There was a Johnson Crocodile (fresh-water) attack on an English tourist at Katherine Gorge in June 2000, when we were visiting the area - I cannot find any Google reference to it - although I suppose that it isn't good publicity for the operators at Katherine.
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I never really understand why people swim in natural waterways in the NT. I lived there for several years and can remember the rangers and police trapping large (14 foot) salties at Donkey Camp, about 5km downstream from Katherine Gorge.
Those freshies get pretty nasty too, especially around breeding and nesting time.
-- Edited by DMaxer on Friday 20th of October 2017 04:18:46 PM
Freshies normaly only bite if you stand on them. There were a couple of bites at Esith Falls many years ago. I lived in Katherine from 90-93, we used to swim at the low level , Crystal Rapids and a few other places; however after the floods salties moved in and it wasn't safe to swim anywhere. Never did we swim in the Gorge, that would be silly.
Most of the time, freshies only want to stay well away from you. If you approach or corner them, then yes, they will bite.
However, around this time of year is the mating and nest making season and they can get rather aggro then. It is not an attempt to eat - just biting because you are in their territory.
One year, about this time, when we were working at Adels Grove, one of the Lawn Hill Gorge freshies bit the front of one of the hire canoes, when some tourists went a bit close. Normally they ignored the canoes and tourists. It left a decent set of toothmarks in the front of the canoe!
Years ago, a woman was bitten quite badly on the upper leg when she attempted to pat a freshie that was sunning itself on a ledge at the edge of the plunge pool at Barramundie Gorge. She swum up and cornered it on the ledge. Can't blame the freshie.
It was probably sick of swimming around in a warm pool of human pee. We've been there twice in the past 2 years & have never been tempted to have a dip.
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It was probably sick of swimming around in a warm pool of human pee. We've been there twice in the past 2 years & have never been tempted to have a dip.
It was more likely to be full of bat s**t from the roost in the trees adjacent to the bridge walkway.
I got some great photos looking down from the top of the falls. Can't remember if I had a pee in the stream. Probably didn't as it is a sacred site up there.