Reef sharks at the Asho’s Gap cleaning station, Ningaloo Reef
The second dive of the day was Asho’s Gap, which is famous for a giant shark cleaning station. It didn’t disappoint, as we saw about a dozen reef sharks swimming around. Again, visibility wasn’t amazing so the pictures didn’t turn out, but you can get a good idea. In addition, I saw more turtles, a very cool razorfish and a gigantic school of bannerfish.
A turtle at The Canyon, Ningaloo Reef
I did a one day dive trip with Ningaloo Reef Dive and got a bit closer to the spectacular west coast corals and sea creatures. The highlight was definitely the hard coral structures, but I also saw two turtles, a gorgeous trumpet fish and a nudibranch. Unfortunately the visibility was uncharacteristically low, at about 7 meters, so I didn’t get so many amazing shots. Here’s a sampling.
The view from above of Florence Falls – complete with rainbow – in Litchfield National Park
The final stop on my 10-day tour of the Top End a few weeks ago was Litchfield National Park, a popular weekend getaway for Darwin residents and home to loads of glorious waterfalls and swimming holes. Of course I took advantage of as many walking tracks as I could, one of which winds for about 5km along Florence Creek in relative peace and quiet.
Another highlight of Litchfield is seeing the incredible magnetic terminte mounds. These termites use the magnetic forces of the earth to orient their cathedrals to optimize exposure to the sun. And, of course, the above ground portions of the nests are a gigantic 2+ meters high.
At the end of this tour I settled in Darwin to begin a job for five months – I need to recoup a lot of the money I’ve spent in Australia! It certainly isn’t as cheap here as it was in Asia and South America, and I don’t even want to share how much I’ve been spending. So my blog may be quiet for the coming months, but I’ve got a big trip to WA planned in December and I’ll be sure get my camera ready.
The natural infinity pool of Gunlom Falls in Kakadu Natioanl Park
After our Mary River cruise we finally made it to Kakadu National Park, a sprawling 20,000 square km area (that’s half the size of Switzerland!) whose geological history extends millions of years and human history of over 40,000 years. Of course you can spend months exploring the park and not see everything, but the tour I was on just hit two highlights: the rock art of Ubirr and the swimming holes at Gunlom Falls. Both were extraordinary and I hope to make it back to Kakadu during my months working in Darwin. During the wet season the waterfalls are even more stunning and the wildlife is even more abundant.
A saltwater crocodile sunbathing on the bank of the Mary River
The third and final leg of my Top End tour focused on the national parks surrounding Darwin – mainly Kakadu and Litchfield. The area is renowned for its waterfalls, swimming holes, ancient rock art and… crocodiles! Mary River is is one of the most densely croc-inhabited places in the world, a statistic that you realize is not exaggerated once you’re out on the water. In just our 90 minute boat trip we saw about a dozen of the giant creatures. We also saw glorious birds (of course) and beautiful lotus flowers, which unfortunately are considered a pest in the area since they were brought in from Asia and are not endemic.
The tour was really educational as we learned about the crocodiles’ mating habits and why they are built they way they are (hint: almost every detail helps them stay cool!).
A Yank without a Chain 