06 Aug 2023

Perusing the Wildlife-rich Waters of Porosus Creek

Porosus Creek certainly lived up to its name today! Crocodylus Porosus, or the saltwater crocodile, is most likely to be spotted here and today was no exception. With Heritage Adventurer anchored up the Hunter River near the entrance to Porosus Creek, we saw our first 'salties' within minutes of our Zodiac cruise and many more during.

However, it seemed like the stars of the show were the Mudskippers, too numerous to count! They delighted everyone with their flicks of tails, skipping along the mud banks or making mad dashes across the creek waters in front of our Zodiacs. We watched one particular Striated Heron hunting for a Mudskipper for a meal with limited success.

At one point we heard a cacophony of noise coming from the mangrove canopy as we cruised by, unmistakably bats though none visible to clearly identify. Numerous bird sightings, beautiful mangroves, vast expanses of low tide mudflats and towering cliffs surrounding us on all sides ... Perosus Creek really is a spectacular location with a little something for everyone. We enjoyed the best of both worlds as the tide had risen enough on the way back to Heritage Adventurer for at least one tributary exploration now with enough water flooding into the mangroves and covering the mudbanks once more.

The afternoon was a quiet and relaxed affair until about 1545 when a call came over the PA announcing several Humpback Whale sightings, including a young calf learning to breach! This delayed the afternoon briefing and recap by about 15 minutes while folks hurried towards the bow of the ship for a better look. As it was al fresco dining on Deck 6 this evening for the BBQ, we had our briefing early and heard more about Fiddler Crabs and Mudskippers during recap. Hats off to our chefs on board who put together an outstanding BBQ, complete with all their fruit art displays, and a baked bread-croc too! Spirits were high as plenty of stories were traded from the day.

Image (c) Heritage Expedtions