In the evening we did the Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Dinner Cruise.   During the wet season you can travel right through the gorge but during the dry the water levels drop so you get a series of river sections separated by rocks.  These trees are underwater during the wet season and have all been bent over by the flow of water.  Amazing they survive. 

We did a two ‘gorge’ trip before dinner.  Go up in one boat, then walk a bit and get onto another boat and do another section of the gorge. 

In places sheer cliff walls. 

Just to make you feel safe, national parks install crocodile traps along the gorge in the dry season.

They also tie brightly coloured buoys to trees.  Apparently crocodiles love bright colours and attack these.  Rangers can tell from the bite marks whether it’s a salty or freshwater crocodile.  As crocodiles are very territorial if it’s a salty they can trap and remove.

Some rock art – not dots and only one hand!

This is gorge formation in miniature, from the air you see blocks of sandstone.

Right hand bends in the gorge are caused by meeting of two fractures.  This is very famous sight of gorge – apparently.

Paul on the bow, lights all wrong though.

These sand bank areas

Are where (sorry about the picture quality)

Paul and I at dinner

Our appetizers – olives, sun dried tomatoes, smoked salmon, aubergine, cheese, gherkins

With savoury toasties

Followed by crocodile soup, then sorbet

And then it got so dark you really couldn’t see a thing.  I had Barra, Paul had steak, all followed by a coconut crème brullee.  We ate by candlelight, the reason being:

At sunset – glorious setting – thousands of fruit bats took to the air you might just be able to see them here. 

Bit like those bird flocks you see coming into roost only these guys were going out to feed.  I’ll leave you with these pictures.