This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Kermit was that excited he could almost have walked himself from the campground to the boat ramp. And at 1km distance, it’s a great shame for my hands that he didn’t. However, Kermit’s Mate (aka kayak trolley) did a sterling job even though I had a few blisters to give witness to the distance. I give a thank you to Rick for an excellent choice of birthday gift every time I attach Kermit’s Mate to Kermit’s rear end. The gorge is a treat to kayak along: glassy, reflective early morning surfaces spangled with bright stars; steep orange-red rock walls that loom over tiny rubber-necked paddlers; dappled rest stops offering peaceful paddling breaks and sandy shores for easy swimming access; tracks and traces of freshwater crocodiles with occasional (unrecorded) jaws agape hissing encounters – the croc not me – with the cold and less mobile reptiles; and capped off with Jawoyn rock art, a ‘book’ from the past. I saw no saltwater crocodiles and that’s just how we like it. On my last morning at Nitmiluk, I had the chance to chat to a ranger about the increasingly risk averse Parks & Wildlife response to swimming (see last blog) and the inconsistency of allowing kayaking but not swimming. It would seem that there is a genuine need to be more cautious as crocodile numbers have increased significantly since they became a protected species and there now greater numbers since pre-culling times. Increased saltwater crocodile numbers means increased need for monitoring and croc catching but with reducing resources. No natural swimming spots in the NT would be a blow to tourism but then a croc attack on a swimmer or paddler would be tragic. You may have spotted that I did not address the ‘inconsistency’ comment … here enters business interests. A conundrum for the NT.