Saturday July 2nd 2011 Timber Creek and Victoria River

Bobby and boab trees. Age comparison?

 

Such a busy day!!! Drove to some lookout spots in the area to get a bigger picture. The geographical landforms are spectacular with rich-coloured rocks and escarpments where various trees and other vegetation seem to flourish or hang on just to exist. 

Gregory's Tree

 

The legendary boab tree grows in abundance in this region. A bundle of boabs? A bottle of boabs? A boa of boabs? Much more interesting than a forest or a glade. Robert had heard of The Gregory Tree somewhere in this national park (Gregory National Park) so we headed off to find it as it was somewhere near Timber Creek.



 
Augustus Gregory was an extraordinary person with skills that covered mapping, exploration and discovery. He respected the indigenous people and encouraged the men working for him to do the same. Gregory learnt from the Aboriginal people. The 19 men with Gregory survived a trip from Timber Creek to Brisbane after the ship they were supposed to meet was declared unseaworthy.

just watching - Victoria River cruise

Sea eagle on Victoria River

The Gregory Tree is inscribed with dates and other information about the settlement. It is at least 2000 years old! The other tree we all know about is The Dig Tree - we know what happened to Burke and Wills but not many of us know about Gregory and he lived to tell the tale along with all of his men.

Wildflowers and flowering trees pepper the landscape along with tall, dry grasses. I'd love to collect some of the grasses to practise the limited basket-weaving skills I learnt a couple of years ago at a mini-workshop. Looking at some of the intricate baskets and bags that are made by many of the indigenous women, I appreciate the skills that they have.

Our next stop was Big Horse Creek. We found out later that large barramundi are called big horses. Work that one out and tell me how that happened! This is a camping area for tents, caravans, etc. There are toilets. No power. Boats are launched from the large ramp. A couple of old men were fishing from the ramp; one from a sensible distance from the water's edge, the other right on the edge and even after suggesting that he should move away, he stayed right where he started.

Afternoon adventure: a cruise down the Victoria River. An old airy bus collected us near the caravan park with Neville as the driver and tour guide. He has lived all of his life in this area and in March he bought the cruise business and The Croc Stock Shop. Neville also owns a cattle property.

Arriving at Big Horse Creek, we left the bus and walked a short distance to the boat. With the wind blowing, we soon felt cool - it was a warm and humid day. This also meant that the number of crocodiles would be less as they don't like it too hot.

 The Victoria River is 500 km long and up to 100 metres wide in places, with a depth of 3 metres. It's a muddy, green-brown tidal river with steep banks in places that lead down to a very slippery shallow bank when the tide ebbs. Crocodiles basked in the sun, sometimes hidden by grass or camouflaged so well that it's a surprise when Neville pointed them out. There were freshies and salties. Some were very long and quite frightening up close.When the opportunity arose, Neville guided the boat as close as he could to almost look the crocs in the eye. One huge beast didn't move a muscle of blink an eye for almost 5 minutes. With a sudden and unexpected rev of the engine, the crocodile moved a speed to splash into the river and quickly disappear.

Corellas, in abundance, dotted the trees and flew off at the sound of the boat. Wallabies watched from the grassy banks and scooted off most of the time as we got close although a few stayed and looked apprehensively.

Another highlight was the feeding of hawks and sea eagles. Neville did a few bird calls and as we neared the feeding spot, the hawks began to gather in the trees. As food was thrown onto the bank and in the river, the hawks swooped and greedily snatched the food. I took some video but it's not very good.

As the hawks were finishing up, two sea eagles landed to get their share. The birds know that there will be a feed every day at the same time. It's not their entire diet because they are living in the wild and need to survive independently.

Further along we moored at a pontoon sitting in the middle of the river. It had sides, a large deck, toilet and storage area. This is where nibbles were served. Neville had boarded the boat with a mini-fridge strapped like a backpack and hanging from his shoulders; this contained hot and cold nibbles which everyone shared.

Neville with his backpack of goodies

While we were at the pontoon, a large crocodile swam towards us - silently and with stealth. It wasn't interested in any of the fish that were hanging on a line. Robert caught a catfish for it but it couldn't be bothered to eat it. Just as quietly as the crocodile approached, it lowered itself under the surface of the water where it disappeared from sight. That's eerie!

The setting sun provided the opportunity for more photographs of this beautiful river. It didn't take long for darkness to settle but the jetty was solar-lit and Neville had done this trip a few times so we trusted him. Going back in the bus was a bit like the end of a school excursion when all the kids are tired and have enjoyed an excellent trip.

sunset on Victoria River - serene