Kakadu National Park Part III

Saturday, the 15th of May 2010

So I had now idea what to expect. As I mentioned in Part II, there was a surprise waiting for me. My birthday present from Maryanne. I was wondering, what else was there to do in Kakadu National Park? We had done the Yellow Water Cruise, been to Nourlangie Rock and Jabiru. There is not much left to do, especially not something that you have to get up early for. She was driving this time and as she was heading for the dead-end road heading to the old mine, I became an idea of what I might get. I knew where this road goes to. The airport of Jabiru is down that way.

A scenic flight. Left: Taking off at Jabiru Airport in a Kakadu Air 6-seater. Middle: The first detour went over the town of Jabiru. In the middle you can see the Jabiru Holiday Inn in the shape of a giant crocodile. Right: After 25 minutes of flying over the vast plains we got to Twin Falls, which is only accessible by boat. There is no road all the way to the falls.

Sorry, I know it’s large, but I wanted to share this picture of the magnificent Jim Jim Falls in full size. The water falls down more than 200 metres from the Arnhem Land plateau into the shallow Kakadu National Park area. According to geological information, about 150 million years ago, the whole of Kakadu was under the sea and Arnhem Land was only a flat land next to the sea with vertical cliffs on the coast. Today the Arnhem Land plateau rises up to 330 metres at its highest points. In the wet season there are tonnes of water flushing down the falls, much more intensely than on my pictures which was taken at the beginning of the dry season. For a public picture of Jim Jim falls in the wet season click here (external link). In the dry season the waterfall can dry out almost completely. There is a 60 km dirt road to Jim Jim Falls but it is for 4WD only and only accessible in the dry season. In the wet season there is no way at all to access the area in a vehicle. All pictures you find from the falls in the wet season were taken from a helicopter or an aircraft.

Left: Flying over the Arnhem Land Plateau. Middle: Returning to the hotel and checking out. The entrance of the crocodile shaped Holiday Inn is a giant crocodiles head, you enter the lobby through the mouth. Right: Hundreds of flies and other insects have died on the bumper and bonnet of our 2010 Toyota Camry.

Left: On the way home we stopped at Fogg Dam, where this little creature crossed the road. Middle: From the car park at Fogg Dam we saw this 4-metre saltwater crocodile. It could easily walk up to the road and nibble on us tourists, but it decides to stay in the water. Right: Getting back into our Toyota Camry. This hirecar had only driven 600 kms when I picked it up in Darwin. Well, we arrived back in Darwin at around 5.00pm on Saturday and had a quiet night. I had to get up early for work the next day.

If you want to see all the photos I took in Kakadu National Park, click here to view the entire album (144 photos) on flickr.

Kakadu National Park Part II

Friday, the 14th of May 2010 still onboard the Yellow Water Cruise

Click on the pictures to enlarge. Left: No leaves, just branches. Beautiful dead trees along the river. Middle: Reflections of the wetlands grass in the river. Right: We had only been on the cruise for about twenty minutes, when this huge male saltwater crocodile came our way. It didn’t jump of course, not like the jumping ones on Adelaide River. There they are actually trained to jump up high, since they know they will get food. If they cancel a tour, the crocodile will still come back to the spot where the boats usually go past, even at the exact time. Thats why they say, if you camp out in the wild, never go to the same waterhole twice. The crocodile will wait for you.

Left: If you like birds, this would be the place to be. Middle: We almost didn’t see this one in the dirty water. This is how they work. They hide underneath plants or a few centimeters under the surface until their meal walks up to the river to refresh itself with water. Then they literally jump out of the river and grab whatever they can hold on to. Usually the croc wins the battle and drags the food back to his safe home. Right: Another one of those funny looking birds. From the top of the tree he has the best view over his home.

Left: Beautiful creatures they are though. Great to watch them – from a safe distance. Middle: I can definitely recommend the Yellow Water Cruise as one of the best things to do in the whole Northern Territory. Probably the best way to see Australian birds and reptiles in their wildlife. Right: The conditions in these vast plains are utterly hostile. In the dry season the waterlevels are found to be several metres lower than in the wet season. In February or March, this tree would hardly be seen, maybe a few top branches would stick out of the water. In the dry season a few billabongs run dry, blocking the saltwater crocodiles from getting into freshwater areas.

Left: Aboriginal art sites at Nourlangie rock. These drawings are approximately 10,000-20,000 years old. Middle: Palm trees around Nourlangie Rock. Right: The rock where these drawings are found constantly provided shelter for several indigenous peoples. It was used until several decades ago, which makes this rock one of the most inhabitated aboriginal sites in Australia.

Left: I have no idea what species that is, but this spider is not a small one. Middle: Me infront of Nourlangie Rock. Right: Even a short climb will do. Here you can get a great overview of the vast countryside.

Left: Brown leaves infront of another rock of the whole Nourlangie rock complex. Middle: Maryanne, Nourlangie Rock. Right: The weather was perfect. About 33 degrees Celsius and hardly any clouds. It has been like this for about two months now. The next drops of rain will be a while away. The forecast says October or November…

Well, now you know, what I did on the 14th of May 2010. The reason for our short holiday was my birthday. I didn’t feel like a big party for my 24th. So me and Maryanne had a great weekend away from Darwin, away from work and the big city. Later on we went back to the Holiday Inn and relaxed by the pool. I had a few phone calls from Germany during the day and for dinner we enjoyed the room service (The Steak was great!). At the end of the day, Andrea, a german friend who also works at Crowne Plaza Darwin, and her boyfriend arrived from Darwin as well. We had a few drinks and shared our stories about all these Dingos and Wallabies on the Arnhem Highway.

We had an early night, because the next day we had to get up quite early again. There was a surprise waiting for me – my birthday present from Maryanne. She refused to give away any details, so I was exceedingly excited. Yellow Water Cruise, crocodiles, historic rock art sites, relaxing by the pool of the Holiday Inn, drinks with friends – I had a great birthday!