Kakadu National Park

By Melinda Wythes

Covering a space of half of Switzerland, or the entire size of Israel, Kakadu National Park sits just South of Darwin in the Northern Territory.  Called Kakadu after the wrongly pronouncing the native Aboriginal language of the area, ‘Gagudju.  Kakadu is home to many diverse flora and fauna, due to the diversity of the landscape.

With estuaries and tidal flats, floodplains and lowlands, to highlands, stony country and southern hills and basins, Kakadu is home to over 200 species of birds, 60 mammal species and over 1,600 different types of plants.

Tourists come to Kakadu National Park to see the beautiful waterfalls of Jim Jim, Twin Falls and Maguk.  The other main attraction to Kakadu is the Saltwater Crocodiles that can be seen at Yellow Water and East Alligator River, where the Crocodile Dundee films where made.

All needs are catered for within the Kakadu National Park, from hotels, like the Crocodile Hotel, to simple campsites with amenities blocks.  There are tour companies that operate from Darwin to Kakadu National Park and as far south of Katherine Gorge, and a very few beyond that.

Since there are two main seasons in the northern area of Australia, the wet (from October to April/May) and the dry (from April/May through till September) seasons, Kakadu National Park scenery can change quite dramatically.  Kakadu National Park can receive up to 1,500 millimetres of rain within a few months.  During these times roads can be closed and therefore, sections of the park are cut off.  The main tourist time is during the dry season, where waterfalls are slightly flowing and you are able to swim in waterholes.  However, to avoid the tourist rush, the wet season is better, where the waterfalls are spectacular.  You are able to take helicopter and plane flights over the park and to various spots that are still accessible by flight within the park.

Kakadu National Park has many of the most spectacular waterfalls in Australia, as well as wildlife and fauna.  As well as the natural beauty of the national park, there are over 25,000 years of Aboriginal heritage engraved within the rocks and sandstone walls of the National Park.