Darwin is known for several things - for being the capital of the Northern Territories; for being the focal point for the defense of Australia against Japanese invasion during WWII; and for its giant and very active saltwater crocodiles.
A Japanese invasion was a major threat from the day after Pearl Harbor until the battle of Midway Island, when the US carrier fleet sent three of Japan's four big carriers to the bottom of the Pacific, and effectively ended Japan's offensive capability. In between, Darwin was heavily bombed.
However, the crocodiles are far more interesting. We went to see them at Crocosaurous Cove, a Darwin aquarium where you can see them, feed them, and swim with them. First we saw an old guy named "Chopper." Good name for a croc! Here's a still, his cage caption, and then a video:
The problem was those pesky crocs! Seems that Thursday night two guys camping on the beach pitched their tent a little too close to the water. That night a croc came into their tent, grabbed one of the guys in his jaws, and dragged him out into the water. Being Aussie, the other guy chased after and beat the croc over the head until he let go. The first guy was badly injured but will be OK.
There are also jellyfish and sometimes sharks in the water. But very few humans.
We elected to do some shopping and sample a few more Great Northerns. For Bob's dinner, the local fish that is the chef's favorite in these parts: barramundi. Here is one in the Crocosaurous Cove aquarium; they get up to six feet long:
So it was a good day in Darwin. A couple of days at sea, and then we dock in Cooktown, also on Australia's northern coast, as we work our way east.
A Japanese invasion was a major threat from the day after Pearl Harbor until the battle of Midway Island, when the US carrier fleet sent three of Japan's four big carriers to the bottom of the Pacific, and effectively ended Japan's offensive capability. In between, Darwin was heavily bombed.
However, the crocodiles are far more interesting. We went to see them at Crocosaurous Cove, a Darwin aquarium where you can see them, feed them, and swim with them. First we saw an old guy named "Chopper." Good name for a croc! Here's a still, his cage caption, and then a video:
Time for swimming with the crocs (separated from them by a plexiglass cage of course), but they were all sold out for the day, But we got some good pictures and videos of some girls who were doing it. Looked like they were having fun. I had no idea a croc could snap its jaws shut that fast (second video).
Then it was time for lunch. Turnabout is fair play. We had crocodile for lunch, washed down with a couple of Great Northern drafts, the local beer of choice. Croc does not taste like chicken; it has a nice bite to it.
Next Mindel Beach, a beautiful wide strip of sandy beach on the other end of town. It was a beautiful sunny 92 degree Saturday afternoon, the water was warm ... and there was not a soul on the beach, to the left or to the right:
The problem was those pesky crocs! Seems that Thursday night two guys camping on the beach pitched their tent a little too close to the water. That night a croc came into their tent, grabbed one of the guys in his jaws, and dragged him out into the water. Being Aussie, the other guy chased after and beat the croc over the head until he let go. The first guy was badly injured but will be OK.
There are also jellyfish and sometimes sharks in the water. But very few humans.
We elected to do some shopping and sample a few more Great Northerns. For Bob's dinner, the local fish that is the chef's favorite in these parts: barramundi. Here is one in the Crocosaurous Cove aquarium; they get up to six feet long:
So it was a good day in Darwin. A couple of days at sea, and then we dock in Cooktown, also on Australia's northern coast, as we work our way east.
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