Although we were quite happy to say goodbye to our accommodation at Mataranka, we were very sad to leave the thermal pools, Bitter Springs and whip cracking practice areas. We left Mataranka around 9am and stopped at Cutta Cutta Caves just a minute or two before 10am where we were lucky to be able to tack onto the 10am tour.

The Cutta Cutta Caves are pretty amazing although VERY hot and humid inside. “A” was also nearly needing another pair of undies after the guide warned us several times about snakes and even took in a snake pole and snake bite kit into the caves. Thankfully, we did not see a single snake and the only wildlife we saw were bats.

Interestingly, the Cutta Cutta means “place of many stars” as the dreamtime story (in a very condensed version) is that the bats took the crystals from within the cave at dusk and threw them into the sky so they would form the stars at night then they would go out before sunrise and collect all the crystals and return them to the cave.

We visited several chambers in the cave system and learnt a lot about the caves that are all around the area. After the tour finished we grabbed a much needed glass of icy cold water then hit the road for just a few minutes until we hit Katherine. Here, we stocked up on supplies from Woollies and got a bite to eat for lunch.

Back on the road and we stopped at Pine Creek to fill up with fuel as this is also the point at which we turn off the Stuart Highway into Kakadu. There was a very nice looking pub attached to the fuel station and we think we may have to try it out for lunch on our way back down the highway when we head from Darwin to Katherine. The only thing that wasn’t great about the pub was their snake collection which of course the boys loved! “A” did appreciate that they were all pythons at least.

The drive into Kakadu was pretty easy though the GPS did give us a bushfire warning as we entered. There was a lot of smoke and we passed some fires on the edge of the road so it was a little bit scary, wondering what we were driving further and further into. Turns out they are all controlled burns which are specifically done in the early dry season as there is a daily dew that puts all the fires out overnight.

There was also a lot of poop on the roads, we suspect from buffalo, so happy to be driving in the daytime. On arrival at Cooinda Lodge, we checked in and unpacked. Our room is really nice, a hotel style room. Then, we hit the pool for a swim before showers and dinner.

Dinner tonight was a selection of the wildlife 😀 with “G” and “A” sharing the tasting plate which included barramundi, buffalo, kangaroo and crocodile plus some veggies and the boys sharing crocodile hotdogs, wallaby slider and kangaroo.