GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #6 | Page 24

MARY RIVER

| WORDS : LINDA LEE RATHBUN IMAGES : STEVEN DAVID MILLER / NATURAL WANDERS

IT WOULD BE A TRAGEDY TO SKIP MARY RIVER WHEN ON TOUR IN THE TOP END .

Many travellers who approach Kakadu along the Arnhem Highway , NT , speed past signs pointing the way to Corroboree Billabong , Mary River and Point Stuart without so much as a curious glance – and without realising how much they are missing . So let us introduce you to this remarkable area , and give you four good reasons to visit .

1 . BEAUTIFUL BILLABONG

To visit this region and not do a wetlands cruise amounts to a tragedy , and you couldn ’ t possibly do better than one at Corroboree Billabong . This sprawling Mary River wetland is studded with water lilies , banked by green ‘ meadows ’ stretching to the horizon , throbbing with birdlife and , of course , patrolled by crocodiles , both estuarine and freshwater . The Wetland Cruise ’ s late afternoon trip offers the most birdlife but , honestly , anytime is heaven on Corroboree Billabong . If time and the budget allow , use the cruise to familiarise yourself with Corroboree , then hire a boat with Mary River Houseboats and explore on your own for a few hours , a full day or even overnight .
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