Kakadu

Kakadu, Northern Territory,

in a camper, with kids

We have wheels! And a home! And an icy cold fridge!

Look mum no hands! “Skinny Minny” doin’ her thang on the Adelaide River

This is how we roll… When it’s so hot the kids give up walking, you can always push them across town in a shopping trolley, like true Bogans.

Kakadu burning. It’s hot here! Today we followed indigenous rangers at Jabiru burning spot fires. We also learnt about the fire stick bird – a hawk who picks up burning sticks and drops them many kilometres away to start fires and catch the fleeing snakes.

Nourlangie Rock Art. 40,000 yr old painting of Narbulwinjbulwinj – a dangerous spirit who eats females after striking them down with a yam. Wait till he meets my sisters…

Cooinda lodge caravan park… The pool! The pool! Sweet lord above there’s a pool!

We woke up to find this sign in front of our camper.

There ain’t much that gets between me and the water…

Beautiful lilies, that double as food and water holding cups

Touristy Yellow River cruise. Maybe it’s just me but I find tourists more interesting than wildlife. OMG! Lemme take a selfie!

Leliyn, not part of Kakadu. Best waterhole ever! (named Edith Falls by whitefellas)

Checking for crocs.

The water tasted amazing. We baked in the shade on 40 degree rocks. Sublime!

Waiting for flight VA 334 to Sydney…

The town of Katherine

Cutta Cutta Cave Stalactite (Note to self: the tights fall down as the mites crawl up)

Cutta Cutta means place of many stars. Or, should we say, stairs…

Katherine Hot Springs – cleared of crocs just a day prior…

One of the cool murals in Katherine, where the traditional lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman, and Wardaman peoples converge…

Buley Rockhole, Litchfield. I wish I could transmit smell through the screen – the smell of the freshest mineral water. Perfume!

Darwin Big 4 Caravan Park, Howard Springs

Yipee!

So here’s my advice for Kakadu with kids. (before you call it “KakaDon’t”)

KNOW YOUR SEASON! We went to Kakadu in April, (called “Knock Em Down” season, and not yet the Dry). I thought it might be cooling down in the Top End, but boy was I wrong. Not only was it hot, (i.e. 40 degree plus by 9am each day) the waterholes were all closed and access was only open to 4 wheel drives. Ruh Roh. Still, we enjoyed the swimming pools (and the air con in our camper!) at each campground along the way. The Bogans are onto something there (and by Bogans, I mean us).

Our Kakadu stops were:

1: Aurora Caravan Park in Jabiru (stopping at the Jumping Croc River Tour along the way from Darwin)

2: Cooinda Lodge and caravan park, stopping via Nourlangie Rock Art site along the way

3:  Katherine Big4 Caravan Park (ok, so not Kakadu anymore) via the most amazing waterhole of the trip – Original name: Leliyn (or the whitefella name Edith Falls). We then drove all the way to Katherine Gorge, only to discover it was closed. Then we found the fantastic outdoors (and free) Katherine Hot Springs – 5 minutes from the campsite)

We saw the Cutta Cutta Caves, then drove back to Darwin via Litchfield and Buley Waterhole (the Litchfield waterholes were open). So if you head north in April, try Litchfield before Kakadu. It’s closer to Darwin and the waterholes are generally open then and cleared of crocs.