Magpie geese

Ned showed us what amazing plants these are.

A Cathedral mound. This mound could be over a hundred years old, as could the queen termite.

A mimi spirit.

My first fresh water croc! And a big'un at that.

He picked the flowers and tucked them behind the women's ears.

And he picked the seed pods and gave us the seeds to eat (they tasted a little like sweet peas, only not as sweet--really good!).

Our first stop in Kakadu was Ubirr, where we saw some amazing detailed rock paintings of mimi spirits, x-ray paintings of critters Aborigines hunted, and representational images. Some of the paintings may date back 20,000 years.

X-ray painting of a long-necked turtle. The painting depicts exactly what the name implies: the bones and internal structure of the critters. Different color paints were used to portray what could and couldn't be eaten.

Our day in the Top End started with a flat-bottom boat cruise to spot fresh water crocs and other wildlife.

He broke the stem to show us the filaments that run through it.

Australian Freshwater Crocodile

We were driving through savannah woodland shortly after we entered the park when all of a sudden the woodland abruptly stopped and the plains began, only to change back just as abruptly a short while later.

The rock paintings were used to teach numerous things from how one should behave to what one can eat to the people's creation stories.

I couldn't believe this is the same state as Alice and Kings Canyon. Everything is so dry in the southern part of the state, truly a desert, and up at the Top End they were coming into the wet and there was water *everywhere*!

Snake bird

One of the entries into the park. The cutouts in the sign indicate the stages in which the park became a world heritage site. The area was listed for both its natural and cultural value.

Bottom's up.

Ned, our captain, took us into a huge patch of water lilies.

Jabiru

All along the drive from Darwin to Kakadu, there are termite mounds of every size, from tiny little bumps to mounds that tower above me.

At one point, there were so many small termite mounds it looked like headstones in a cemetery.

Another bush fire.