A 12-foot crocodile basks in the sun of the North Queensland tropics. Early next morning, when there was not yet light enough to see our way along the winding tracks that cut into the bush, the wilderness was already alive with sound. Twisting through the thick scrub, we drove down by a swamp where pink-flowered waterlilies were growing and tracks in the soft mud, bordering clear water, told the story of all the animals that had drunk during the night. As we got out of the Land Rover, two cranes strutted by the water, and egrets flew with a flury of white wings. We saw the deep skidding marks of crocodiles and the claw-prints of kangaroos in the mud.
Early dawn is the best time to see wildlife.
It's rush hour in the animal world. Those that fed during the night were slaking their thirst at the water holes or seeking a shady spot to sleep, and those that fed during the day were grazing or browsing away from the trees before the sun was high. Crocodiles, with their distinct lack of fear and ferocious beauty, are perhaps the most rewarding of all animals to observe. Later that morning we found a baby kangaroo, a joey, playing with an echidna. The joey paid no attention to us, even when we approached to within a few yards.