Day 50
Today we had the most amazing time on the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise. We booked in for the 11am cruise and arrived quite early as the boys were super keen.
The Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise is situated on the Arnhem Highway, turn left at the Window on the Wetlands when coming from Darwin. It is about an hours drive from Darwin. We were staying at Robbie Robbins Reserve and it took us around 40 minutes. This all girl crew lead four cruises a day along the Adelaide River at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
On arriving we were handed our booking passes and shown around the facilities.
Free tea and coffee facilities are provided, cold drinks are available to purchase as well as a basic but clean amenities block. You are also invited to bring your own food / drinks as well.
After checking out the snakes, we took a seat at one of the many tables and read the folder full of croc related newspaper articles. This proved to be a very interesting read for our boys.
About 10 minutes prior to boarding the boat, Martina brought out a snake for everyone to hold. This Centralian Carpet Python named Tiger was a great size for our boys who were super keen to hold it.
Then it was time to board. We were shown onto the smaller boat and immediately saw our first saltwater crocodile.
Once everyone was on board, our guide / boat driver for the day, Tamara went over some safety rules and then we were off.
Heading along the river, we passed a small snake and a couple of crocodiles hiding about the edge of the water. Once arriving at our first spot, a massive crocodile silently came out of his hiding place. Trevor was huge and put on a great show for us. Martina dangled a bit of buffalo meat over the side of the boat, trying to get the croc to jump.
The girls get the crocodiles to jump at least four times before they are given some food to eat. This helps them to get a bit of exercise and keep their appetite healthy so they don’t get lazy and just expect food to be given to them. They are wild animals and need to rely on hunting to keep themselves alive.
The boat is turned around so that both sides get great views of the jumping crocs.
It was amazing (and a little scary) at how big the crocodile was and close he was jumping to the boat.
After Trevor had completed his jumps and was given a little bit of meat for his effort, we headed further along the river to see another massive male croc called Casanova.
Just to see him swimming into the middle of the river from the bank, was awesome!
Look at those massive jaws!
Almost got it!
We thought that this was all the croc jumping we were going to see, when suddenly while turning around to head back, a smaller female croc starts heading our way. Lola, was a lot smaller than the boys, but this helped her jump a lot higher. It was awesome to see her nearly all out of the water!
This croc has a cut on its nose. Luckily for her it wasn’t serious, if it had been any closer to nose, she would not be here anymore.
While heading back along the river, we were also given a lot of information about some of the kites that fly around this area. We also had the opportunity to watch how amazingly good these birds are at catching food and eating it while flying.
When nearly back, we caught up to the larger boat, that was also taken out and had the opportunity to watch them getting a croc to jump.
We felt very lucky indeed to see four different crocs jumping!
Throughout the 1 hour tour, we were continuously learning so many interesting facts about crocs and the Adelaide River from the very knowledgable staff. Their sense of humour was great, making this a very enjoyable experience. You can tell they really love their jobs and care about the crocs. Our boys took in so much, they can repeat nearly everything that was said.
Some important lessons our boys learnt are:
- saltwater crocs live in fresh water: even though the Adelaide River is freshwater, many saltwater crocodiles call this place home
- for every croc you see above the water, add to that another 5 that you can’t see under the water
- crocs are able to survive without their feet, but not their nose or tail
- crocs like bright colours, so wear black
- if you can’t see the bottom of a river/creek, it is best to stay out of the water!
Details At a Glance!!
Name: Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise
Located: Arnham Highway, Turn Left at the Window on the Wetlands (Follow the Yellow Signs)
Website: Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise
Phone: (08) 89789077
Email: spectacular@jumpingcrocodile.com.au
Disclosure: Our family were guests of the operator.
Lap of Oz: Day 49 Darwin