Kakadu

Kakadu is unique on this planet.  It contains the oldest known continuous residence of man, as Aborigines have been living continuously for an estimated 60,000 years:  One rock shelter has been inhabited regularly for 20,000 years, based on an archeological study by Rhys Jones and local Aborigines.   Rock art exists here going back an estimated 20,000 years.  

Kakadu has some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world.  A massive escarpment - it formed the cliffs of the shoreline of an ancient sea - rises up to a high plateau.  Lowland between it and the current coast is a vast wetlands, mainly freshwater due to a three metre sand dune along the coast.  The wetlands is vital for many migratory birds that use the area as well as other water creatures, frogs, turtles, fishes, crocs.  In the wet season most of it is flooded; in the dry season some areas remain wet while others turn to dry land.

The South Alligator River is the only river in the world that has its total catchment within a National Park.  It was mis-named by early explorers who thought the crocodiles were alligators.  Two types of crocs inhabit the area, freshwater (freshies) and estuarine crocs (salties), the latter of which are to be avoided ("clowns" excepted).  They inhabit all waters going into the Timor Sea or Gulf of Carpentaria.  While hunted to near extinction, being protected since the 60's has seen their numbers increase (as has the number of tourists in that period - coincidence?). 

I was up on a bank on the Mary River - outside the park, but where I first camped along the way to Kakadu - enviously watching a fellow barramundi fishing from the shore, when the tour boat came along, told him it'd be a good idea to vacate the shoreline as the main saltie - a 5m male - was working his way upstream from not far away, patrolling his territory!  The Mary River is known for its number and size of salties.  I was informed it is not a good idea to be within 3 m of the waters edge at any time.

Moving on into the Park and a caravan park on the East Alligator River I visited the nearby Mamakula Wetlands, which included a Ranger Guided Tour explaining the ecology of the dry lands and also explaining the nearby billabong birdlife (in this area a billabong is more a lake or any large body of water, whereas in other areas it is a part of a river which has been cut off but still contains water). 

Travelling on to Jabiru, I visited Ubirr, which has excellent rock art and also an excellent outlook from the top of the escarpment.  A visit to the nearby Bowali Visitor Centre was very informative, giving both natural and cultural historical background of the area.  A flight over the NE part of the Park and a portion of Arnhem Land was fascinating - it is a rugged country indeed!

On the way to my next camp a visit to Nourlangie revealed some fascinating rock art!  Some of the later works are incredibly detailed and referred to as x-ray paintings as they show the internal structure of fish & animals.  As I headed up one track, a rare black wallaroo hopped along toward me, stopped to check me out (long enough to snap a couple of photos), decided I wasn't threatening and continued along his way past me!  The Gubara Pools walk is a 3 km walk under the escarpment into 2 pools, in themselves not exciting but important as permanent water is scarce; it was also a 3km return along the same track.  The night was spent at a nearby caravan park - the most expensive I've run across for an unpowered site so far -  and the next day I took the Yellow Water boat trip, an excellent cruise with plenty of birds and scenery as well as plenty of crocs - all salties - basking in the morning sun! 

That was my last day in the Park, as I then travelled to a free camp outside.  Looking at tourist literature, the steam train used for the movie "We of the Never Never", was on display at Pine Creek, just a short way off my planned route.  Now Bob is a real gentleman and a steam train officianado so it was a pleasure to nick in and get some photos for him!  The town looked interesting as well, but at 7am wasn't really humming so I continued on to Elsey National Park for six nights because it is so pleasant there.  Not wishing to tempt fate fishing off the river banks further north,, I tried again at the Roper River here, where salties are controlled (Ie, this stretch of river is heavily patrolled & trapped and any salties are soon moved on), I tried my luck once again and voila!  Caught one!  It was undersized but it was a barramundi!  I had previously decided any I caught would be photographed and released so at least in this regard I was not tempted to change my mind (the primitive, irrational nature of man is to bring it back to camp despite best intentions).  Tomorrow - 5th July - I will leave, heading south to the Barkley Hwy (Route 66!), east to Mt. Isa and Cloncurry, north along the Matilda Way to Karumba and then east along the Savanna Way to the Atherton Tablelands; the route from there to Brisbane is yet to be determined but will be inland as there are too many grey nomads lining up for a camping spot along the coast! 

This concludes the travels I had planned for the Northern Territory (some 8,400 km), which travels can only be described as, well, it is hard to find adequate words to describe them - I was completely overwhelmed at the natural beauty of The Territory.  While being limited to 2WD, the best areas proved  accessible.  Full marks to the NT Parks & Wildlife people, who provide excellent camping areas at very reasonable cost, great walking tracks to really get into/around the features, plus excellent Ranger tours & talks.  The Territory is a big open land with - I seem to recall  - lots of flat, featureless land between attractions;  the attractions I recall vividly.