Mention Kakadu National Park and a number of images come to mind. Aboriginal art, rock formations, bird life and sweeping escarpments. Other than being well known for its world heritage listing, Kakadu has a lot to offer the traveller. There are a number of 4WD tracks in and around the park and its a bird watchers, boat and fishing lover's dream. Just watch out for the crocs!
The images we tend to see of Kakadu are aerial photographs taken from light aircraft during the November to April period, and you could be forgiven for thinking that Kakadu was a rainforest - it is far from it. Kakadu is not world heritage listed for its beauty, but for its diversity so forget the images you've seen in the magazines and on TV. In reality Kakadu is not like that - ask anyone who's been there. Kakadu actually has 6 main landforms, although about 80% of the park is defined as "Lowlands", which means shallow soils, lots of ironstone and ancient rocky hills. The most popular areas for tourists are the Floodplains and the Estuaries, due to the wonderful array of plant life and especially wildlife that can be seen near the water.
Visiting Kakadu by vehicle means you'll be there during the Dry Season as this is the only time that vehicular access is possible along the dirt and sometimes rough tracks that lead to the most interesting locations.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
History
The land itself is more than two billion years old, and the Aboriginal
rock art adorning it is has been there for 50,000 years or more. There are as many as 5,000 Aboriginal sites identified in Kakadu.
The rock art galleries reveal fish, birds and animals presented x-ray style, revealing internal organs and bone structures. The name ‘Kakadu’ comes from ‘Gagadju’ - the main Aboriginal language used in the northern part of the area at the start of the 20th century. Today three major languages are spoken within the Park - Gundjehimi, Kunwinjku and Jawoyn.
The first European discovery of the Kakadu area was in 1818 with the naming of the West Alligator, East Alligator and South Alligators Rivers by surveyor Phillip Parker King. In an overland expedition in 1845, explorer Ludwig Leichhardt was the first European to stand on the edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment.
In 1979, the first stage of
Kakadu National Park was begun and in 1984 it gained its World
Heritage listing and the area achieved international recognition as a cultural and ecological treasure. Today,
Kakadu National Park covers 20,000 square kilometres and is
home to more than 1,600 species of plant, 60 mammals, 290 birds, 120 reptiles, 25 frogs and 55 fish (many are rare and occur only in Kakadu).
Kakadu's World
Heritage status, its recognition as the back drop to Crocodile Dundee, and its controversial uranium mining leases keep the Park in the international spotlight.
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