West Arnhem

We arrived in port in Darwin by 8:00 a.m. The temperature on arrival is 82°F, with 100% humidity, and thankful it is sunny as we are arriving during their monsoon season. Our tour guide in the morning told us how lucky we were to be visiting on a “cool” day. These Northern Territory Aussies are hardy folk.

This morning, we enjoyed the 2 hour included tour of the city, during which we learned that Darwin is the largest city in the Australian continent’s thinly populated Northern Territory, and that it boasts a harbor almost 8 times the size of Sydney’s. 

We met our guide and drove to the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, where we had independent time to explore a collection of artifacts and exhibits that showcase Darwin’s history. There were also exhibits about Aboriginal culture, and about the role the town played during World War II. 

On February 19, 1942 at 9:57 am, 188 Japanese warplanes attacked Darwin in two waves. It was the same fleet that had bombed Pearl Harbor, though considerably more bombs were dropped on Darwin than on Pearl Harbor. The attack killed at least 243 people and caused immense damage to the town, airfields, and aircraft. 

The museum also shared stories of the devastating category 4 cyclone that struck Darwin in 1974. Of the 900 homes in Darwin, only 40 survived.
Both these events played a huge role in the rebuilding of Darwin.

After a quick lunch and much-needed rehydration back on the ship, our afternoon activity was a CROCODILE CRUISE! We headed to the Adelaide River floodplains to witness one of Australia’s great natural curiosities, saltwater crocodiles, which are Earth’s largest living reptile. Although we didn’t need to expend any energy just drifting along in the river, there’s definitely an adrenaline spike involved in seeing up close these predators that can live in both marine and fresh water environments and are considered the modern crocodile that is the most dangerous to humans.

The crocodile cruise operators have been monitoring about a 7 km stretch of the Adelaide River for decades, and are very familiar with the individual crocodiles that inhabit this stretch of river. Each crocodile has a name, based usually on its physical characteristics, hence “Split Lip”, or “Stumpy”. Stumpy is a male between 50 and 60 years old, who has defended his territory against other males more than once, involving the loss of parts of each of his limbs (hence his name). We learned that crocodiles have extremely strong vasoconstrictors, which allow them to stop the blood flow to an injured area, ensuring that they do not bleed out.

The sides of the Adelaide River are lined with mangrove trees, some of which are home to colonies of fruit bats. Our guide asked if any of us were curious about how an animal that hangs upside down poops, and then proceeded to demonstrate by hanging from his ankles and hands from a crossbar on the boat, and “flipping” his body upright while still hanging from his hands. It was a VERY unexpected addition to our cruise!

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