Northern Territory NT – May 2023 – Month 4 – Temp 35/24 – Distance traveled 7000km
Driving into Kakadu National Park we were immediately captivated by ancient sandstone landscapes and lush green forests.
Nineteen Aboriginal clans reside in Kakadu and we are intrigued by their culture dating back 65,000 years.
Kakadu’s Aboriginal owners work with nature in seven seasons with May being ‘Damibila’ the Barramundi and sea lilies’ season.
Here in NT we experienced a glimpse into the struggle for Aboriginal culture to survive. Elders are desperately encouraging bilingual teachings for the younger generation to keep traditions and language alive.
This seems to work well in remote communities but evidently there appears to be a disconnect with youngsters who live in towns who seem to have lost that sense of belonging to their culture.
We had beautiful experiences and interactions with Aboriginal people on the whole. Still, I wonder what more could be done to save their youth, many who are neglected, out of control and resort to crime.
Our first stop at Yellow Water Billabong in Cooinda was stunning. An abundance of migratory birds greeted us on our boat trip at sunrise. We spotted egrets, jabirus, white bellied sea eagles and magpie geese. The scenery was magical in the stillness of the morning with Paperbark forests, pandanus and freshwater mangroves reflecting in the waters. A few saltwater crocs were lazing in the morning sun.
Cooinda had a restaurant, a bar and two pools to relax in the hot midday sun. Can camping get any tougher? Smile.
Another highlight was Hiking in Ubirr. The spectacular landscapes and famous ancient rock art were mesmerising.
The main hub in Kakadu is Jabiru where we based ourselves for a few days. From here we explored natural sites, local art centres and croc infested Cahills Crossing. Here we watched fishermen tempting their fate, but lucky for them no crocs appeared.
We dropped into Mamukala wetlands which has a bird hide and unexpectedly witnessed a large crocodile devouring a Kangaroo. Wow.
Continuing we travelled west and after negotiating a stand-off with a huge water buffalo we arrived at Litchfield National Park.
Unfortunately, many off the waterfalls were closed due to burn offs and the odd crocodile sneaking in to the pools like at Wangi falls. Tough we had a refreshing dip at beautiful Florence Falls. I did send Trevor in first.
Nights in the campgrounds were pleasantly cool, dark and quiet with just millions of stars twinkling in the sky above.
Somewhere in between our NT adventure we managed to stay a few nights in a Darwin hotel for some R&R and to catch up with friends. Here we were spoiled with a rooftop bar where we watched in awe Darwin’s magical sunsets (.. we saw a few.. 🙂 ) .
Our next adventure leads us to lake Argyle our first stop in Western Australia. Can’t wait!
More role models like Bill Neidjie are needed…
