Captivating Kakadu

We have been on our road trip through Australia’s, south, centre and west for around 1 month now, with our last stop being Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory (NT). Then we headed to Kakadu National Park, an area of unique wetlands, birds, Aboriginal art, and creatures like crocs.

Very large crocodile in Kakadu National Park (UNESCO), NT

One of the best-known places in the Northern Territory, and arguably Australia, Kakadu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we were really looking forward to spending some time there. But first, we visited the small historic town of Pine Creek. 

Historic Railway Museum in Pine Creek, NT

We arrived in Pine Creek in hot steamy weather, but fortunately the town is so small we didn’t take long to look around. Pine Creek has a strong gold mining heritage, and several of its buildings date back to the 1800s. We liked its heritage park, historic Railway Museum, and old steam trains.

Burned land on the way into Kakadu National Park, NT

Leaving Pine Creek, we were soon on the Kakadu Highway. It was flanked by patches of burned land, and along one or two stretches we could still see smoke. We also spotted a kangaroo crossing the road ahead of us, donkeys grazing along the side of the road, and more termite hills but these were bigger than we’d seen elsewhere at well over 1.5 m tall. 

Our cruise boat on the Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

Once in Kakadu NP, we headed for a campsite in Cooinda. It was a hot 41 deg C, so after hooking up our motorhome Ixi, to the power and water services, we hibernated with our air-con on full blast for the rest of the afternoon. But the next day, we went on a boat trip, aiming to see some of the wetlands and birds for which Kakadu is famous.

 

A jabiru knee-deep in the Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

And we weren’t disappointed; it was a great boat trip with a knowledgeable captain/guide. Cooinda is beside the Yellow Water Billabong (a billabong is like a lake). This billabong is Kakadu’s most famous wetland, and known for having at least 60 species of birds.

Sea eagle on Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

As we cruised along, we saw heaps of birds. A favourite was the arrogant-looking sea eagle that was sitting high in a tree looking down his regal beak at us. We also loved the many and large Jabiru storks wading knee deep in the billabong. We could see the shining blue feathers on their necks and on females, the yellow eyes. 

Lotus plants on Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

We also saw millions of waterlilies, known here as lotus plants. These large-leaf plants grow around the edges of the billabong and are a wonderful source of food for water birds. They are also an important food source for the local Aboriginal people who eat the root tubers and seeds, both raw and cooked, or pound them into flour to make a bread. 

Comb-crested jacana on lotus, Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

We saw a comb-crested jacana walking across the lotus leaves, and it looked like he was walking on water. Jacanas are around 25 cm tall and have enormous feet for their size. The female jacana hatches four eggs, then when they hatch, the male takes over rearing the chicks. This jacana had a cluster of tiny babies hopping after it. The chicks are so tiny and fragile-looking with their long skinny legs and very large feet.

Whistling ducks at Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

We also saw lots of whistling ducks with their pretty striped wing feathers. They tended to cluster under the trees in the shade. We also saw a lot of magpie geese, a few kingfishers, several cormorants, egrets, herons, royal spoonbills, goshawks and a variety of other birds.

A large crocodile in Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

Now and again, we’d spot a salt water crocodile cruising in the water. They are a protected species in Australia, and known locally as ‘salties’ but they are able to live in fresh as well as salt water. They were quite easy to spot while on top of the water, but when they submerge, they can stay under for up to an hour.

A crocodile beside Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu NP, NT

On land, they are well camouflaged and everywhere we’ve been there are signs reminding people to be ‘croc-wise’. The crocs here can grow up to 6 metres long and the nine or ten that we saw, looked ferocious. They are the largest living reptiles on Earth, and Kakadu NP is home to around 10,000 of them. 

Ancient rock art at the Nourlangie Rock site, Kakadu NP, NT

The next day, we drove to Kakadu’s Nourlangie Rock site, which is known for its amazing Aboriginal paintings. There are more than 5,000 Aboriginal rock art sites in Kakadu, with some dating back around 20,000 years. There are also some modern paintings dating back to the 1960’s. 

Ancient rock art at the Nourlangie Rock site, Kakadu NP, NT

At Nourlangie, the rock walls have provided shelter and a communication canvas for Aboriginal people for thousands of years. It is a place where the Aboriginal clans used to meet and share their stories and knowledge using dance and drawings to pass on their practices and beliefs to young people.

Several Little Corellas in the tree above Ixi, Kakadu NP, NT

Leaving the rock site, we headed to the main town in Kakadu NP, called Jabiru after the many Jabiru storks in the area. At the local campground, we found a big tree to park under, hoping for a respite from the heat. But to our consternation, it housed a large family of querulous Little Corellas. These birds screech a lot. But while they were very noisy, they were also friendly, so we shared the tree for the night.

A colourful cacophony of birdlife in Mamukala Wetlands, Kakadu NP, NT

The next morning, we were up early to beat the heat, and drove to the Mamukala Wetlands. We took a 3 km walk through the wetlands, which were more like drylands as we were there in the dry season. But the dry creates opportunities to see lots of birds as they all gather in the disappearing water. And we did see lots - it was a colourful cacophony of birds - all vying for sound and space.

Wallaby at Mamukala Wetlands, Kakadu NP, NT

On land, we also saw plenty of action, most of it from cute wallabies who scattered by the dozens as we walked along the track. We’ve really enjoyed it here at Kakadu, but now we are moving on. Our next stop is Darwin, and that’s in the next blog.

This post is the fifth in a series about our travels through Australia’s south, centre and west. The first post was about Adelaide and can be found here.