Kakadu National Park

Today is the 1^st of our 3-day tour through Kakadu National Park & indigenous Arnhem Land.   We’ve hired a guide through ‘Venture North’, a company which specializes in bush tours in the Northern Territories.   A permit & guide are required to access remote portions of Kakadu and Arnhem and Venture North is one of the few companies which can provide both. Adam is our guide and driver. He’s an interesting ‘fella’ – late 20’s, has travelled the world as a backpacker, and settled in Darwin.

The drive from Darwin on the coast to the southwest gateway to Kakadu is along the Stuart Highway and takes a good couple of hours. Once we leave Darwin, there’s not much habitation (human at least) – an occasional roadhouse or small group of houses.   The landscape is littered with massive termite mounds, some over 20 feet high and decades old. The ‘Adelaide River Resort’ is noted for being the last resting places of ‘Charlie’, the water buffalo from the Crocodile Dundee movie, and ‘Jock the Crock’.   Jock was a monster – over 16 feet long and weighing some 1600 pounds. His habit of attacking boats at the local ramp resulted in an unpleasant end.

Our first stop once inside Kakadu is at the Moline Rockpile – a remote, waterfall-fed, swimming hole. It’s a beautiful place for a swim. Next stop is Cooinda where we’ll be spending the evening in a bungalow at the Cooinda. Rustic, but comfortable enough. A sunset croc-viewing cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong wraps up the day. Unreal – big time crocs, a bird-watcher’s orgasm, & wonderful scenery!

Dick

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The adventure begins, our Venture North tour guide, Adam, arrives at 7:15 to start the journey. It is just the 3 of us and our Toyota Land Cruiser. The focus of the next few days is to explore Aboriginal Rock Art in some of the most sacred places in the Northern Territory. We have about a 3-hour drive to get to our first stop in Kakadu National Park. Along the way, Adam stops frequently to point out local birds, flowers and the amazing termite mounds that have been there for many years. He also points out the local ants that taste like lemon when you lick their rear ends, Dick likes it!

Along the way, we stop to visit the Rock Man. A refugee from Serbia he has been here for many years and has a lease hold for a special type of granite and quartz. He mines it himself and makes the most beautiful items. I would have bought something, but it weighs a lot and it’s too early in the trip to start loading the suitcase.

We arrive at Kakadu National Park and our first stop is the Moline Rockpile, for a bit of a swim in the swimming hole. It’s a short hike in, we encounter a local family who are there for a swim and to have a barbeque, but no one else.

We drive down and check into the hotel for a bit of a rest before our sunset cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong. This Billabong has lots of water, though it will expand during the wet season. We have numerous opportunities to see the salt water crocs (they’ll eat you if they can get to you), and a multitude of birds and wetland flowers. All in all, a good day.

Mary

• Archaeology
• Critters