of water. I have never seen one before and despite being very unattractive they are fascinating to watch. They are about 20 to 30 cm in length, a shiny black color but are still hard to see against the grey mud. They have a fin which rises up from the top of their body when about to fight and it is clearly visible as they skip along the mud.

Our guide spots a tiny bird on the rocks this is a Sandpiper. It is so small and the same color as the rock, the only way I can pick it out in my photos is its shadow on the rock. A Long neck and head appear out of the water quite near our zodiac, it's an Australian darter it's fishing and not bothered at all by our presence continuing to look for food, poking its head out of the water and then darting back in. Also looking for food on the banks, are White egrets. They are not so difficult to see. Raptors in this area are much harder to spot because they fly so high, there is a White-breasted sea eagle and a number of kites.

Because our group is the last one out for the day we cruise back as the sun begins to set. The rocks now glow a different shade of red, it is such a special place.Okumaya devam et