Kakadu: Guluyambi Aboriginal Culture Cruise

This tour was one of my favourites of my time in Darwin/Northern Territory. I was really looking forward to it and it didn’t disappoint. It was the only tour that was run by an Aboriginal guide and I was looking forward to some insights into his culture.

The tour was on the East Alligator River which separates Arnhem Land and Kakadu.  We were even able to step on to Arnhem Land as a surprise part of the tour. Normally you need a special permit to enter.  Due to this we weren’t able to go very far but at least I can say I’ve been to Arnhem Land.

The river is tidal which is really strange given it is hundreds of kilometres from the sea.

Arnhem Land

We were treated to a show of how to use these spears.  Our guide showed us how to hold and throw them so they reached the other side of the river.  He knew exactly where they were going to land. When we went to collect them they were where he said they would be.

Our guide.  He was so interesting and funny.  I could sit and listen to him all day.

Kakadu: Ubirr rock art

 

 

 

 

Ubirr is one of the best places to see the flora and fauna of Northern Territory.  There are more than 5,000 discovered rock art sites, containing some of the oldest rock art in the world.  It is believed there are many more thousands of sites that haven’t been discovered.  They may never be discovered by white man either.

Wordless Wednesday: Watch out for crocodiles

Kakadu: Crocodile Hotel

I have always wanted to stay in this crocodile-shaped hotel in the town of Jabiru in Kakadu National Park. I didn’t think I would ever stay there, I thought it was too expensive. However when I decided to do the 2 day tour of Kakadu, and looked at the hotels available, I realised it would only cost an extra $80 to stay there rather than a lower-budget hotel.  Yippee I was going to stay here.  It’s uniqueness lies in its shape.  The accommodation is on the sides of the croc and the restaurant and other facilities are in its head.

Northern Territory: Yellow Water and South Alligator Cruise

The cruise is a very relaxing way to take in the surroundings of the Yellow Water and South Alligator Rivers in Kakadu.  I didn’t know what to expect of this cruise.  I hadn’t done any research and just wanted to take what came. It turned out to be a great, informative tour.  We were lucky for this one and a half hour cruise to be extended to almost two hours. Although it didn’t please our driver.

We were able to see so much flora and fauna, it was incredible.  Many of my photos didn’t turn out as well as I wanted to because the birds were hiding on the banks of the rivers.  About one third of Australia’s bird species can be found in Kakadu. Whistling ducks and Magpie Geese were the birds we saw in most places. We also saw a lot of crocodiles, both in the water and on the banks of the rivers.

We were warned not to move around on the boat in case it toppled over.   It was a small boat so we certainly took heed of the warning.

This was our boat.  It would be no match for a crocodile so we all had to be very careful not to move around much.

It may look like this crocodile is about to attack but he was really just cooling himself down. Luckily for us.

 

 

The scenery is so beautiful in one of the most remote areas of Australia.

This is considered a ‘large’ crocodile.  We learned the body of a croc is seven times larger than the head.  Most of the body is hidden below the water.  He was just minding his own business.

Kakadu: Nourlangie rock art

 

 

 

 

Kakadu has some of the oldest rock art in the world.  Some of it is up to 20,000 years old.  Most of it is very well preserved but some parts are open to the elements and have worn away.

We arrived there after a long drive from Darwin at the beginning of the two day tour of Kakadu.  Apart from a brief stop off for morning tea at a very ‘Aussie’ place, we arrived at Kakadu ready for a walk around Nourlangie to look at the rock art.  This type of art fascinates me and I couldn’t wait to see if.  Our first stop on the walk was up some steps into an open gallery.  We were able to take photos as our guide told us the stories about the art.  Our next stop was another open-air gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click to access parknotesnourlangie.pdf

 

Word a week photograph: Remote (Kakadu National Park)

Kakadu in the Northern Territory is one of the most remote areas in the world. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in Australia. It is extremely sparsely populated. The scenery is spectacular and gorgeous. This picture looks like a painting.

http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-remote/

Wordless Wednesday…water lily