And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the Billabong...

On this morning we woke up at 5 am, to make sure we had time to make it to Cooinda for our 6:45 cruise. It was a fair distance, (did I mention how big the park is?) and we had to drive in the dark, which everyone tells you not to do in Australia, on account of the critters not knowing to get out of the way of the cars.

In the distance you can see the other boat full of crazy morning people hoping to see some crocodiles.




A billabong is an area of stagnant water, like an oxbow lake, that is left behind when a river or creek changes paths. The cruise took us through the Yellow Waters billabong, and along some of the tributaries of the creek.




This is a White-Bellied Sea Eagle, a huge bird that was nesting in the area.






Because of the recent heavy rains, the boats were still able to enter this remarkable paperbark forest. Our guide turned off the motor and we just drifted through... it was beautiful.




The main reason most people go on these cruises is to see Salties, and we certainly weren't disappointed, since we saw half a dozen. This little guy appears to me to be a Freshie though, now that I see him again.




And, at last, the star of the show, having a nice nap on the bank. These guys range very far inland, and are obviously not limited to salt water, since we are some 60 miles from the ocean.