The Top End II – Kakadu’s Rock Art and beautiful Billabongs

Prowling Eagle at Sunset in the Wetlands

Kakadu National Park covers an immense area and is the largest national park of Australia. The park is leased from the traditional owners by the government and covers an impressive twenty thousand square kilometres. The gigantic park has everything from mountains to wetlands and from billabongs to rapid waterfalls. This magical place has always been on our “Must Do” list and certainly it didn’t disappoint!

Exploring Kakadu National Park

Heading north from Katherine, we entered the park at the southern entrance. We made a dash for the Gunlom Falls on our way in, only to find the road exceptionally corrugated. Even though we were dying to take a dip in one of nature’s panoramic infinity pools, we simply couldn’t risk getting the van too banged up. Instead we drove to the Cultural Centre, where they display and explain the traditional life of aboriginals in this area. Afterwards we drove on to the Malabanjbanjdju (try to pronounce that three times in a row) campsite, where we wanted to spend the night. We love being in the outdoors and this place looked amazing. We parked between dense woods and a billabong was less than fifty meters away, just wonderful.

Although the Northern Territory and Kakadu are known for its high density of Crocodiles we hadn’t actually seen one for ourselves. This changed when we went for a stroll by the billabong, when a big freshwater crocodile stared us down and gave us quite the fright. We even considered parking the van a bit further from the water. Crocodiles are magnificent creatures, but can be best observed from a distance. After all, they do kill people every year.

As soon as the sun went down, hordes of mozzies (mosquitoes) descended upon us. We were quick to retreat to the van but not before the mozzies had their fill.

Incredible Rock art at Nourlangie & Ubirr

The following day we drove to Nourlangie, for a guided ranger walk. The walk was a comfortable two hours, and filled with insight into Aboriginal culture. We walked from one cave to the next, each more amazing than the next. Most caves are intricately decorated with rock art, and each tell a story of their own. Especially the story of the rainbow serpent and the lightning man really stuck in our minds. The guide tried to explain it as good as she could, explaining that not all things can be translated properly in English. At the top of the hill we got some stunning views of the distant sacred mountain ranges.

After the walk, we went to the nearby Cahills crossing. The crossing is the only way to get into Arnhem Land and supposed to have been a good place to spot some crocs. The tide was low and revealed several four-wheel drives that didn’t make it across and were swept into the river. The crocodiles seemed to evade us as we didn’t see any from close by. Suppose that is a good thing, since locals like to fish with their feet in the water. Not my cup-a-tea!

In the afternoon we put our hiking boots back on and started on the Bardedjilidji walk which we read about in the guidebook. It was only 1.2 kilometre but did take us over an hour to complete. The walk is more than worth it and led us past some of the most spectacular sandstone cliffs we have ever seen. At several points on the way there are hidden caves with rock art and cooking stones. The last part of the track led us down to the crocodile infested river bank, which made us a bit jumpy. This night we made sure to have dinner before the sun went down to avoid another mozzy attack.

In the morning we signed up for another ranger guided walk, this time in Ubirr. This time with two guides, one Bininj (aboriginal) and one Balanda (white), who were exceptionally informative. We got to hear all about the plants the locals use in their daily lives and about their customs. Even after three times of explaining Kinship, it is still complicated to me.

The nature in this area is very different from the southern part of the park, and the 360 degree viewpoint is an absolute must visit. From the top you really get a grasp as to just how vast this wetland area really is.

The rock art at Ubirr is stunning. Among several rock art sites, the rainbow serpent story remains one of the most iconic and most frequented stories off all. Near the top we made a stop at the three sisters cave. The rock art there depicts the story about the Namarrkan sisters which warns children about crocodiles. Amazing how animals and people can be painted so vividly using so little colours. Unbelievably enough, in one cave there is a distinct painting of a Tasmanian tiger. This is proof that these animals used to live in this area, thousands of kilometres away from Tasmania! After the tour we drove to Cahills crossing again, this time to checkout the change in tides which can be spectacular at times. There is up to six meter difference in tides and this time the water was no longer coming from the left but came crashing down from the right. Insane difference. On our way out of the park we made a quick stop at the Mamukala Boardwalk. From inside the wooden hut we could observe many colourful bird species and water lilies that danced in the wind.

The Exceptional Wetland Cruises at the Billabong

Just outside of the park we checked into the cozy Corroborree Tavern for the night. A real laid back atmosphere and decent prices made this place well worth a stop by itself. In the afternoon we were picked up for a memorable cruise of the wetlands at Corroborree Billabong. This cruise was recommended to us over the one in Yellow water and we couldn’t have been happier we have listened to this local advise! We were picked up by Webby, who took us and a dozen others to the boats. In small groups we headed into the wetlands. It didn’t take long before the first of what would be many crocodiles made an appearance. mesmerizing creatures that are amazing to see in the wild. They are so incredibly resourceful and deadly they have been top predator for millions of years. We even saw a croc in a tree! As we came around one bend this huge crocodile of six meters couldn’t even be bothered by a boat of foto-eager tourists. Simply chilling while getting his picture taken. Amazing.

It wasn’t just the crocodiles that made the cruise so amazing as there is so much life in the billabong that at some times we didn’t know where to look. Beautiful eagles, kingfishers, flycatchers and so much more! We even encountered a Jabiru, which looks unreal. We watched a breathtaking orange glowing sunset at the foot of a tree with birds chirping and crocodiles hissing while enjoying a cold beer. Life is great.

We grabbed dinner, an enormous burger and the daily special, at the roadhouse before turning in. The next morning we went on the cruise again, this time to watch the sun rise. Once the sun was up we cruised two hours over the billabong, seeing more fascinating birds and crocodiles. The cruises of Wetland Cruises have been one of the absolute highlights of this entire trip.

3 thoughts on “The Top End II – Kakadu’s Rock Art and beautiful Billabongs

  1. Lieverds, wat een schitterende plekken hebben jullie gezien…prachtig!!
    Succes met jullie werk, blijf genieten en laat ons mee blijven genieten 😉
    Dikke kussen, Ankie xx

  2. Toch even opgezocht wat een Jabiru is. Nooit van gehoord maar is een reuzenooievaar.
    Weer wat geleerd en genoten van je blog.
    Groetjes, Addy

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