Day 139: Katherine

Our visit to the Cutta Cutta caves was a spur of the moment decision. These caves are 500 million year old tropical limestone caverns that take you 15 meters below ground on the 30 minute tour. Cutta, in Jawoyn Aboriginal, means stars and Cutta Cutta means many stars, so named after seeing the crystals in the caves twinkling. Incidently, Jawoyn people do not like to go into the caves as it makes them uncomfortable not to be able to see the real night sky.

When we arrived the tour guide informed us of all the creatures that inhabited the caves, huge poisonous spiders related to the funnel web (I think), 5 species of bats that would swoop down and pick the bugs off your clothes, brown tree snakes curled on the ledges above your head waiting to unravel, blind shrimp that would do whatever blind shrimp do, etc etc. I felt a bit swizzed as all we saw in there was one Ghost Bat... I expected to see the place writhing with creepy crawlies! OK so I am exaggerating a little...

At around 25 our tour group was a little on the large size, the one before us only had 2 people. We had to take turns getting next to the tour guide to see what she was pointing at. It was also quite hot and humid and some of the gaps we had to squeeze through were a bit worrying (back to the creepy crawlies).

Our day finished with a lengthy dip in the crystal clear hot springs. The temperature averages 32c. There was even a natural Jacuzzi effect at the mini waterfall.

This is the life!

Em