Crocodiles, Banteng and Buffalo

We left Darwin around midnight on 12 Sept so we could go with the flow of the tide.  

We anchored at Alcaro Bay near the Cape Don lighthouse the following evening.  

We decided to spend a day.  There was a 5km walk from the jetty near where we were anchored to the lighthouse which amounted to 10km there and back but we were up to it and it would be worth it!

We armed ourselves with cameras, lollies and water and grabbed our best thongs for the walk. Ian also took his spear gun in case we had to defend ourselves against crocs.  

We landed on a nice little spot on the beach away from where crocs were likely to be lurking.  We got about 10m along the beach when we noticed a rather fresh croc slide.  

We looked around nervously and wondered what we should do.  Ian knew.  He went and got a nasty looking stick to back up his spear gun.  

Another nervous look around and we made our way to the track on the high side of the beach.  We left our armoury at a convenient spot at the start of the track to be collected for defence purposes when we came back.

Well, we walked and walked and walked.  The day got hotter, our lollies and water started to run out and our thongs were proving to be unsuitable.

Several times Ian questioned whether we should give up and turn around but I assured him that the lighthouse would be just around the next corner and it would be worth it.

In the finish, it just wasn't worth it and we turned around minus the lighthouse experience.   

We made it back to the jetty before heat exhaustion and fatigue overcame us.    
Ian retrieved his weapons.
A thorough scan of the area didn't show up any further evidence of crocodile activity so we quickly launched the dinghy and sped back to Winkali as fast as our 3.5hp outboard would go.

We survived!

Trusty assistant catches a Golden Trevally

That evening we thought a change from Spanish Mackerel would be welcome on the menu.

 The following morning we left for Port Essington which is at the top of Coburg Peninsular.  Our first anchorage was at Black Point which boasts a boat ramp, ranger station, cultural information centre and, best of all, a swamp where many birds congregate.

This was a great place to bring the cameras to.

"Look out, George is coming in for landing"

Magpie Geese sporting an orange tinge from the red soil in the swamp.

Practice makes perfect - keep practising George.

We were treated to the sight of Magpie Geese taking flight in a shower of diamonds as we approached.

 We noticed that the edges of the swamp had been disturbed and muddied by many hooves.  Usually the cause of this in Northern Australia is pigs but in this case it was from cattle.

The information centre told us that these were Banteng cattle which were brought to the Coburg peninsular in the early 1800s when a township named Victoria Settlement was established in the area.  This settlement was abandoned after 10 years due to the harsh environment and sickness etc.

A small herd of these cattle were left behind and now form the largest herd of wild Banteng in the world.  They are almost extinct in the wild in their home lands due to loss of habitat, although there are many domestic Banteng cattle still in Asia.

Although we saw many hoofprints and cow-pats, we saw no Banteng.

One of the rangers walking home after a hard day in the office

 The beach offered more exploring so off we went in that direction.

The beach took on a different look at every turn.

Everywhere we went there were amazing rock formations. These rocks looked good enough to eat - creamy vanilla with boysenberry swirls - yum!







Still in Port Essington, we ventured to Kennedy Bay the next night.  Another exploration along that beach showed more evidence of Banteng. 

Ian considers whether he should keep this buoy.

Let's see how it bowls.

Even better, Ian found more treasure.

Our last stop in Port Essington was 7 Spirit Bay.  This was a beautiful spot complete with a 4 star resort.  As there were no roads into this bay, access was by boat from the rangers station at Black Point or by plane as they had their own little airstrip.

The resort managers were very friendly and we were allowed to use their facilities as well as take a good wander around for a modest fee.

More swamps, we were in our element.




And so were the crocodiles.  This is a photo of one of the numerous slides which were side by side along the whole beach.

 In the distance we saw what we first took to be a termite mound. . . . . . .

 until it stood up. . . . .

and was joined by its friend who had been hiding in the shadows.

 We had nowhere to run to.  Ahead lay the bovine enemy, in the water, ugh, I don't want to think about it.

We retreated.




A moving line in the water made us think of crocodiles.  After a bit of focusing and zooming of camera lenses we were astonished to see it was a line of fish, skimming the water with mouths wide open.  

A thorough search of Grant's Fish Guide hasn't shed any light on what kind of fish this might be.

 Another blog coming soon.  This one's getting too long.

See you there  :)