Manballoo Station, Katherine.

Arthur and I were awake before dawn this morning and in order to allow the other two to sleep a bit longer we made a cup of tea and sat outside, watching the sunrise and listening to the dawn chorus.  We also met a few geckos in the amenities block.  Arthur was very interested to see how htey were able to climb up walls and walk across the ceiling.  When Esther got up, the first thing he wanted to do was show her, too.

By the time Philip was awake (at about 7:30) they had both had breakfast and were playing with Floyd. 

We had been told that it was perfectly safe to go down to the river for a swim- they've been swimming here for thirty years and the crocodiles around here are "mostly only freshies".  (Freshwater crocodiles, of course are less agressive, while the "salties" are the ones who will attack innocent bystanders.)  We were advised to stay in the shallows below the rapids, however, and to avoid deep, dark water.  So, having got permission from Floyd's Mum to take him along, we went exploring. 
When we got to the swimming spot we found that there were deep spots and strong currents, so we were a bit cautious about letting the kids venture too far.  The water was clear as crystal and as warm as a bath, and we realised later that there were some thermal springs upstream. Of course "wading" soon became "Oops, I fell!" and they enjoyed the novelty of swimming with their clothes on! 

There are new things to discover everywhere we go!  The kids had never seen coconuts growing before, and are enjoying the "jumbungs" we've found under the tamarind trees on the property. Arthur pointed out some green ants they'd found and Esther has been collecting mahogany fruit to use with her fairy dolls.