Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, Broome, WA

Crocodiles- saltwater and freshwater

There are two major types of crocodiles in Australia, both hanging out in the north, in parts of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. The two types differ considerably in the area in which they inhabit, their temperament and their physical characteristics. As their names indicate, Saltwater (Estuarine) crocodiles live in coastal areas, open seas, tidal rivers, estuaries and floodplains, especially in the Kimberley region. Confusingly though- they are sometimes found in freshwater pools inland also. These guys are larger than the freshwater crocodiles, and can grow to 7 metres. They are dangerous predators and they live on a diet of fish, waterbirds and sometimes land based mammals such as wallabies. They can be easily identified by their lareg size, broad snout and the absence of an occipital pattern on their heads. Freshwater crocodiles inhabit freshwater creeks, rivers, artificial lakes and sometimes tidal areas. They feed mainly on insects, small aquatic animals and fish and are more passive around humans. Not considered aggressive, they will observe human activity but not go out of their way to attack. Yet, if provoked they can do great harm. They are smaller than the "Salties", with a narrower snout and they have an occipital pattern (four oval scales) on their head. 

We have seen both types in our travels, the salties being mostly in the Crocodile Park in Broome and the freshies being in both Geikie and Windjana Gorges and Tunnel Creek. Here are some photos... from those in captivity.

 

Feeding time! They were a bit reluctant to feed (they're fed daily at 3.30pm for the tourists) as it's winter time and their bodies are cooler and therefore cannot easily process food. So, they don't eat much during wintertime as they cannot adequately digest (and the food can go rotten in their tummies and kill them). But from the feeding it was obvious which were salties and which freshies as the former really attacked the food, launching out of the water, whereas the latter needed the food to be thrown into the water towards them

A brave little explorer holding a freshie.

In the wild at Windjana Gorge the freshies looked more like this... there were almost 100 in the midday sun.

 Cruising around

 They were so much more active in the high heat.

In Geikie Gorge National Park- on the Fitzroy River... the freshies were smaller and most placid.

Hard to see, but in the foreground is a croc just metres away from a pelican- neither was moving!

 Enjoying the sunshine

We didn't actually see the crocodiles in Tunnel Creek, as it was very dark, but eyes shone in the torchlight!

Derby, WA

  

Derby

The town of Derby, located on King Sound was settled in the 1880's and it's port primarily serviced the brief gold rush in Halls Creek (1885). This gold fever died down as it was discovered that gold was not as plentiful as was thought and the natives rather hostile. It has the highest tides with a differential of 11.8 metres between high and low tides. Derby has a population of approx. 3000 with half being of aboriginal descent. Derby was bombed by the Japanese during the second world war because of the pier and air base that was used by the Australian forces. Derby was also known as the first scheduled aviation service in Western AustraliaAirways Ltd, with the first flight being on Dec 5, 1921. Now the town boasts the Kimberley School of the Air base and a strong history of involvement with the royal flying doctors. Many whistling Kites circled the town, and we enjoyed a very brief overnight stay at the caravan park to recharge batteries and supplies. 

The Derby wharf, picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derby,_Western_Australia

Just out of Derby is a famous Boab Tree, once used as a makeshift prison camp.

Now the Prison Tree is home to birds, snakes and bees. 

More about Boab trees later- they are just incredible, bold, unapologetic and majestic! I love them.

Pardoo Roadhouse, WA

While it may seem funny to include a humble roadhouse in this travel blog- they really take on great importance in the life of a traveller. When you finally reach one when in the outback, you always welcome the sight of petrol bowsers, overpriced fast food ($6 for a meat pie or sausage roll) and if you're lucky a tiny bit of grass to ease the eye. Roadhouses in the bush mean civilisation, hot food, fuel, the chance for a chat with another human being, sometimes a spot for a shower, toilet stop and even accomodation if you need. 

The Pardoo roadhouse, between Port Headland and Broome, WA was a brief stop, but all the more memorable because of the wildlife freely roaming- peacocks. http://www.pardoo.com.au/ 

Now these guys are fascinating. And I mean the male of the species, as the female is a dull brown colour. The male gets all the bright, beautiful plumage and an attitude to match. Charles Darwin theorized that the males needed their colours to ensure that they were able to find a mate. Females have been shown to prefer males with bright plumage as mates, and in some cases these males have indicated a stronger survival instinct and therefore improved genetics. Some studies have shown that chicks sired by the brighter coloured males are born heavier and healthier. Marion Petrie's (1991) studies have determined correlation between tail ornamentation, mating success and increased survival ability in the males and their offspring. Apparently, when the males loose their feathers annually they tend to stay close to the nest and refuse contact. Perhaps they're shy when they haven't got their "make-up" on?

Karijini, Western Australia

Karijini National Park

Hoping to escape the impending wet weather we turned inland and arrived in the industrial town, Tom Price (the highest town in Western Australia and home to the immense mining operation that is the Rio Tinto iron ore operation) very late after a long long drive. (Luckily scoring the last room in the entire town! And it had TV- so ABC for kids was a very welcome distraction for Amelia.) We were hoping to stay at Karijini after replenishing our supplies but it was not to be. We were advised the weather was going to get worse so we'd be pretty cold, even in one of the fancy eco-tents. http://www.karijiniecoretreat.com.au/ They looked really nice though. So we did a quick tour of the area and then moved on. Here are some images from the amazing National Park.

Karijini National Park is located in the Hammersley Range in north- western Western Australia. It's mostly tropical semi arid in climate (rainfall between 250-350 mm annually) and the gorges are spectacular, with sparkling waters, challenging walks and beautiful rock formations. There were many great walks around the gorges and into the swimming holes but we didn't want to risk the weather and our youngest team member wasn't overly co-operative. A bit disappointing- but we'd definately recommend this national park of those who enjoy bush walking. Here's a link if you're interested... http://www.karijini.com/

Knox Lookout

Always giving directions!

The rock layers evident throughout the park include shale, dolomite and obviously banded iron.

Termite Mounds

Sometimes up to 7 metres tall, some mounds are crenellated near the top to create airflow that help to keep the structure dry, while others have a north-south aspect to regulate temperature. They are built by tiny blind worker termites using a mixture of saliva, excreta and earth to form a rock hard cement. In the humid environment within the mound, the queen termite produces 2000 eggs a day during her lifespan, which can be up to 50 years! Most of the termites which live in the North live on savannah grasses and build tunnels out of the mound to collect food. They are good for the environment in that their waste enriches the soil. And they build really cool homes!

Circular Pool

 So many walks to choose from

Wild flowers

These photos were taken for a certain little someone who strongly insists that a place is NOT beautiful unless it has flowers- preferrably PINK FLOWERS. It's our mission to convince her otherwise but until then I'm instructed to photograph flowers whenever we're lucky enough to encounter them. These are rare at this time of year. I don't know their individual species names but it's amazing to see such brilliant life in amongst the dry dusty environment. Where there's life, there's hope!