Week 7 – Kakadu – Darwin

We left the Mary River Roadhouse and drove through Kakadu National Park to Jabiru. Jabiru is the main town. It is the only town. It has a supermarket, post office, a few shops and a caravan park. However, there are lots of business buildings in Jabiru as the town came to be because of the Ranger Uranium Mine which is nearby. In fact, the airport there is due to the mine also. We arrived and set up in a lovely park with lots of shade. The park was organised around a central swimming pool and bar/restaurant. We chose our spot then set up before lunch.

After lunch we drove to Nourlangie, an Aboriginal sacred site about 25km away. We had a walk through the bush to a site under a huge cliff where ancient Aboriginal art is still visible.

We climbed up to the lookout and had a great view across the Kakadu wetlands. We drove a down short track to the Sandy Billabong. There were signs everywhere in Kakadu warning tourists to beware of crocs. They are everywhere and there have been many deaths in the park, both tourist and locals alike. The crocs can see from under the murky water and know exactly where people are and are always looking for a quick bite. We went for a quick walk around the billabong which was a magnet for birds and wildlife.

The next day we drove out to Ubirr, another Aboriginal art site which is reportedly the oldest site in Australia. The art depicts the stories and legends that the Aboriginal people passed on to their people as they had no writing. They are amazing.

Even more amazing was the view over the Alligator River wetlands from the Ubirr lookout.We climbed to the top of a huge cliff and the plains were spread out below us like a green blanket. The quietness was also amazing. It’s hard to believe that there were thousands of crocs hiding in the wetlands below us – but there were. 

We drove down to the boat ramp. We were warned by a ranger to stay well back from the river bank. As we approached a croc floated by. The river was flowing very quickly upstream! The tide was pushing it in.

The next day we booked a short flight over Kakadu in a Cessna airplane. 

As we took off, the Range Uranium Mine was spread out below us. This mine at one stage provided 82% of the world’s uranium which is used in England, France, USA, Japan and European countries to provide cheap, reliable electricity. It’s about time we did the same in Australia.

 The pilot took us up the South Alligator River to the wetlands and around the township of Jabiru before returning to the airport. It was a fantastic flight, well worth the money.

That afternoon we visited Cahill’s Crossing on the South Alligator River. This is the only way to cross the river to access various Aboriginal settlements and Arnhem Land on the other side. Many cars and 4WDs have been washed off the crossing as the river is very strong. To make matters worse the area is infested with saltwater crocodiles, all looking for a feed. Look at the photos below and look closely at the ones that didn’t make it on the downstream side.

The day after we went there a tourist’s car broke down on the crossing. Luckily there was a police officer nearby and he stood by with his rifle on the 4WD that went in to rescue the tourists. He was going to shoot any crocs that came for a free feed. Lucky tourists – stupid tourists! Just Google Cahill’s Crossing for the full story and photos.

We left Jabiru the next day and drove to Corroboree Billabong Tavern. We stayed here for two nights as we had booked a sunset cruise on the wetlands. 

The cruise on the Corroboree Billabong was awesome with many animals and crocs of course. The guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, making the cruise very interesting. We got home late at night.

The next day we headed for Darwin. We have booked a spot in a van park close to the city for 8 nights. We arrived, set up and went to explore the city. We visited Mindil Beach, the home of the Mindil Beach Surf Club which Alison used to be a member of. Pa finally got to see the sea but there are no waves here, just huge 7 metre tides.

Then next day we visited the Charles Darwin National Park which has some interesting information on the attack of Darwin by the Japanese in World War 2. This was the first time Australia was attacked on home soil ever. Darwin was hit hard by a squadron of over 245 Japanese fighter and bomber planes launched from aircraft carriers over the horizon. It was exactly 10 weeks after the surprise bombing of pearl harbour and there were Australian, British and American ships in Darwin Harbour on the day. Over 500 people died that day.

We headed for Darwin Museum which had a fantastic exhibit on Cyclone Tracy which devastated Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974. The museum was awesome. Tracey was the smallest cyclone on record in size, but the most destructive as it had the highest winds ever recorded in a cyclone in Australia, over 200 miles per hour (estimated as the wind measuring device – anemometer – broke early in the storm).

We then went for  a walk around the Botanic Gardens, followed by a drive to Stokes Hill Wharf. 

Nanna got to hug a few trees.

Look closely at the snake on this branch. we think the snake was about 3-4 metres long.

At the wharf we visited a tourist attraction which featured the attack on Darwin as well as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Darwin attack is depicted in a video as well as a virtual reality exhibit which really blew us away (pardon the pun). You really felt like you were in the action.

The RFDS exhibit was very interesting also. Pa got to fly the plane.

We look forward to our remaining time in Darwin before we head off to Western Australia next week.