Kakadu is one of Australia's largest National Parks. It is an impossibly large area that requires years of exploration to see all of its features in all its seasons. All we had was a week - and after our big few days on the road getting up here, taking it easy was a big priority.
We came in from the south on the Kakadu Highway, and stopped at the Park Entrance Station to pick up a pamphlet on the park.
I don't pretend to be a historian, but the history of Kakadu is tied up closely with Aboriginal custodians coming to stand up against mining interests who threatened to destroy their land. One way or another there is a lot of uranium, lead, mercury and arsenic in these hills - and the Aboriginals knew much of this area as 'Sickness Country'. Interestingly as geologists mapped the area, the areas with the highest concentrations of those minerals correlated strongly with the sickness story.
The small display at the entrance station did a good job to introduce the many eras of Kakadu's history, from the ancient geological processes that formed its landscapes, the Aboriginal history here, and then the pastoralists and miners. It is a complex story with many chapters.
Relics from the Uranium Mining at the Park Entrance Station
Our first camp for the night was at Gunlom Falls. A good gravel road deteriorated into a rough track leading to the camping area. A stunning plunge pool at the base of the falls looked inviting. We had heard that the active monitoring and trapping process for keeping Estuarine Crocodiles out of this pool was assisted greatly by a big male crocodile nick named 'The Gate Keeper' who lived downstream. The irony that a crocodile kept this pool crocodile free wasn't lost on us, and we chose not to go for a swim that evening after we set up camp.
Checking out Gunlom Falls
The next morning we all relaxed taking a lazy start to the day. The sun stayed behind the escarpment until around 8 am, but as soon as it cleared the range, the heat was fierce and everyone was soon out of bed. Before it got much hotter we walked the short but steep track to the top of the pools and spent the whole morning splashing about in the delightful crocodile free pools above Gunlom Falls. In fact it has to be said that this would have to be one of the best natural 'infinity pools' we had ever sat in - enhanced of course by a steaming cup of coffee.
With time on our side we watched several tour groups come and go, with only a handful of us there for the long haul. The boys wore themselves out splashing and playing all morning, until we reluctantly dragged them away and returned to camp.
That afternoon we had a packed agenda - a lamb roast to cook in the camp oven. These things of course take time, and supervision of the kind I am good at. I also did a little bit of sewing - replacing a couple of the zip slides on Matilda, thereby allowing us to use both doors on a regular basis again.
The verdict was delicious!
The next morning we were up and packed up before the sun rose over the escarpment. We made our way back to the sealed road and continued north, pulling off a short time later to make our way to Maguk Falls. The road in wasn't too bad, except for one sandy patch providing a bit of entertainment on our way to the car park. A delightful walk upstream and we came to the beautiful deep clear pool of Maguk. Several other people were swimming, giving us confidence to swim up under the falls. It was divine.
We sat in this special place for a little while, bemused at the bus loads of people who arrived, took their photos and just as quickly left. After only a short while we had it all to ourselves. It was just magic.
We set up camp at the Parks camp-ground Mardugal, near the Coorinda resort. We went into the hotel to book a tour the following morning, and spied the pool. In no time at all, we were back in the water cooling off. Eventually, feeling a little guilty for being the worst school students, we pulled out the books and tried to catch up a little. Whilst it was all pleasant enough - and the hot chips a real treat, the schooling was a complete disaster.
There are worse places to catch up on school work... but it just didn't work
The next morning we rose before dawn to make our way to the Yellow Water Billabong for the Sunrise Cruise. Our efforts in getting up early were well rewarded, with birdlife, fishlife and crocodiles all active in the early morning.
Yellow Water Sunrise Cruise
Our Guide/Coxswain was Murray, and whilst he might not been much of a boat driver, he sure knew his stuff about the various birds and other animals we encountered on our cruise.
The crocodiles in particular were incredibly active, and they provided much entertainment for all of us. We were so glad to have made the effort to get on the first cruise of the day - we definitely saw this part of Kakadu at its best.
An unexpected bonus was that breakfast was included in our cruise - so we made our way back to Coorinda and enjoyed a massive cooked breakfast. Afterwards we checked out the Warradjan Cultural Centre. The displays were excellent inside, and we spent a good couple of hours wandering through the centre, nearby before retiring back to our camper to sleep off our excesses of the morning.
The next morning we packed up early before the sun started to make camp too hot and made our way to the Nourlangie Rock area. The Aboriginal name for the outcrop is Burrunggui and the lower area called Anbangbang. With a bit of luck, we timed our walk with a series of Ranger talks, and very soon Ranger Christian had us enthralled with his talks.
Christian gave a fantastic explanation of the significance of this area to the Aboriginal people of this area. His talks explained the relationship of Law, Kinship, Ceremony and Song, and how they are inextricably linked. He also explained how Kakadu was able to work as a joint managed park, including examples of the processes at work.
In a few minutes, Christian was able to give us an incredible insight into relationships between Aboriginal people - an incredibly complex topic. For the first time, I could really begin to appreciate the way resources are shared between different people, why some people cannot associate with others and the concept of kinship.
Christian's next talk really blew us away. It was about the living link between the ancient world and today. An archaeological dig had been conducted in a cave, and objects had been found dating back around 20 000 years. Christian was able to explain the significance of the finds, and how they related to technology available at the time as well as the climate and how it changed over time. Remember these people had seen sea levels rise over 100 metres and fall again during their time in these hills, and they had adapted to the climate and the changing resources as it went.
The thing that separated this dig from nearly every other dig in the world was that the descendants of the people who lived there were actively part of the dig, providing an enormous amount of detail. Instead of consulting volumes of books to work out which animal a tooth had come from, the locals were able to say what animal the tooth had come from, and which tooth it was - as if everyone should be able to recognise the third left top molar of a black footed rock wallaby!
One other example of the amazing thing about this dig was to do with a stone spear head found that was around 3000 years old. The descendants were able to explain what it was, how it was used (including how it was attached to the spears) - and more than that, take the Archaeologists to the quarry where the spear head was made. It gets better. Some other men were able to make a new spear head in the same way the 3000 year old spear head had been made. Most archaeological digs deal with trying to piece together a story with limited information. Here they were able to get it straight from the direct descendants, and order replacement spear heads from the same factory!
In short, the talk was fascinating and extremely valuable to enhancing our understanding of the importance of this part of Australia. It was also sad to think how many of these stories and links had been broken in the past couple of hundred years since colonisation.
After lunch at Anbangbang billabong, we headed to Cahills Crossing to watch the crocodile feeding. As the incoming tide reaches the crossing, the estuarine crocodiles start feeding on the barramundi and other fish brought upstream. It was a sight to behold and we watched mesmerised for ages.
We set up camp at Merl Campground, and soon had a delicious dinner cooking over the open fire. It was another relaxing afternoon in the heat of Kakadu.
On our last full day in Kakadu, we went to the rock art sites at Ubirr and joined Aboriginal Ranger Kenneth for a walk through country. This area has some of the richest rock art concentrations in the Northern Territory. It is of quite a different style to that of the Desert People of Uluru, or the Windjana and Gyorn figures of the Kimberley. We felt extremely lucky to have an Aboriginal guide explain some of the stories about these paintings - which all relate to the importance of observing the law, or cautioning about the crocodiles of Ginga who are essentially lawless.
Kenneth's softly spoken style was full of good humour and obvious pride in this country. He is from the stone country of the Arnhem Escarpment. We may see this is a harsh land, but the subtle clues that make it a rich bountiful area are all around. The stories recorded in the rock may help, but they also record a changing time, and I was fascinated by a couple of figures on the galleries. One was of a white man (obvious because his hands were in his pockets) and the other was of a Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger. The Thylacine became extinct in these parts around the time the Dingo was introduced from Indonesia around 4 000 years ago, meaning this was one very old painting.
From these amazing galleries we walked but a few more steps and found the flood plains of the East Alligator River open up before us. It was spectacular and we felt pretty insignificant looking over this ancient land thinking of who else had sat here and admired this view.
For our afternoon entertainment we returned to Cahill Crossing, where we watched a few temporary citizens risk their lives for a bit of fish. The fishing didn't seem to yield enough to make it worth risking life and limb at Australia's number one site for crocodile attacks.
The entertainment didn't stop there - with a van following a 4WD through the river at high tide stalling and stopping in the middle of the crossing. Why they thought it was a good idea I will never know - but things were just starting to look really ugly when a tourist boat arrived, rescuing the three occupants from the immediate danger.
Rescued - for now
It was all part of the excitement for the kids - but it was terrifying to see the whole situation unfold. They do things a little differently up here - and soon a couple of lads dragged the van out of the river - passing a tow rope through the open windows. It was a wonder the windscreen wasn't pulled out of the van! With the crossing clear, a couple of crocodiles returned over the crossing back to their patch of water, ready for the next high tide.
We enjoyed one last night at Merl Campground before packing up and heading out of Kakadu on the Arnhem Highway. We made one last stop at the Mamukala Wetlands, which were beautiful, but we were really there a little too late in the day. Thankfully our Yellow Waters Cruise had more than fulfilled our bird watching tenancies - so we returned to the highway and started heading west.
The Mamukala Wetlands
After our hectic journey north, it had been a great to slow down and see a little of what Kakadu is. Our taste has left us wanting more. It is truly an amazing place - but it needs more than a couple of days to even begin to unlock its secrets.
For now though it was time to return to civilisation - to a town that has grown to a city since both Jo and I kicked around its streets. A city that is no longer a rough frontier town, but a vibrant modern city in every sense. Would Darwin be ready for us?
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