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DVD: Working On The RV Road
Learn how to earn income while RVing. Author and work camping expert Jaimie Hall reveals what you need to know to gain employment or run your own business while traveling with a recreational vehicle.
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Australia, and indeed the world, is mourning the death this month of a great Australian, Steve Irwin, known on TV as "The Crocodile Hunter." I do not think anyone realized exactly how much he was loved by 99 percent of Australians until the outpouring of emotion since his death.
I was not aware of his fame in the rest of the world. Within a few hours of my first article being published in RV Travel in July I received an email from an enthusiastic fan, Bob, from Wilmington, Delaware, asking about Steve and his zoo. Is sent him some info and a link to the Australia Zoo site. Bob replied with a very appreciate thank you for all the info. It looked as if he was headed straight to the zoo as soon as he was off the plane.
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| A saltie. Photo courtest robgray.com. |
So I thought this week I would write about crocodiles in Australia, where you can see them, and how to be croc wise when motorhoming in Australia.
There are two sorts of crocs. Saltwater (salties), the dangerous type, and freshwater (freshies), the more timid type. Don't be fooled though. You can find salties in fresh water and a long way from their normal habitat of the salt water. They can also get trapped in water holes for the dry season. Their habitat extends the whole north coast of Australia from Townsville in Queensland to Port Headland in West Australia.
There are many places you can see them either in their natural habitat or in zoos. The most famous being Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's legacy. They have a "Crocoseum" where you can see daily shows that feature crocodiles. Other large crocodile farms hold tours in Darwin in Northern Territory, and Broome and Wyndham in West Australia. You can also do boat tours in Kakadu to see crocodiles in their natural habitat at Yellow Water in Kakadu National Park or see the jumping crocodile show near Darwin. You can see plenty of "freshies" in their natural habitat in Katherine Gorge in the NT and Windjana Gorge in the Kimberley to name a few.
When travelling your motorhome in the north of Australia you need to be croc wise and ensure you follow some simple rules
-- Do not set up your camp near the water's edge.
-- Do not swim in crocodile habitats -- no mater how inviting the water is.
-- Do not clean fish near the waters edge.
-- Stand back from the waters edge when fishing.
-- Do not hang arms and legs, or any other items, out of small boats
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| A freshie. Photo courtest robgray.com. |
My own experience of a croc in the wild was exciting. We had camped in a rest area a few hours out of Darwin near the entrance to Kakadu National Park. Whilst having breakfast the next morning I was looking out to the waterhole about 100 yards away watching a clock of birds around the water. All of a them were disturbed and flew up in the air. It was then we noticed the culprit was a large saltie who had started to move around on the banks of the waterhole. I was amazed at the size of the beast so close to our camp.
On another occasion I had walked a long distance on a bush walk in the far north of the Northern Territory. We came back to our boat where other people had just started jumping from the boat into the water to cool down. Just as one of our group was also about to take the plunge a very large croc surfaced in the deep water some 30 feet from the boat. Everyone was out of the water in a flash.
Although they look scary and you may have heard bad stories of crocodiles killing people, do not let this put you off travelling in the north of Australia. If you take some sensible steps to be "croc wise" you will find the croc you come across (hopefully in a zoo or on an organized tour) interesting. Go to one of the zoos or tours and learn about this fascinating ancient dinosaur. You will not regret it.
For more info on hiring a motorhome in Australia or articles on the motorhoming lifestyle and motorhoming in Australia subscribe to the free Motorhoming Lifestyle Ezine at www.motorhominglifestyle.com
©2006 Gail Bennett (motorhominglifestyle.com). If you would like to reproduce this article on your website please contact gail@motorhominglifestyle.com
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