One of my favourite destinations in Australia is the Kimberley region. Roughly 600 kilometres from Darwin is Timber Creek. The town is in the Victoria River area and is the only significant settlement on the Victoria Highway between Western Australia and the town of Katherine. It has a couple of garages, caravan parks and a small community. We have been twice before and wanted our friends — who were traveling with us — to experience the crocodile feeding in the park and also the sunset river cruise.
For a while it didn’t look like the Victoria River Crocodile Cruise was running. At least eight people are required for it to proceed, but fortunately 26 people booked in the end and we were off. We would have been disappointed if we missed it a secod time because of low numbers.
The three and a half hour 70-kilometre journey into the heart of the Top End is conducted on a specially built pontoon boat, said to be ‘croc proof’. We stopped along the way for hot and cold finger food, and nibbles. Neville Fogarty, our bus and boat guy, had extensive knowledge of the area having lived there most of his life and running his own business in this small town.
We saw lots of crocodiles, both saltwater and freshwater. Neville fed the sea eagles and kites, and we all liked the wildlife sightings. I was thrilled to get a good photo of a jabiru too; I was really in the Northern Territory now. Sunset was lovely with the majestic red mountains behind us and the colours reflected in the water.
The two nights at Timber Creek went quickly. We had seen the crocodile feeding the first afternoon and took the cruise the second evening. We also travelled to Policemans Point Lookout to the west of the town to take in the views of the river as it wound through the hills and ranges, and Kuwang Lookout in the east for photos of the Stokes Range . A walk of Joe Creek and the Escarpment Lookout trails near Victoria River Roadhouse is also something worth doing if you’re in the area.
We enjoyed a coffee and cakes in the Croc Shop run by Neville and his wife. I bought another book on the life of an early pioneer to the outback. It was soon time to say goodbye to Timber Creek and continue our around Australia trip.