Fortunately my new friends Jamie, Darren and Maria complemented my shortcomings by setting an alarm for the following morning, and a relationship of convenience was born. We jumped aboard the Adventure Tours truck and off we sped, due east. After an amazing Indigenous experience where we learned how to weave baskets, throw spears and play didgeridoos (badly), we reached the famous Mary River Wetlands for our afternoon river cruise. The sun flooded the boat and warmed the hearts of all on board; seriously, that\u2019s how it feels for cold-climate dwellers that are slowly \u2018thawing out\u2019 in the northern heat. Our guide pointed out amazing bird life, the buffalo in the distance, and told us anecdotes about the flooded ecosystem of the Top End tropics. I felt myself drifting off, calm, content, a little hungover. Darren and Maria, sitting on either side of me, appeared to be following my lead.<\/p>\n
Swish. My eyes prized open. The heart kicked into second gear. A sudden splash disturbed the calm flooded river, and out of the corner of my eye I saw it coming straight towards Maria. A silver blur, over half a metre in length, leapt out of the water, slapped Maria in the face, and landed at the bottom of our boat. Maria sobered up in an instant. The guide calmly leant down to pick up the too-large-for-a-plate-sized fish, and said (in a VERY thick Aussie accent), \u201cAh yeah, this is a Saratoga. This fella thinks it\u2019s safer on land than in the water. Which means the croc\u2019s just there somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.adventuretours.com.au\/australia-outback-yarns\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/australia_northern-territory_Mary_River_crocodile.jpg\")
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The guide then gave the fish a kiss and threw him into back into the river, to recommence his unfortunate swim against the odds with a prehistoric giant. \u201cGuys, just another reminder \u2013 hands inside the boat\u2026 ah, look, there\u2019s a brolga!\u201d as he swivelled on his heels to point out a dainty Australian crane nearby. I had my elbow hanging over the edge of the boat, which I quickly folded across my lap. I looked at Darren, Maria looked at Jamie, we all looked at each other, and asked ourselves what actually<\/em> had happened just now; our mouths were wide open, yet no one said a word.<\/p>\n Anything is possible in Kakadu; flying fish were just one of the many highlights of my trip. I\u2019ve heard too many stories about Kakadu to know that this wasn\u2019t \u2018a one-off\u2019 experience, and I\u2019m convinced there are so many other moments that make every trip unique and truly memorable.<\/p>\n I\u2019m heading back up to the Top End this week. I can\u2019t wait to visit Kakadu again<\/a>; I wonder what lasting memories it will provide me this time. There\u2019s only one guarantee though \u2013 the best bits won\u2019t be in the brochure.<\/p>\n