According to western science there are two seasons in the Top
End, the wet and the dry. According to the indigenous people of northern Australia,
there are six seasons and each is heralded by changes to the flora, fauna and
of course the weather. This season is known as Gurrung (hot, dry) – which is
exactly what today has been, low humidity and 38 degrees.
Too hot for a long walk, but in the early morning we brave
two short ones. The first is a 2km return walk to Mardugal Billabong a beautiful,
still, picturesque, reflective and croc infested waterway. We enjoy the peace
and solitude beside an expanse of water that is mirror-like and teeming with
wildlife. We pass through a forest of paperbarks, which is peppered with
colourful and fast moving native butterflies. The second track is a 2km loop track
through the woodland scrub, which is so typical of Kakadu. This walk is much dryer
and hotter than the billabong walk, but the wallabies entertain us as they bound
away at lightning speed when they hear us coming. 
The day ends with a river cruise on one of Kakadu’s most
famous waterways, the Yellow Water Billabong, which flows into the South Alligator
River. We bake in the late afternoon sun but as the afternoon cools we watch
the wildlife stir after the fierce heat of the day. Ducks, fish, sea eagles,
kites, cormorants, jabiru, brolgas, pelicans, kingfishers, wild cattle, water buffalo,
brumbies and of course… crocs, which are so close to the boat you can smell
them. So at odds with the beauty of the giant lotus lilies which line the banks
of the river.
As the evening approaches the sky is filled with thousands
of magpie geese flying in formation to return to their nightly roosts. As the
sun sets we are treated to a radiant light show befitting another unique day in
the hot, dry Top End. 
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