August 25th-27th, 2011, Mary River Park

Thursday morning saw us pack up and leave Darwin heading towards Kakadu. Carol and Stephen stayed behind for an extra night as a car part they were expecting didn't show up. The four of us travelled to Mary River Park located at the Mary River Crossing on the Arnhem Highway. The park was beautiful and green with lots of space. We were located right down near the river. We ran into a number of people that were staying there and working for the Caravan park. Seems like a good way to see the country. We took a walk down the river and had a swim in the pool to cool off in the afternoon.

Friday morning Di, Sandra, and I took a 1 hour wetland cruise on the Corroboree Billabong which is part of the Mary River system. Our guide picked us up at Corroboree Park on the Arnhem Highway and took us the 20km on the unsealed road into the Billabong. His name was Sean and he was a great guide. Very informative and happily answered all our questions both in the car and on the boat. He was very interesting as he had grown up in Jabiru and lived with Aboriginals for 5-6 years in his teens. It was a beautiful morning and we saw lots of crocodiles, bird life, and water lillies. The hour cruise including the car pickup and drop off was only $30 which makes it one of the best value tours we have been on. Highly recommended!

 

The three of us then went to the Fogg Dam Conservation area for a couple of short walks before stopping at the Window on the Wetlands on the way back to our campsite. The walks at Fogg Dam were not that great although the view from the far side of the dam was quite good. The Windows on the Wetland is free and quite informative on the local area. We returned home to find Carol and Stephen had joined us again and had a relaxing afternoon.

Saturday morning Carol and Stephen went on the Billabong Cruise as we had raved about it so much. They enjoyed it thoroughly as well. We met them back the the Corroboree Park and the four of us drove back into the Billabong where we hired a 4 person boat/dinghy for 5 hours. We packed a picnic lunch and leisurely explored the Billabong. We saw many more crocodiles and birds. It is a popular fishing destination as well so we threw a line in for an hour or so while gradually making our way up the Billabong and Mary River. No success with the fishing but it was a beautiful and relaxing afternoon. We returned home about 5pm and enjoyed a nice meal.