Getting up early we left our suitcases behind in the hotel in Darwin as this time we would be coming back to the same spot. All we took was our small backpacks and two soft bags wih everything we needed for three days camping in the tropical Kakadu National Park.

Our first stop was Litchfield National Park, South of Darwin. The park is co-managed by Park & Wildlife and Aborigines and is used by many city people from Darwin as a weekend getaway. It has beautiful water holes (billabongs) that are croc (crocodile) free. “Crocodile Management” ensures every year at the beginning of dry season once the rivers connecting the water holes dry out that there are no croqs left in the lakes.If there are they catch them. Only then they declare the billabongs open for swimming.

The first billabong we stopped at was Wangi Falls. A beautiful lake with two waterfalls cascading into the waters below. B was a bit scared to swim there because of the crocodile stories but eventually came around to it and we all took a dip. Wangi Falls is an Aboriginal women’s place. Not much is known about the true significance to the Aborigines, however,  as they like to keep their traditions secret.

Next we were headed to Florence Falls. It is a beautiful natural pool but it was totally swamped with tourists.

Along the way we kept seeing large sandy mounds in the woods – termites. We learned that they are a vital part of Australian nature as there are no herbevores  (grass eaters) in this country that would fertilize the soil as in Europe cattle would. This job is done by termites and they provide the basis for plant growth . Also they hollow out trees that mammals use to live in. The Aborigines use the hollow eucalyptus trees to build their digeridoos, the traditional instruments. The termite mounds are incredible creations. Some are up to 5m high.

When we stopped for fuel at a gas station and liquor store we came close to a crocodile for the first time as on the premises two crocodiles were kept: “Fred”, the “freshy”  and Brutus, the “salty”.While “freshies” can live only in fresh water,  “salties”- contrary to their name can live in salt and fresh water as well as in a mixture of both.

Kakadu National Park is croc country. Humans are not the top of food chain here. Or as our guide Stevo put it: “You don’t mess with a crocodile!”

Freshies are supposedly not too dangerous. He delivered the proof two days later when we were right in the middle of a swim out on the billabong at Jim Jim Falls. Literally minutes away from the shore he told us that he’d seen the tracks of a freshy. We all thought he was pulling our legs. But no, he was completely serious. They shy away from humans, he said. And, it was probably a small one, just 2-3 meters. That’s reassuring! Well, we stayed in the water but that was the fastest swimming I have done in a long time..

All around the forest area we kept seeing burnt places and smaller fires. To us Europeans it looks quite scary. However, we learned that the controlled burning of undergrowth is actually a measure to prevent large fires. Aborigines traditionally did this to clear the land and it’s also done in the National Parks where they use 4x4s and helicopters for this purpose. Some of the plants in Australia even need the fires for cracking their seeds. By doing regular controlled burnings the risk of large bush fires is reduced when thunderstorms hit the country in wet season.

This night we camped out at Cooinda campsite close to Yellow Waters. Today the kids even wanted to share a tent!