May 1
4,172 Clicks
After hanging our sleeping bags & tent out to dry, we walked into Windjana Gorge hoping to spot some freshwater crocodiles & fossils.
The ridge of the gorge is made up of millions of years old coral reef that was buried in sediment during the Devonian Period (360 million years ago), then eroded and exposed and carved into a gorge by water. Another short hike that didn't disappoint!
This is the fossil of a primeval marine squid-like creature that had a shell -- a nautiloid. 
Looking for crocs:
And here's one of our first freshies!! Little shrimps compared to salties. There was a sign asking hikers to use caution & keep about 5 meters away from freshies & not to get between them & the water. They're not interested in people so much, they'd rather eat a frog or a fish, but there was a photo of a foot laceration caused by a freshie & it wasn't pretty. Apparently, they'll bite if you mess with them. 
The sky was still cloud-filled, the forecast called for more rain, and the roadways out of Windjana were spotted with some treacherous mud pits. This made us change course -- we're leaving the Gibb River Road & will be taking the longer, paved Great Northern Highway back to Darwin. Chris said there were a bunch of collection spots he missed on our way out, so it's a win-win (more solanum, less chance of getting stuck).
(That green splotch in the background is Chris doing his botanist thang with Solanum beaugleholei, 20 feet or so from the prison ruins.)
Back to the Bunuba...the park signs told us that a Bunuba man, named Jandamarra who'd been made to work at a cattle station as a part of his "probation" after spearing a cow, became a tracker for a man named Richardson, who had joined the police force after the cattle station closed.
During a particularly tense time between white settlers & Aboriginal peoples, Richardson & Jandamarra captured several of the top Bunuba leaders & held them captive at the jail for 7 days. During his long night watches, Jandamarra was pressured by his fellow Bunuba to join the resistance & let them go. He shot Richardson the night before the prisoners were to be sent to Derby & freed his countrymen. They fled to Windjana Gorge & set up an ambush on a group of white settlers setting up a new cattle station -- 2-3 ranchers were killed.
Jandamarra was wounded in a battle shortly thereafter, but escaped to Tunnel Creek. Hundreds of his people were then killed in the aftermath. With his inner circle dwindling, Jandamarra came out of hiding to try & free his comrades. After 3 years of evading capture, he was shot in 1897 by an Aboriginal tracker named Mongo Mick, right outside the entrance to Tunnel Creek.
Tunnel Creek was our second hike of the day...and it was a doozy!! Here's the entrance:
The posted signs said to wear toe-covering shoes, carry a headlamp or torch (flashlight) & to bring water. It's basically a hike in cold water up to your knees under a mountain, mostly in the dark with random patches of sunlight.
We scrambled over rocks to get inside and then just followed our fearless leader...
It was dark & the water was cold, but totally cool. We saw a few kinds of fish, some crayfish and toads, but other than that, it was just us & the dark...under a mountain...with two headlamps (one in desperate need of new batteries) & waterbottles...knee deep in cold water.
We made it to the end and quickly realized the only way back was the way we came. That's when my headlamp caught a tiny red glowing dot, like the end of a lit cigarette, on the water...and another...and another. We were not as alone as we'd thought -- those red glowing dots were the eyes of freshwater crocs!!! Gulp!!
You know we lived to tell the tale because I'm blogging about it, but holy heck, seriously?!? Where in the world are we that one is permitted to hike in the dark, under a mountain, in knee-deep water, aside crocodiles with only a headlamp and water bottle?!? No signage or guard rail or any kind of a waiver to sign?? Crazy!! Dorothy, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore!
There might've also been some bats fluttering around at this point that nearly gave our teen heart failure when coupled with the realization that there was only one way out. She managed to pull it together and we walked past those crocs in a Martine huddle. Isee white knuckled Chris' arm the entire way out. I had a good firm grip on his shirt & Jackson...well, who knows, but he made it out too.
I was pretty sure we were too big for a freshie to tangle with us, even as individuals, but we've seen warnings not to get in their way. Well, we were in THE DARK. How are we supposed to know if we're getting in their way or not? Sheesh!
I think we were still wide-eyed and grinning like idiots when we passed some Australians heading in. We warned them about the freshies, but they weren't very concerned. In all honesty, I think the biggest one was about 3 feet long -- babies.
Here we are back on the outside...40 toes between us. It's many hours after this experience & I still get a little giddy thinking about our croc adventure today. Totally bananas!!!
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