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Vacation - Kakadu National Park NT
Kakadu
Vacation Kakadu National Park.
Covering some 60 miles from east to west and 125 miles in length the Kakadu National Park is as big as Israel.
Kakadu is located in the Alligator River area of Arnhem Land in The Northern Territory..
The Alligator river region is a monsoon climate and flooding is common but only in the wet season. This area is only accessible by road in the dry season.
The climate is dry between November and March with a wet season of very high rainfall.
The park has a living history of the aboriginal inhabitants shown in rock drawings and sacred sites, the rocks are ancient. The many escarpments show the age and history of this land.
More than 1,600 plant species are in the park as well as 281 bird species. Nature lovers need their cameras ready all the time up here, as encounters with beautiful animals plants and birds are commonplace.
The East Alligator area is warm and dry for a few months of the year without any rain at all, and this is the time to travel there by road. This is home to many aboriginal people and a hunting place where big barramundi are caught in the wet season.
The locals use a large cast net to collect live bait and are expert using it. I have seen a cast net with 60 prawns in it or more, and the same for catching small fish, the know where the mullet are by the tell tale streaked ripple on the water, so they always know where to throw.
I have fished in the wet season waterhole for barramundi and it is a
major fishing experience to hook a good sized one, as they are a very
strong fighter and have a lot of weight to fight with!
The fish or prawns will see the net and scatter if you throw to high or too slow, and the aboriginals on the east alligator sure know how to throw a net just right.
The wildlife up here is something else! Huge
crocodiles, huge fish, strange looking birds and lots of varieties of
fish can be caught around the Mangroves.
The Kakadu National Park is an adventure that should be well planned, and there are plenty of vacation experts in the major cities or nearby Darwin who can provide mant different tours. You can easily spend a week looking through the park, so plan what you want to see first!
The local aboriginals.
Half of Kakadu is run by the indiginous people the rest governed by the Australian director of government Parks.
The natural beauty and cutural value of the park has been protected by UNESCO heritage list and has been gaining more listings as time goes by.
If you have the time you can see many rock paintings and drawings, but as these are sacred to the aboriginal people you need to take a guide.
Needless to say never touch any of this ancient art.
Kakadu wetlands.
Kakadu wetlands
Kakadu has a large wetland area which can be seen from any of the escarpments as the one here is. The birds that migrate here in the wet are so plentiful they form a cloud when the take off, and the whole place is vibrant with life after the wet season.
The rock paintings and the people who made them go back 40,000 years here and with a guided tour you can see many of these ancient and priceless rock paintings and drawings.
For a more complete view of Australia, why not visit our Vacation Guide?
- Australian Vacation Guide
The Australian Vacation Guide will show you the best places to visit in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory and Canberra (ACT)
