Welcome to the Aboriginal lands of Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, about 300 kms from Darwin in the Northern Territories.
We’re here to explore Australia’s largest and perhaps most beautiful and diverse National Park. We’re here in mid March, typically the wet season but it’s a real dry, wet season….no real need for a 4 wheel drive, although the locals say the weather can turn in an instant…They are hoping for rain, the full on ‘knock em down’ storms, the Aborgines call Bang Gerreng which flatten the long grasses beside the road….
The seasonal coming and going of water shapes the lives of the plants, people and animals. The current weather pattern is far from normal, and just like the extreme heat in Victoria, or the floods in Queensland, or even snow in Europe, everyone is out of sorts…
The land too has ever changing moods and as we travel through the National Park with the eucalypts and giant termite mounds, or cross rivers and fresh water steams with paperbark trees, we begin to understand the spiritual connection between the land and the indigenous people, that people love about visiting Kakadu…
There is lots to do and see here and we start at the Aboriginal art work at Nourlangie, an easy 3 km walk. The ancient rock art galleries are found in the countless aboriginal rock shelters and overhangs, the smooth rock making a perfect surface for the paintings.
We stop off at the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre, a cool retreat to give us some more detailed information about the 50,000 year old Aboriginal culture in Kakadu.
Just down the road is the Yellow Water Wetlands. Our two hour sunset cruise finally got us up close and personal with three saltwater crocs – and one of them was a really big ‘un! Mandy our guide was amazing at spotting the colorful range of bird and animal life in the distance. We listen fascinated she tells us about her Aboriginal heritage and customs. They say to experience Kakadu is to contact with it through the eyes of the aboriginal ancestors…Mandy helps us do this.
We return to our hotel the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn which is a massive OTT crocodile shaped hotel in the township of Jabiru. The highlight being, apart from the air con, an amazing Barrumundi fish wrapped in paperbark, which we enjoyed for dinner.
The next morning Tim takes a one hour scenic flight over Kakadu for some spectacular aerial sightseeing to see Twin and Jim Jim Falls…
Kakadu is ….
an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world….
Little Wandering Wren
Location:Kakadu National Park, NT
