Kakadu National Park

Kakadu greeted us on the way in with a chipped windscreen courtesy of one of the mining / quarry road trains thundering down the road toward us.

We stopped in at the ‘Window on the Wetlands’ visitors’ centre where we found out about some of the wildlife in the area (did you know that there are about 60 different species of mosquito out to get you in Aus?, or that Barramundi dudes turn into Barra chicks when they get older and then start hunting around for Barra toy-boys to have romantic time with?!?).

We headed on to Kakadu Lodge, our destination for the night, one of only two caravan parks in Jabiru and thankfully the better one by far (seriously, who would stay at the one without a pool!). Upon reaching the caravan park (a series of concentric circular roads with an enormous pool at the centre), we drove around the relatively empty park several times before reverse parking the van as close as we could to our soon to be neighbours.  We realised too late that they had driven in the other way, which meant that our doors and ‘outdoor living areas’ were face to face.  We considered moving – but the pool beckoned so we left it where it was and went for a swim (and a few drinks in the poolside bar - oh yeah). Later that evening, Dylan attended a talk by the resident Ranger about all things Kakadu – and he actually sat still for an hour and listened to the whole thing, surprising us with his knew knowledge on the walks to come!

The top end continues to slow cooker us with it’s heat and humidity.  The temps have not fallen since we hit Darwin.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!  The air is heavy and expectant and you find yourself looking for clouds and begging for rain.  The locals call this ‘the build up’ – a perfect name – and we can see that the wet season is on its way as clouds build every afternoon.  We have started having to plan our activities around the heat.  Fortunately, we get chased out of bed pretty early by the kids and the heat.

So we started off with an early swim next day before setting off for Nourlangie, for a wander along some tracks to caves/overhangs where there is some great rock art.  It looks quite different to the art we saw on the east coast.  

Rich got to see half of the stuff 3 times when Dylan declared half an hour into the walk that he was busting to do a number 2.  The toilets were, of course, back at the carpark.  They also had to evade the rangers on the way back in by hiding behind Asian tourists, because Kel had the park tickets. We learned ancient Aboriginal legends about the Lightning Man and the couple that broke the incest laws and were later banished.  Thanks to Dylan’s reading skills he was able to read the sign which then left us floundering to explain ‘incest’ to our 6 and 8 year old, much to the amusement of other tourists.

We then headed to the Anbangbang Billabong – full of crocs apparently, with hilarious signs showing photographs of dumb tourists unwittingly strolling past crocs on the banks.  Kel took her life in her hands and went looking for photo opportunities.  There was plenty more evidence of dumb tourists on hand, with well worn tracks through the grass leading right to the water’s edge.  

Rich and the kids stayed back in the air-conditioned comfort of the car, stuffing their faces with snacks. Ariel and Kel were brawling at this time and Ari declared that she wouldn’t care if Mummy got eaten by a crocodile L.

Next stop was to Nawurlandja Lookout which apparently was a 1hr challenging return walk to the top of the lookout.  This was a late addition to the itinerary and stood in the way of pools and ice-cream.  Rich was given 15 minutes to get up and back, Kel promising she was going to drive away when that time expired.  If you have ever been thoroughly drenched by sweat and felt that you may just drown in the water in the air, you will understand!   Fortunately for all, Rich was able to conquer the mountain in the searing heat, in the time alloted!

After lunch, a swim and some schoolwork, we applied liberal amounts of insect repellent and headed out to Ubirr, on the border of Arnhem Land, to catch the sunset from atop a high rocky outcrop on the edge of the wetlands. The view and the sunset were beautiful, and we also got to see some amazing (and in some cases impossibly high) rock art on the way to the lookout.

Next morning, we headed out to the official visitors centre before heading over to Yellow Water.  The walk around here was closed, and of course it was impossibly hot.  After a little while watching the dragonflies (which are massive!!!)

and wetland birds from the end of a long boardwalk, we decided to come back later for the sunset cruise.

The sunset cruise was excellent and we saw many waterbirds, at least a dozen crocs, some buffalo and brumbies.  Perhaps the cutest sighting was a Comb-crested Jacana which had all its tiny chicks hiding under its feathers, which later all popped out for a run around when it was safe (the male is the babysitter, mum was swanning around on the lilypads somewhere else).  

We found out a few days later that a five year old boy had fallen overboard on the very same cruise just a week or two before we went on it! Kept that under their hats during the commentary!!!  Even cracked a few gags about life vests and drowning not being your main issue if you go in, which now seem rather inappopriate!  Have been seeing lots of patches of control burn throughout the park.  Got to see it in action on the way back to the jetty, with fire burning right up to the banks.  Not sure of the origin of the fire (no-one seemed to be tending it) but the smoke was very thick and for some reason a hush fell over the boat.  Dusk, crocodiles, billowing smoke and fiery glow all combined to create a rather eerie atmosphere to finish off the cruise with.

We packed up camp the next morning and drove west through the park toward Mary River. On the way we dumped the van, and hit the corrugations out to Gunlom Falls – some 40kms or so off the highway. Had a great time climbing up the 1km high escarpment in the middle of the day to get to the pool at the top of the trickling ‘falls’. We tried to convince ourselves that there were no crocs in the not-so crystal waters up here – but still couldn’t summon the courage to jump in.  We all had fun with Rich trying to set his camera up for the ultimate shot and then run (slip/trip) around the rocks within the ten seconds to get into position.

Didn't quite make it in the ten seconds

Yep - got it!

After a little while another braver (read: younger) traveller eventually came up and jumped in the pool. After waiting to see if he would get attacked by a croc (all the while maintaining our smiles and light hearted conversation) we were satisfied that it was safe and we all jumped in to enjoy the warm water with the amazing views.

At one point, Ari was walking along the rocks when she let out a funny scream – it was just a goanna coming to the pool for a swim or drink – but it sure did give her a fright!

We climbed back down, and after a big drink drove back along the dirt road to the highway, picked up the van and then headed to the park border where we decided to stay the night at the Mary River Roadhouse.  The roadhouse looked a bit rough from the outside, (think 6ft cyclone fencing and locked gate at night) but once we were in the grounds it was peaceful.  We enjoyed playing a game of pool in the empty bar, watching the Butcher Birds and Kites vying for a share of our dodgy hamburger dinner, playing with the resident puppy and sharing experiences with fellow travellers.