darwin

February16, 2026

Darwin natives like to say that their’s is a resilient city. It has been pretty much wiped off the map by cyclones three times in its 155 year history. The last major hit came in 1974 and along with it new building codes. During WW2 the city was evacuated for the entirety of the war due to frequent bombing and takeover by Allied forces. Today it is a modern capital, major port (2x the size of Sydney Harbour), and tourist destination.

My activity today was a trip to the Adelaide River to see saltwater crocs, the largest living reptiles. The river destination was on land owned by the Larrakia people. The river cruiser held about 60 of us in four parallel bench seats. Our pilot did some pirouettes to make sure both sides saw the crocs as they swam near the boat. On some excursions, the crocs are fed by deckhands, but Viking prohibits that activity. So no giant crocs thrashing about trying to snatch raw chickens.

As crocs are very territorial, all the ones we saw are well known by the guides and have been given nicknames. One was named Stumpy as he has managed to survive numerous years on the river with only one leg. He is estimated to be at least seventy years old.

We did view other wildlife and wetlands including a white-bellied sea eagle.

Next: Rinca Island