We are back at Cahill’s Crossing, NT, on the lookout for crocs, this time for a Guluyambi Cultural Cruise on the East Alligator River, a 100% Aboriginal outfit.
The very scenic tidal river marks the border between Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land, and is teeming with wildlife: sharks, dugongs, crocs, fish, and stingrays.
Although the river is full of crocodiles, the first explorers thought they were alligators. Now no-one can be bothered to change all the maps, so alligator rules.
Neville Namarnyilk is our guide as well as an artist and actor. He has a great smile, rapid fire delivery, and a dry sense of humour.
We spot crocs every 20 metres, including a real hefty fella croc with a barra lure caught in its back. With his thick skin, doubt he'll notice, sure as hell the fisherman that lost it is too scared to retrieve it!
Neville has lost two members of family to crocs, some now say too many crocs about. There are an estimated 7,000 in this river region, plus another 4,000 in the adjoining Arnhem Land wetlands.
After spotting a magnificent white-bellied sea eagĺe and its nest, we nosed ashore to pick a small pandanus branch which Neville deftly debarked and twirled into a paintbrush. His laconic comment: "Saved myself $1.50 at the border store."
Although the river is full of crocodiles, the first explorers thought they were alligators. Now no-one can be bothered to change all the maps, so alligator rules.
Neville Namarnyilk is our guide as well as an artist and actor. He has a great smile, rapid fire delivery, and a dry sense of humour.
We spot crocs every 20 metres, including a real hefty fella croc with a barra lure caught in its back. With his thick skin, doubt he'll notice, sure as hell the fisherman that lost it is too scared to retrieve it!
Neville has lost two members of family to crocs, some now say too many crocs about. There are an estimated 7,000 in this river region, plus another 4,000 in the adjoining Arnhem Land wetlands.
After spotting a magnificent white-bellied sea eagĺe and its nest, we nosed ashore to pick a small pandanus branch which Neville deftly debarked and twirled into a paintbrush. His laconic comment: "Saved myself $1.50 at the border store."
Next, Neville shows us a spear and demonstrates its light as a feather, floating wood which is handy for spearing fish because its buoyancy means it pops straight back out of the water into the hand. He also shows us a woomera or spear launcher.
High above the bank, Neville shows us rock paintings, ochre and red, lining an outcrop. He is a painter and feels strong affinity with these painters and their works dating up to 65,000 years ago.
As we round a bend in the river, majestic rocks line the landscape. We land on a sandy shore to set foot on Arnhem Land.
We explore the nearby waterhole, Neville poses with the spear launcher before flicking the spear way over the river where it lands in the water and floats until we retrieve it on the way back.
Back at the boatramp we thank Neville for an excellent, fun tour, then we take a look at some of the local mob creating artwork beside a campfire.
We camped at the lovely Merl Campground for $30, toilets, showers, bins. The bushwalk to Cahill’s Crossing from there was very scenic but I had no camera! Me!!! It wound through savannah, pandanus and rocky outcrops, among signs saying ‘beware of buffaloes, don’t leave the trail’. Do buffaloes know they're not to come on trails? Mmm….
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Cahill's Crossing, River Cruise, Guluyambi, Aboriginal, Northern Territory, Arnhem Land
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