Kakadu, less mozzies, and cooler nights at last

Looks like grant has described our first night on the way to Kakadu (except of course the reference to my 'bloomers' but I will leave that one alone!)

Saturday July 31st
It goes without saying that we packed up in the morning, and got out of there as quickly as possible. We drove up to shady camp where there were a few people fishing and enjoying boat trips. We saw our first estaurine crocodile here. 'salties' seem to be a growing problem up here..as their numbers increase, they are moving further and further into fresh waters, and causing problems for us humans who like to swim!
From there we stopped at 'Mistake billabong' and walked out onto the viewing platform for a look. The wetlands are magnificent...and we could only imagine how wet it must be in the actual wet season.







From there we travelled on to the magnificent Bowali visitor centre. Here we discovered lots of info on the national park, it's geography, wildlife and rock art. Aboriginal people recognize 6 seasons in this part of Australia:

Gunumeleng oct-dec build up to the wet season
Gudjewg Jan-march hot, moist wet season
April storms
Yegge may-June mists and drying out,
Wurrgeng June-mid aug dry season
Gurrung mid aug-sept the end of the dry and the beginning of another cycle.

From the visit centre we booked into an air-conditioned cabin in Jabiru. We were very keen to get a good nights sleep, and avoid another night with the mozzies. I enjoyed a cooling shower before we hit the road again, to see the sunset at Ubirr, one of Kakadu's most popular tourist sights.

The rock art here is abundant and fascinating. Some of it dates back around 15000 years ago, other paintings have been layered over thousands of years. The stories they tell are pretty amazing, we were lucky to join a free ranger lead talk which gave us an even better understanding of aboriginal spiritual beliefs and lifestyle. Aboriginal people still lived traditionally in this part of Kakadu into the 1950's...which is why their culture has not been completely lost here.







We climbed up to the magnificent Nardab Lookout, where we again listened to a ranger explain other aspects of aboriginal traditional life, including the importance of burning the land.
The views from here across the floodplain and over towards Arnhem land are breathtaking, to say the least.










We had a quick pasta dinner...and enjoyed our air-conditioned rooms!

A good night's sleep had by all..

Cazz and boys xxx


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