Day 53 Maguk, Kakadu NP – 31 July 2009

9035kms, 34 degrees C

Maguk is a little gorge just North of Gunlom, on the way to Cooinda. There is a short walk to yet another waterfall with plunge pools at both top and bottom of the falls. The water was crystal clear – we could see schools of black bream from the banks. We have seen a lot of termite mounds on the trip so far, but they are getting seriously big in NT.

Aboriginal stories are passed from old to young. They tend to involve death and not many have happy endings. This one is typical – it is a story of two men, one old, one young. The old man had fire which the young man needed to cook his fish. The young man smooched up to the old one, stroking his hair until he fell asleep. When the old man popped off the young man tried to take the fire – the old man awoke and stopped the young man from doing so. Later the same thing happened but this time the young man made a circle of fire around the man, who awoke and could not escape. As he burnt and blistered in the heat he turned into a crocodile. The young man became the rainbow bee eater, and his fire is kept in his long thin tail