Planning a trip to Kakadu National Park
Visitor Information
Both the park entrances -- the northern station on the Arnhem Highway used by visitors from Darwin and the southern station on the Kakadu Highway for visitors from Katherine -- hand out free visitor guides with maps. In the Dry they also issue a timetable of free ranger-guided bushwalks, art-site talks, and slide shows taking place that week. A A$25 park entry fee applies for all visitors over 16.
Park permits can be purchased at Tourism Top End in Darwin or at the Bowali Visitor Centre (tel. 08/8938 1120), on the Kakadu Highway, 5km (3 miles) from Jabiru, 100km (62 miles) from the northern entry station, and 131km (81 miles) from the southern entry station. Permits are also available through other outlets; check the website, www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu, for more information. An online ticketing system is expected to be introduced in 2012, so check the website.
The Bowali Visitor Centre is an attractive, environmentally friendly Outback-style building, which shows a program of 1-hour videos on the park's natural history and Aboriginal culture, stocks maps and park notes, has a library and displays, and includes a gift shop and a cafe. Information officers are on hand to help you plan your visit. (They provide tour times, costs, and telephone numbers, but do not make bookings.) You may want to spend a good hour or so here, more to see a video. It is open daily from 8am to 5pm.
You can also book tours and get information at Kakadu Tours and Travel, Shop 6, Tasman Plaza, Jabiru, NT 0886 (tel. 08/8979 2548; www.kakadutours.com.au).
Before you arrive, you can find information on Kakadu, and book tours at the Tourism Top End information center in Darwin. You can also contact the rangers at the park directly (tel. 08/8938 1120).
Never Smile at a You-Know-What!
The Aboriginal Gagudju people of the Top End have long worshiped a giant crocodile called Ginga, but the way white Australians go on about these reptilian relics of a primeval age, you'd think they worshiped them, too. There is scarcely a soul in the Northern Territory who will not regale you with his or her personal croc story, and each one will be more outrageous than the last.
Aussies may be good at pulling your leg with tall tales, but when they warn you not to swim in crocodile country, they're deadly serious. After all, crocodiles are good at pulling your leg, too -- literally. Here are some tips:
- There are two kinds of crocodile in Australia: the highly dangerous and enormously powerful saltwater or "estuarine" croc; and the "harmless" freshwater croc, which will attack only if threatened or accidentally stood on. Saltwater crocs can and do swim in the ocean, but they live in fresh water.
- Don't swim in any waterway, swimming hole, or waterfall unless you have been specifically told it is safe. Take advice only from someone such as a recognized tour operator or a park ranger. You can never be sure where crocodiles lurk from year to year, because during every Wet season crocs head upriver to breed, and they spread out over a wide flooded area. As the floodwaters subside, they are trapped in whatever water they happen to be in at the time -- so what was a safe swimming hole last Dry season might not be croc-free this year.
- Never stand on or walk along a riverbank, and stand well back when fishing. A 6m (20-ft.) croc can be 2 1/2 centimeters (1 in.) beneath the surface of that muddy water yet remain invisible. It moves fast, so you won't see it until you're in its jaws.
- Make your campsite and clean your fish at least 25m (82 ft.) from the bank.
And if you do come face to face with a crocodile? There is little you can do. Just don't get into this situation in the first place!
Getting Around
Kakadu is a big place -- about 200km (124 miles) long by 100km (62 miles) wide -- so plan to spend at least a night. Day trips are available from Darwin, but it's too far and too big to see much in a day.
Most major attractions are accessible in a two-wheel-drive vehicle on sealed (paved) roads, but a four-wheel-drive vehicle allows you to get to more falls, water holes, and campsites. Car-rental companies will not permit you to take two-wheel-drive vehicles on unpaved roads. Territory Thrifty (tel. 1800/891 125 in Australia or 08/8979 2552) rents cars at the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn, Flinders Street, Jabiru; otherwise, rent a car in Darwin. If you rent a four-wheel-drive in the Wet season (Nov-Apr), always check floodwater levels on all roads at the Bowali Visitor Centre (tel. 08/8938 1120). The Bowali Visitor Centre, many attractions such as Nourlangie and Yellow Water Billabong, and the towns of Jabiru and Cooinda usually stay above the floodwaters year-round.
Facilities are limited. The only town of any size is Jabiru (pop. 1,500), a mining community where you can find banking facilities and a few shops. The only other real settlements are the park's four accommodations houses.
Getting There
Follow the Stuart Highway 34km (21 miles) south of Darwin, and turn left onto the Arnhem Highway to the park's northern entrance station. The trip takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. If you're coming from the south, turn off the Stuart Highway at Pine Creek onto the Kakadu Highway, and follow the Kakadu Highway for 79km (49 miles) to the park's southern entrance.
A big range of coach, minibus, and four-wheel-drive tours and camping safaris, usually lasting 1, 2, or 3 days, depart from Darwin daily. These are a good idea, because many of Kakadu's geological, ecological, and Aboriginal attractions come to life only with a guide. The best water holes, lookouts, and wildlife-viewing spots change dramatically from month to month, even from day to day.
When to Go
Kakadu has two distinct seasons: Wet and Dry. The Dry (May-Oct) is overwhelmingly the best time to go, with temperatures around 86°F (30°C) and sunny days. Many tours, hotels, and even campsites are booked a year in advance, so make sure you have reservations.
In the Wet season, November through April, floodwaters cover much of the park, some attractions are cut off, and the heat and humidity are extreme. Some tour companies do not operate during the Wet, and ranger talks, walks, and slide shows are not offered. The upside is that the crowds vanish, the brownish vegetation bursts into green, waterfalls swell from a trickle to a roar, and lightning storms are spectacular, especially in the hot "buildup" to the season in October and November. The landscape can change dramatically from one day to the next as floodwaters rise and fall, so be prepared for surprises -- nice ones (such as giant flocks of geese) and unwelcome ones (such as blocked roads). Although it can pour down all day, it's more common for the rain to fall in late-afternoon storms and at night. Take it easy in the humidity, and don't even think about camping in this heat -- stay in air-conditioned accommodations.
