Yellow Water

It’s an early start to the day, up before dawn and onto a shuttle bus to take us down to Yellow Water (Ngurrungurridjba) for a two hour sunrise cruise. It’s a cool, still and foggy morning which adds to the excitement and atmosphere as we depart the billabong jetty into Yellow Water and onto South Alligator River, never to be seen again!

Our Aboriginal guide is the charismatic and fun loving Reuben who’s native family, the Murrumburr people are the traditional owners of Yellow Water and surrounding areas. Reuben says it as it is and tells us that New South Wales Rugby folk are the first to be sent overboard for the crocodiles. Jen stays silent as she doesn’t want to let on she is a mighty magpies fan just in case they’re on the list too and today, an endangered species.

Reuben talks quickly and is excited when he sees stuff; birds, crocs, fish, buffalo and there’s plenty happening that we are on the edge of our seats. I am on the hunt for a big salt water crocodile or “salty” and Jen is searching for her favourite bird, the Jabiru.

With snorkel and mask in hand, we quietly slip into the dark foggy reaches of the Yellow Water... just kidding. No way!

Reuben positions the boat to capture the rising sun and the blanket of fog starts to disappear In the billabong as the birds come to life in abundance. He can recognise all sounds and bird calls and instantaneously identify them and points them out.

Amongst the birds we see egrets, Kites nesting, kingfishers, snake necked darters, sea eagles and wood ducks and that’s naming a few of many.

Jen spots a vibrant Lotus flower in the lillies which has many uses in cooking... if you can get your hands on it.

We spot a few smaller crocodiles mainly submerged within the lillies and close to the river bank but Reuben is after the big one which he spotted a couple of days ago with a 3 metre crocodile in its mouth!. They are fearsome territorial creatures and on the this occasion, the big one ate the little one and left it draping in its mouth on display for a whole day. Don’t mess with me, I’m the boss.

Crocodiles are the world’s largest living reptile. They are also the most ancient having existed unchanged for 200 million years. Crocodylus porosus or the estuarine crocodile are aggressive and will instinctually attack unsuspecting prey, human or wildlife.

The Aboriginal name for the salt water crocodile is Ginga so this morning, we are hunting for the 5 metre Ginga. Right on cue, as we turn a corner in the South Alligator River, Big Ginga appears like he was waiting for the boat load of fresh people to arrive and he slowly cruises at boat speed by the side of us.

Known affectionately as Van Gogh because he had one ear torn off in a fight, he seems calm but on occasion, he cuts the boat off ahead when Reuben tries to turn. He is one smart cookie. I get eye to eye with the croc as I zoom in to capture him close up. This inside of his yellow eye has a narrow slit where he is focused on me and anything else that looks like dinner. This dude survived the dinosaurs so he has my total respect.

Reuben explains that most white folk who taste crocodile meat say it tastes like chicken but farm raised crocs are fed chicken heads to fill them up. Out here, crocodile tastes like emu, barramundi, bufallo, wallaby, duck and people because that’s what Ginga eats. The Aboriginals also eat the skin of the crocodile, it’s tasty, but we don’t get to taste that as the skin of a farmed croc is a precious commodity for your Goochie bags and the like.

Captivated by the movement of the croc in the water, I turn as Reuben calls out “Jabiru, right, one o’clock. And there he is, one tall majestic Jabiru with thin bright red stick legs. Jen loves the Jabiru because she was also known for her gangly legs and arms back in her ballet class when she was a kid. So she has a real affinity with the Jabiru and its her spirit bird.

Brilliant, we have seen a salty croc and a Jabiru in a morning’s work and they are elusive no more.

Retiring to the billabong and jetty, we are swiftly returned to Cooinda Lodge for an all you can eat buffet breakfast which is a perfect way to end the sunrise tour.

It doesn’t end there folks. We took advantage of booking on the Sunset Yellow Water boat tour tonight for an extra $25 each so we will get to see a different timeline and capture the birds and wildlife before the setting of the sun. See additional footprint.Read more