Chronicles of Kakadu

We got to Kakadu National Park on Monday afternoon and from the northern entrance, it seems to take forever before one actually gets to a part of the park that is of substance! In that way, Litchfield is nice as it is so compact and yet, there’s so much to see there.

We stayed in the East Alligator Region and went to Ubirr for sunset. Hopefully, I can put a photo here to show you some of the view. Those sweeping vistas from this rock are famous and it is hard to do justice to it with my camera.

The next morning, we wet to Cahill’s Crossing but didn’t see the crocs up close.  From there, you can look straight over to Arnhem Land.  Part of me is disappointed we didn’t go over as it is the final frontier in Australia.  Maybe I am just too curious for my own good and don’t like it when there’s signs saying ‘you can’t come in...’

We then moved to the Yellow Water Region, went to the Cultural centre and had a quick look around.  Toward the end of the day, we travelled to Nourlangie, saw the rock painting, and walked around the Anbangbang billabong.  It is a beautiful wetland walk and was picturesque and serene. It is an often-photographed for that serenity and the contrast of the Nourlangie rock escarpment behind it.

Still floating on calm tranquillity? Unfortunately, I wasn’t -this day was probably a low point for me physically.  I barely slept the night before and was so cranky.  I certainly need to pray about that and not repeat the effort!  Thankfully, I got some sleep in the car at one point and that helped me through. I know I could omit these negative things but I guess I want it to be a faithful record of our trip and there are some low points at times.

The day finished with a ranger talk.  These guys are so fantastic.  I have been impressed with every ranger I have met on this trip.  Their knowledge, commitment, and yet down-to-earth nature have been wonderful.  This ranger was no exception and kept us thoroughly entertained and interested as he spoke about Kakadu wildlife; showing slides on a big screen in the campground and sharing personal stories of interactions with animals, birds and sealife. Remind me to tell the story of the Quoll with the bone sometime.

Today, we left nice and early to Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls. It is 2 hours each way by 4WD so it occupied the lion’s share of the day.  Twin Falls Gorge is only accessed by boat so we paid to go on that short trip upstream and enjoyed looking at the running falls. Unfortunately, you can’t swim there though.  Jim Jim was down to a trickle with its waterfall flow but some of the boys got in there for a refreshing “dip”.  The water was freezing so I waited until later, when we went to Marguk, to cool off under a flowing waterfall.

In summary, Kakadu is frustrating and rewarding.  Being so expansive, one goes through seemingly endless woodlands to get anywhere.  Yet, by delving deep and putting in the time, there’s real gems to find.

TRAVELLER'S TIP:  Go to the southern end of Kakadu first and definitely get on their website beforehand to find what's on at the park at which location and time so you can plan.  The ranger's talks and slideshows are great and we wish we'd had more time for them. If you camp at Merl (near Ubirr), ARM yourself with plenty of insect repellent, mozzie coils, citronella candles - whatever it takes to protect yourself!