Kakadu National Park

I spent a day visiting this place, the rock art, the museum, and the “crocodile tours” to see some wildlife. I spent the night in the crocodile-shaped hotel, which was an attraction in itself. Bring mosquito repellent, and some bottled water for the heat!

I went here a few years ago and it had been a dream of mine since I was a kid – we’d had this poster of Kakadu National Park in our toilet that looked very impressive.

The magnetic termite mounds that face due north/south and look like gravestones were impressive, the aboriginal cave paintings were also, as was the colour of the soil and the types of plants they have there. The crocs were also impressive, we saw one munching violently on a fish it had caught and we all promptly put our hands back in the boat.

Ok here is the story…

We booked ourselves on a 5am cruise at Yellow Water – I thought my friends were insane for making me do this but eventually conceded.

We saw tonnes of birdlife, crocodiles some buffalos, all kinds of animals. Then someone spotted a wallaby, they are very small and cute compared to the kind we get down south, it was hopping quite fast, almost frantically towards the water, then we realised why…

there was a dingo chasing it, our guide explained to us that a wallaby has a better chance against a dingo in the water than on land because it can drown it with its legs. It seemed to be swimming right for a very large crocodile, which we thought was odd, but figured it couldn’t see it. It got within about 1 metre of the croc before it suddenly noticed it. It began to turn around in a panic…

but alas it was too late, and the crocodile opened up its jaw and drowned the wallaby before we could all get our cameras ready(we got a photo of the splash). even the hard-core vegetarian in our group was going for the crocodile!

I went a long time ago, but it was great. Also hopped over into Arnhem land which was an experience in itself. Kakadu is am amazing place to go and well worth the effort.

Excellent place to visit… can be crowded if you go with a group that’s too big. Look for a small, intimate tour with a knowledgeable guide.

The Cane Toad epidemic that has engulfed Queensland for such a lot of years is starting to spread across to the Northern Territory. Cane Toads are a dangerous being, able to kill even after they’ve been killed, due to the toxins on their skin. Kakadu is such a rich treasure trove of wildlife, and it is now predicted that it is only a matter of years before it is substantially affected by the growing Cane Toad population.

I’m yet to get there, but it should happen sometime soon…I hope.

I’ll be taking a 5-day tour of this region, with two full days in the park, in August 2005. Very excited! I’m going with a private Aboriginal-owned and run tour company.

When we visited, it was 45°C in the shade. There were flies, and the guide showed us how to pick branches and constantly slap ourselves in the face to keep the flies from settling. And then some ants crawled on Darren. And we threw a stick in the river, and there was ominous thrashing around the stick.

Did I mention the bus broke down? It had to get some tires changed, so dropped us off next to the swampy green river. Oh, and the Australian’s idea of air conditioning is a bus whose windows open.

Why do I say worth visiting? The experience, of course.

P.S. Shouldn’t this be in Australia > Northern Territories?