Crocodiles Jump Like Kangaroos in Darwin

Crocodiles Jump Like Kangaroos in Darwin

Have you seen crocodiles jump like kangaroos? If you have not, probably you need to fly down to Darwin to see one. The tour is called the Jumping Crocodile Cruise and it is a full day tour including the scenic tour of LitchField National Park.

There are a few tour operators offering the Jumping Crocodile Cruise and we recommend the Darwin Tours (as they sponsored the tour) and we enjoyed their services overall (honestly). This is a day tour and they will pick you up at your hotel lobby in Darwin with a mini-van.

Together with the total of 26 people, we sat in the air conditioned mini-van and head on to Adelaide River. There we meet our local guide (who is looks like a modern Tarzan) and he briefed us on the safety and also do and don’ts during the Jumping Crocodile Cruise Tour. His name is Pat the real Dr Crocodile Doolittle Dundee Erwin, a local guide with lots of experience in this part of the world. He shared his experience living in this part of the world with the natives as well as his knowledge on local tribes.

After the briefing, we slowly walked to the custom made metal boats and again we are reminded again for do and don’ts as we are going to get up close and personal with really big crocodiles. Please take note that these are real wild crocodiles and not captivity crocs.

The boat slowly moves around the Adelaide River and since crocodiles are territorials, Erwin can easily identify the local residents. There are a few big ones and these crocs are quite ‘familiar’ with the tour boats.

So how do the crocodiles jump like a kangaroo?

The trick is the feeding time. The meat will use as bait will tied at the end of the pole. Pat will lure the crocodile to next of the boat with the bait and the crocodile will jump up the air to snatch it.

To jump, the crocodile will use its tail and only can do so at the river bank. They can’t jump in deep waters.

To protect ourselves from the crocodile, the boat is built with custom made fencing. We are required to be within the boat’s perimeter. Anything beyond the fencing might be caught by the crocodile.

Remember this old Malay idiom, ‘Jangan Sangka Air Tenang Tiada Buaya’ means never believe there is no crocodile in still waters. There are cases of wild crocodile attacks in Australia but not common. Many locals understand the rule of no swimming in this state.

Crocodiles are protected species in Australia and you can’t kill or hunt them without permission. They are protected by law to increase their populations from decades ago.

There is also a side show of feeding the eagles. They are also native animals in Adelaide River. After the cruise, we took the mini-van to Litchfield National Park for sightseeing.

We have seen crocodiles before. The shows in Thailand even some of the wild ones in Malaysia but for up, close and personal, this is our first. These wild crocodiles in Adelaide River are not small potatoes, they are huge. Their jaws are bigger than the huge shark from the movie ‘The Jaws’ and these are real crocodiles.

Please take note that the tour is very safe. There are no children on our tour but if there is, parental guidance is needed indefinitely. We rather to visit wild crocodiles than visiting them in captives in zoo or sea park in our own opinion. This is definitely one of the things to do in Darwin.

For more info on this tour, please visit www.DarwinTours.com.au. Advance booking is required.

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This is a sponsored post by Darwin Tours, Tourism NT and Tourism Australia Malaysia.

Wilson Ng