Day 19 Gunlom to Cooinda

We awake early in order to make the climb to the top of the falls before the sun is high and the heat sets in. The climb is quite steep, rocky and fairly demanding. In order to make a quick start we depart before brekky. However, Jasmine regularly downs up to eight Wheatbix, so we get a few into her before making the trek. She manages, just. At the end of the climb, the view is just breathtaking. The rock infinity pool from ‘Crocodile Dundee’ seemingly disappears into the vast canopy of trees in the distance, as the water makes the long plunge to the pool about 50 m below. We haven’t brought bathers so we skip the swim and start the climb down the slippery rocks to the van below. As we leave a French girl might have gone swimming in her underwear. I didn’t notice.......much. We quickly have breakfast and ready for the long, bumpy ride back to the bitumen and then on to Cooinda. The drive out seems mercifully shorter and we are on the smooth road in under an hour and a half. Cooinda is another hour down the road and we stop along the way to climb another hill for a look out across the lowlands to the east of Kakadu. Cooinda is the main resort town of Kakadu and is home to both the resort and to the caravan park. The Yellow River meanders along next to the town and is home to myriad wildlife, including crocodiles. The Butterfly learned of a boat ramp out the back of the caravan park that provides views up and down the river. We had planned on doing a cruise on the river but have heard from others that there is a better one on the way out of the park. So, we walk down to the boat ramp just before sunset and Sarah quickly spots a large crocodile on the opposite bank, about 75 m away. He is partially submerged and his menacing teeth are just visible as he floats along on the current. The tranquil river scene is only disturbed by the sounds of children fighting (thoughts of tossing one or two of them to the crocs are quickly banished as the realisation of prison time sets in) so we head back to camp for dinner. Tomorrow is another night of ‘bush camping’ near the banks of a river that promises even more encounters with the park’s most notorious residents.