Snapping up a croc of gold down under

Hot on the heels of The Australian Wilderness with Ray Mears, broadcast on ITV on Fridays, Ravender Sembhy visits the Northern Territory, where several episodes were filmed

Gliding through a wilderness flanked by free-flowing rivers and giant escarpments, I imagine nature’s bounty has never seemed so generous. I am in Australia’s remote Northern Territory (NT) for a five-day trip that will take me through sacred Aboriginal lands, crocodile-filled rivers and some of the most undisturbed and spectacular scenery on the planet.

This was, I suspect, part of the motivation behind Ray Mears’ trip to the NT, where he filmed his latest TV programme, The Australian Wilderness.

I begin my own tour of the so-called Top End, the extreme north of the area, with Venture North Safaris. A heavy duty 4X4 whisks me from port city Darwin to the rough, open road towards Kakadu National Park in Arnhem Land on a three-hour drive.

My tour guide is Dave McMahon, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region, and an infectious enthusiasm for the Territory. As we judder along the dirt road towards our first stop, I take in the varied landscape. Some parts are arid and desert-like and others rich in all manner of lush, green plant life; pandanus trees weep under the sun, manicured mango farms and enormous termite cathedrals line our corridor south.

The Northern Territory is the most sparsely populated of Australia’s regions with around 250,000 people, and that means wildlife is free to roam the unspoilt wilderness.

Wallabies, buffaloes and wild horses, as well as egrets, kookaburras, darters and kites – the Top End boasts 400 different bird species – are all spotted before we reach the Corroboree Billabong, a tributary off the Mary River Wetlands. Here, we take a 90-minute river cruise on a safari boat and come face to face with the Top End’s most infamous natural-born predators: crocodiles. There are more than 100,000 wild crocs in the NT and they’re found in almost all rivers, creeks and even the sea, making most water unswimmable for humans.

“That’s the way it should be”, says Dave, explaining that there are plenty of other places for people to swim and that one of the things that makes the Top End special is that it remains mostly as nature intended, untarnished by urban intrusion.

On board our boat, and at a safe distance, several freshwater and saltwater crocodiles lounge in the sun along the bank, occasionally disappearing under the water and then resurfacing moments later.

Back in our vehicle we head towards Injalak Hill, which, along with Ubirr, is one of two sublime Aboriginal rock art sites in and around Kakadu. Guided by Roland, an indigenous art expert, we are taken aback by the 20,000-year-old paintings that feature an abundance of animals – barramundi, crocodiles, water snakes, birds, catfish and long neck turtles – testament to Aboriginal life and sacred traditions through the ages, giving us a glimpse into one of the oldest cultures on the planet.

Travellers can make their way to Injalak Hill themselves but the terrain is rough and a 4WD is strongly recommended. You must also purchase a permit to visit the adjoining town of Gunbalanya in advance from the Northern Land Council in Darwin or Jabiru. For Ubirr, entry is free and visitors can drive to the gallery or take a day tour from Darwin.

With the day half gone and our bodies flagging under the scorching sun, we make our way on foot along Barramundi Creek to Maguk and a natural plunge pool, one of the very few places where people can swim in croc-free waters in Kakadu.

We snorkel under a glistening