Kakadu

Kakadu, the iconic national park in the Northern Territory, is mandatory visiting for anyone travelling through. I visited in 1985, and I was expecting the place to be rather touristy and a little crowded, although the (much dreaded) schools holidays had not yet begun. Our trip to Kakadu was complicated with the most happy prospect- we were having friends join us! Along the road you meet plenty of people, but the conversation is generally the same..... where are you from, where are you going, where have you been, so the depths of our social interaction have been almost exclusively within the four of us and the prospect of spending time with people we have a connection with was something we had been looking forward to.

The original plan was to meet John and Claire at the Big Boxing Crocodile in Humpty Doo, because it just seemed appropriate, but things got in the way and we met them late in the afternoon, further down the road. The next day we tackled Kakadu proper, taking in the wetlands wildlife hide, the visitor's centre, the rock art and lookout at Ubirr, and the river crossing into Arnhem land which is great for croc spotting/fishing/losing your car off the crossing.

Aboriginal Rock art at Ubirr

The Kakadu crew

Cahill's Crossing- hold on to your car!

Then followed another jam-packed day which started pre-dawn for a sunrise cruise on Yellow Water. We were treated to a fantastic few hours of crocodiles and birds in the breathtaking wetland. The crocodiles were so good even the guide was getting excited. The birds did disappoint, because of the 4 species of kingfisher in Kakadu we only saw 3, the little kingfisher being sadly absent. We did however see brolga, black necked storks, thousands of ibis and huge flocks of whistling ducks. 

Yellow Water at Sunrise

ibis at Yellow Water

4 Forest Kingfishers sitting in a tree

Salty swimming, Yellow Water

Yellow Water sunrise

In the afternoon we tackled Jim Jim falls. After a little 4WD track the falls are accessed by a 45 minute walk, the last half of which is climbing over boulders. It was a tough walk, there were children crying (not ours this time). At the end was the magnificent waterfall, which falls into an icy pool where only the brave (everyone except Zoe), go swimming. The nearby campsite offered welcome hot showers, a good campfire courtesy of John, a good meal and Taswegian neighbours we had met in Kununurra.

Walk into Jim Jim

Jim Jim on approach

Hugo at the base of Jim Jim

Heading south the next day we expanded on the waterfall/swim theme at Maguk in the middle of the day. After we embarked on the walk we noticed many people wearing reef shoes and we soon learnt why..... sections of the track were underwater. The pool at Maguk was one of the most pleasant we have visited and we spent an enjoyable few hours there. 

Hugo helping his mother keep her shoes dry

Swimming at Maguk

Many of the rock pools at the base of waterfalls are deep and dark..... usually pleasant swimming but sometimes a bit of floatation is desired. Some people carry noodles to this effect but where does one stash a pool noodle or two in the car for six months? That evening after a few wines we had a laugh getting creative with the wine cask bladders and some gaffer tape and made the ideal floatation device, providing the same floatation as a noodle, easily stashed in the day pack and inflated in 2 breaths!

We headed further south to Gunlom from Maguk. When I visited in 1985 it was known as UDP falls, and a couple of years later it was one of the locations featured in Crocodile Dundee. Early Saturday we climbed to the top of the falls where there are a series of beautiful rock pools and a magnificent view from the edge. Hugo and Zoe trailed the floatation device which got the thumbs up, and now we need one for both kids (only need to drink another 4 litres of wine for the materials). 

Top of Gunlom falls

Rock pools at the top of Gunlom

Zoe taking in the view

Hugo demonstrating floatation device

Gunlom is one of the most popular campsites in Kakadu, with many Darwin locals making the trip for a weekend. We arrived on Friday night, it was pretty busy, but nothing compared to Saturday night, which was a bit like camping in Victor Harbour for schoolies. Having sadly said goodbye to John and Claire, we bunkered down for a couple of nights of not doing much at all, enjoying the peace and quiet as the weekend crowds headed home...During which time Zoe, inspired by the recipe on one our Australiana tea-towels, tried her hand at baking damper in a hole using coals from the fire- a very respectable first attempt. Well done Zoe!