Darwin is known for its national parks and saltwater crocodiles. Our weekend trip is too short for a visit to the national parks but we ain’t going to miss seeing some crocs.
Crocodiles are native to the Northern Territory (NT) and its longest inhabitant having been around for 200 million years. The number of saltwater crocodiles dwindled to just 3,000 in 1971, but rebounded strongly after they became a protected species. After successful conservation efforts, now there are almost as many crocodiles as people in the Northern Territory. There are approximately 150,000 saltwater crocodiles and at least 100,000 freshwater crocodiles across northern Australia (source: Tourism NT).
Crocosaurus Cove is a crocodile-themed attraction in the heart of downtown Darwin. It features some of the largest saltwater crocodiles in Australia and the largest collection of Australian reptiles in the world. Located along Mitchell Street, Darwin’s dining and entertainment center, it is easily accessible.
If you are game for a close-up encounter with a huge saltwater croc, go for its signature Cage of Death activity. You will be lowered into the water in a transparent cage for a face-to-face experience with one of their massive reptiles. Charges are at A$170 for 1 pax or A$260 for 2 pax. There are 11 sessions per day between 9.30am to 5pm.
We decided that is too nerve-wrecking for us and prefer to walk around instead. We met 6 main stars of Crocosaurus Cove: Leo, Axel, Wendell, Burt, William and Kate. Somehow i think we missed Chopper, who has a reputation of being one of the most feared saltwater crocs in the Northern Territory.
Crocosaurus Cove gave two loving crocodiles honorary names after the Royal Couple, William (a.k.a. Houdini) and Kate (a.k.a. Bess) to mark their wedding in 2011. William measures 4.6m and weighs 690kg, while Kate measures 2.8m and weighs only 110kg.
Remember the 1986 action film Crocodile Dundee? Meet Burt, who had starred in it as well some documentaries and awareness programs. The oldest and most famous resident of Crocosaurus Cove is now blind in one eye and a swinging single after unsuccessful mating attempts. The 80 years old star is famous for attacking female crocs who were keen in mating with him. Thus far he had bitten the heads off three female crocs! OMG!
Bad boy Wendell who measures 5.5m and weighs approx 800kg.
The World of Crocs is a small-scale museum with more information on the reptile and skeleton specimen on display. Photo-taking holding a baby crocodile cost A$25 for first photo. We didn’t take any but was allowed to stroke the little croc which is around 2 years old. We gingerly touched the little thing whose jaws were taped shut and skin felt smooth to the touch.
On the opposite end is Crocosaurus Cove’s reptile collection with over 70 species of reptiles on display. Their critters include snakes, lizards, geckos and turtles.
Crocosaurus Cove’s fish collection is modeled on a typical river system in NT. The collection of fishes includes the Barramundi or Asian sea bass, which is popular for its taste and nutritional value.
One of Crocosaurus Cove’s program is big croc feed and presentation. The program starts off with Bite Force demonstration. A purpose built machine is used to demonstrate the tremendous force behind the jaws of a crocodile as it makes a meal out of a solid block of ice. Humans have weak jaw power about a sack of potatoes (20kg). A large crocodile’s jaw power is at the other extreme equivalent to the weight of a large diesel truck (3400kg)! Even a lion’s jaw power is less than a-tenth of a large croc’s at 300kg.
Then it’s croc feeding time. These ancient reptiles we learnt may not be keen on the food every time. In fact, we learnt that as they seldom move much in captivity, they eat little. We watched as a big one took a bite at the food and tried unsuccessfully to tug it off the line. After a few tries, he gave up and went back into the waters. Guess it was not so hungry after all.
This is a must-try. Crocodile feeding or ‘Fishing for Crocs’ as they call it! After big croc feed and presentation, each visitor is given a chance to try this for free. A tiny bit of meat is hooked to the end of a fishing line. All we had to do was to lower the line close to the water surface. A juvenile croc swiftly lifted its head up for the feed. There are 3 sessions daily at 11.45am, 2.45pm and 4.30pm.
Another novel free activity is ‘Swim with the Crocs’. Jump into the waters and enjoy a swim with juvenile crocs alongside you in a separate tank.
Chill at the cafe which serves croc meat burger.
Ending this post with some of the fun facts we learnt about crocodiles:
- The name crocodile is derived from the Greek word krokodeilos, which literally means ‘pebble worm’. Calling a massive croc a worm?
- Crocodiles have changed little in the past 100 million years. They shared the same ancestors as dinosaurs, making them cousins. So since birds are now recognised as descendants of dinosaurs, that makes birds the closest living relatives to crocodiles!
- Crocodiles have sixth sense and can detect pressure changes in water. Even if a crocodile is blind, it knows exactly where to strike it’s prey in muddy water
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Admission charges for Crocosaurus Cove is at A$36/adult, A$28/senior and A$23/child.
Tip: Grab a travel guide book or pamphlet for Crocosaurus Cove to get a 10% discount off the admission charge effortlessly. Remember it’s one pamphlet per pax.
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Read about my trip itinerary and the places visited in A Weekend In Darwin .
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