Never Smile at a Crocodile

We decided to do a tour called "Jumping Crocodiles".

Checking out the reptiles before our boat trip to see the crocs...

It was recommended that you sit downstairs on the boat, right by the open window where they dangle the meat for the crocs. Under no circumstances are you allowed to put any part of the body outside the window...

(Milli giving me her nicest and sweetest smile.)
A very dainty pose by the smallest female on the tour. The crocs are VERY close to the open window! We were splashed on a number of occasions.


A snap-happy crocodile!
This is Hannibal. Crocodiles tend to eat those crocs smaller than themselves. Hannibal is king of the river. When he cruises up to the boat, the others disappear fast! He is big. Over six metres in length.
Hannibal does not want to waste the effort of jumping out of the water to get this measly dish... so he tries to lull the operator into a false sense of security. He almost managed to snap the food off the hook just by raising his head a bit.
A pretty mean looking dude.
Now he is getting ready to jump. He straightens his tail and lowers it in the water...
The propels himself upwards.
Milli wasn't scared though!

Darwin. And Milli

Here we are, at the Mindil Markets. Fantastic spot with loads and loads of different kinds of foods ... mostly asian. Totally delicious. You choose your meal, then head to the beach to watch the sunset. It is great fun. Made more fun with Milli being around. Had a lovely time with you, darling!

Milli is very happy with her crepe... Nutella and banana.
We met up with Graham and Dorothy who watched the sunset with us. Sticky is doing a particularly photogenic facial expression here.

Milli and I did a trip into the center of Darwin where she found a structure to climb.

The wave pool. Looked really good fun, but we did not have our bathers with us.

The Devil's Marbles

This was a beautiful, and very spiritual spot... I can certainly imagine the ceremonies conducted here. Sadly, we could not stay for a long time, but I took a beautiful walk around the rocks. Just Wow!

Examples of the Scenery

Four days driving up the Stuart Highway, and I had been led to believe that the scenery is unchanging. I was delightfully surprised by the diversity of the landscape. A few photos show how the land changes the further north you drive. We never got bored with our travelling time.

Overnight Free Camp Spot

There are lots of these kind of spots dotted along the Highway ... free to road users. Some have toilets and the occasional few have showers too. Very basic, but they work. And are FREE!!!

Bitch Head Chucks a Spanny

Naturally, given her propensity to go a bit wayward, our SatNav System is called "Bitch Head". She really tried it out on us this time though. I put in Darwin once we were well and truly on the Stuart Highway (which goes straight to Darwin). She immediately declared we had to "Turn Back Where Possible" (in her insipid voice)... she wanted to direct us 8000 km. The scenic route. Three different requests, resulted in three different routes. None of them direct. She is lucky she is not still on the Stuart Highway, smashed into a thousand pieces!

My favourite option ...

Coober Pedy

We drove through Coober Pedy on Day 2... Not really much to say about it. It is a mining town.

Friendly Locals

An Overnight Free Camp

Big Scary Road Trains

You just don't argue with them. They are the kings of the road.