Mixed NT Pics#1

 My week in Darwin, Kakadu and Litchfield national parks was perfect. This part of Australia is just so removed from my day to day understandings of what Australia is - in some ways it is another country. From the ancient rock art that adorns rock faces and overhangs in Kakadu to the black kites (a form of raptor like a small eagle) that fly over the city streets of Darwin or the saturated colours of the landscape of reds, greens and blues, it is a stunning place that you can easily lose yourself to.

 Much of Kakadu is made up of this woodland savannah country. The little green car was my hire car - I don't think I've ever driven a green car before.

 Billabongs and wetlands are also important habitats in Kakadu and I was visiting about the middle of the dry season so birds were starting to congregate in the more permanent billabongs, although the huge numbers won't start happening for another month or so. This billabong was in the shadow of Nourlangie Rock.

 Some magpie geese which shared this billabong with green pygmy geese (such great little ducks), egrets, darters, plumed whistling ducks, to name a few...together with...

 this crocodile. I was looking at a flock of whistling ducks and Burdekin ducks when I happened to notice this fellow sunning itself right next to them. This was really my first crocodile sighting outside of organised river cruises when it was just me and the croc. I was able to approach within 5 metres of it (on the landward side of course), but I thought that was sufficient proximity for both of us.

 In Litchfield National Park is an area where two types of termite mounds occur - the magnetic termites which align their mounds on a north-south axis and another form which I have forgotten. Quite a surreal landscape is created from these mounds which are up to five or more metres high.

One of the stunning waterfalls in Litchfield National Park. Perfect swimming holes. So my trip was Darwin: 2 nights, left there on Sunday and travelled to Kakadu via Fogg Dam and Adelaide River croc cruise; Three nights in Kakadu, at three different places: Aurora Kakadu Hotel, which is on the Darwin end of the national park, then on to Aurora Kakadu Lodge in Jabiru, then LakeView Park at Kakadu; two full days exploring Kakadu, including Ubirr, Nourlangie Rock, East Alligator River, Yellow Waters; then on to Litchfield National Park, with the first night at Pandanus Caravan Park, Batchelor and my final night at Litchfield Safari Camp, and then back to Darwin, via Berry Springs and the Territory Wildlife Park.  I want to go back soon!