Day 36 - Garig Gunak Barlu National Park

I woke in the morning feeling pleased we had camped in the safest spot available. Until I left the tent and saw the swampy water three metres from the edge of our fireplace! It was through a thicket, which is why we didn't notice it last night. We had planned a walk with a Ranger explaining bush tucker, so we would ask how safe the site was then.

 

On 5km trip to the Ranger Station we passed this sign, but saw no crocs. To the right were the bones of three Banteng, presumably consumed by crocs when the water level was higher. Banteng are cattle native to Indonesia. They were imported in the 1800's by the British. This is the only place in Australia where they roam free. They were in Kakadu, but they were culled as they destroy the plant life in the water and on the bank. We saw two as we drove into Garig Gunak Barlu last night. They have white feet and white bottoms with brown nugget everywhere else.

 

The bush tucker talk went past the Wallunak Swamp, the only natural source of natural freshwater here. We found out how to look for yams underground by recognising the vine that grows from it. Our guide Cynthia brought a tomahawk with her and used it to smash into a termite mound. The outside is used for sore stomachs and the dark inner section is thrown onto fires to repel mosquitoes. Cynthia lit a piece for us, it was a slow burn and smelt like the mossie coils commercially available. We were introduced to the Strychnine tree, the berries are poisonous. We found out later that in the late 1800's British Soldiers used to bake the poison into damper they gave to the Aboriginals they wanted to get rid of. Charming. We also saw Kakadu plums, and some wild pigs up the track. They also dig up the yams for food. The yams look like long skinny hairy tentacles. Traditionally the Aboriginals would spend all morning gathering food then feast from mid afternoon. After the walk and talk, Justin chatted with Alan, the head Ranger. He totally put our minds at ease over the proximity of crocodiles. They use the area where the crocodiles cross here sign is to go from fresh to sea water. They head for the saltwater at night where they feed on turtles. They either wait at the bottom of the shallow water for a turtle to take a breath above them, or they follow one onto the beach that is coming in to lay its eggs. They grab it and take it out to water and spin it and crush it on the shore. During the day time they lie in the swamp keeping cool and hunting birds and waiting for any animal that comes to the edge to drink. Crocs can hold their breath for over an hour, so they just lie there waiting. They learn the time by watching you too, if you went to the edge of the water at a certain time everyday you would be a sitting duck for their dinner. These animals have been around since the dinosaurs in some form, so they are very good at what they do. Surprisingly, they don't eat that much. They can go for 6 months without food apparently, but how anyone has found this out is anyone's guess. Possibly a crocodile was put on a diet at a Crocodile farm. Out in their real environment there is plenty to eat. Humans really aren't their food of choice. Most deaths by crocs are from lack of judgement. Going for a swim at 11pm after drinking and taking your wife out fishing in croc infested waters in a canoe, for example. Some of these people have to be in the Darwin Awards for stupidity.

 

Anyway, after the chat with the Rangers, we had lunch before our costal drive along the road above. It is so hot and sticky here time passes with very little action. We Southerners aren't used to the humidity. On the coastal drive there were beautiful breezes to keep the temperature down. The beaches are beautiful, with Casurinas growing right up to the sand.

 

We stopped off at one stage to look into the rock pools. We saw plenty of crabs and sea cucumbers. From the 1600's to 1906 the Macassans from the Island of Sulawesi used to come to this penninsular to trade for sea cucumbers, called trepang. They would stay for 4 months from the end of the wet season, and do a three process cooking of the trang. The product is still a medicinal delicacy in China. They planted tamarind trees along this coast, and there is a theory they were responsible for introducing the dingo 4000 years ago. In 1906 the trade was banned.

 

 

As we saw no other vehicle on the drive, Phoebe got a driving lesson. We had read in a paper about an eight year old driving, so she thought she should catch up. She managed the clutch well after two false starts, but she likes reversing best. You can see how much she was enjoying it from her big smile.

 

We stopped for Justin to have a power nap, the weather saps your energy here. I drove us back through the bush to the main road in. We ate chicken nasi goreng inside the tent, as I wasn't sure Phoebe or I could fit another mossie bite on our bodies. As I was cooking, we had a visitor on the tent.

 

And if you are squeamish, look away now.

I had a lump on my ear that wasn't going away, so I asked Justin to look at it. Turns out it was a tick. He smothered it in Bushman's repellent for me then got the tweezers out. How disgusting. I have never been a fan of leeches, but at least they can be dealt with easily with a sprinkle of salt. You can leave the head of a tick in your body if you don't remove it properly. What a delightful thought. Anyway, here are the results of Justin's administrations.

 

It was about the size of a sesame seed, big enough to revolt me! More about that tomorrow.

 

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