Day 21 (June 19th, 2015): Cooinda and Yellow Water, Kakadu

Today we are headed for Cooinda Campground, in the Southern end of Kakadu. This is situated in what they refer to as Yellow Water Region of Kakadu.

Yellow Water Wetlands is part of the South Alligator River floodplain. Following wet season rains, a sea of shallow water spreads out for hundreds of square kilometres. As the flood plains start to dry this time of year (the beginning of the dry season) the water birds and crocodiles seek refuge in the remaining wet areas such as Yellow Water and Mamukala wetlands ( the billabong with the bird hide that we visited a couple of days ago). 

We decide to treat ourselves and stay at Cooinda Lodge campground which was pretty expensive at $36 per night unpowered - but we did need a laundry to do some washing and this place also gave us easy access to Yellow Water wetlands.

When we arrived at Cooinda we enquired about the wetlands walk - a 2.6 km walk across the flood plains to a viewing platform on Home Billabong. However this walk has apparently been closed for a couple of years as there are currently too many feral animals that are breeding across the floodplain each year when the water recedes and it is too dangerous to open the walk. I guess they have not yet been able to reduce the population of troublesome feral animals. 

But we could go along a boardwalk out along the billabong for about 500 metres - it was very nice and we saw a Saltwater croc from here.

We also saw a couple of whistling kites just sitting on a tre and practically posing for us fairly closeup - 

That afternoon we ran around doing washing and also getting in a swim the gigantic awesome pool at Cooinda. Then a quick shower and ready to leave for the 4.10 pm shuttle bus to where the boats leave from for the Yellow Water sunset cruise we had booked on arrival today.

It was soooooo awesome!!  We saw lots of "Salties" and they were not as skiddish as the ones we saw in the previous cruise we did at the Corroboree Bilłabong. Our guide was able to cruise along next to them whist they stil just swam along not seeming too bothered by the boat. 

Yellow Water is said to be the most famous of Kakadu's billabongs and the boat cruise takes you across it's swathes of floodwaters, half submerge red paperbarks, pandamus and water-likes whilst the crocs cruise beneath.

Our cruise boat guide was excellent - very informative and very attentive to ensure everyone had a chance to see and photograph the crocs and birds we were viewing on this cruise. 

i really cannot describe how good this cruise was - and we felt it was money well spent. 

This one was even smiling for us!!

We saw a Darter catch and swallow this fish - after he tossed it in the air and caught it. Once he caught it the right way round it was just swallowed whole in a flashing his neck looked very swollen.

There were the Whistling Ducks - yes they do not quack - they whistle!

Juvenile Rufous Night Heron

Egrets!

A little Forest Kingfisher

We also saw quite a few wild horses (brumbies) that still roam Kakadu. The traditional owners will not allow them to be killed but they are becoming a nuisance and are not good for the wetland environment as they flatten and eat down a lot of areas where native birds and animals live and nest.

The traditional owners have an affinity for the horses due to their previous role as stockmen in times gone by. So whilst they allow and encourage killing off of pigs, buffalo and cats they will not approve the killing/culling of the wild brumbies.

And of course we had yet another gorgeous sunset out on the billabong before we came back to shore.

Because we did not get back to camp until well after sunset - we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at the cafe/ restaurant. It was a lovely meal - 1x of kangaroo and 1x of Barraumundi. 

The other reason we treated ourselves is that the campground at Cooinda has lots of mozzies and we were not looking forward to starting and eating dinner at our campsite in the dark. They didn't seem to be too bad over at the outdoor cafe.