Travel Photo of the Week: Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
I visited Kakadu National Park back in 2000. It was early June and the wet season was only just finishing up but there was plenty to mark the wet season had been! Many roads were still under water and a good portion of the Yellow Water Billabong car park remained submerged. So much water laying about together with ‘Beware of Crocodiles’ signs, you couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. During the Yellow Water Billabong tour by boat, these water lilies were captured. Photos of the crocs will come another time! Stay tuned!
Alice Springs is the little, desert town located bang in the center of great, big Australia. It’s more-or-less half way between Adelaide to the south and Darwin to the north, making it an ideal travel destination to break the long journey in either direction. Alice Springs draws travellers from all over the world as a base to explore the beautiful red centre. The nearby sites include Alice Springs Desert Park, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Larapinta Trail, the Flying Doctor Service and further afield, Uluru and Kings Canyon.
Today, on the 10 July, Alice Springs is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the annual ‘Camel Racing Cup’ which draws town folks and tourists from all over to watch the spectacle and have a lot of fun! The first Camel Race was run in 1970 in the dry Todd River Bed as a bet between two mates, Noel Fullerton and Keith Mooney-Smith. Since then, the race is held annually including a festival atmosphere with stalls, entertainers, rides, food and drink stalls, live music and Camel Cup souvenirs. No Australian race would be without ‘Fashions on the Field’ and this is distinctly ‘central Australian’ in flavour.
A Town like Mparntwe: A Guide to the Dreaming Tracks and Sites of Alice Springs
Kakadu is a World Heritage National Park located in the north eastern region of the Northern Territory. Kakadu is one of Austalia’s most prized ecological and cultural treasures. There are a number of locations where evidence of Dreamtime legends and day-to-day living can be viewed. In particular at Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock. Beautiful and extensive aboriginal paintings can be seen. The area beside Kakadu is known as Arnhem Land and special permits must be purchased if you wish to enter the large Aborginal Reserve.
Kakadu is largely flood plains, a result of the tropical rains. The water lily covered billabongs are a stunning sight and a boat trip at Yellow Waters is a must. Here you will experience the vastness of the flood plains, water lillies, crocodiles (by the scores!), birds such as the Jabiru, Heron, Magpie Geese, White-Bellied Sea Eagle, Whistling Kite and numerous others.
The tropical rains also create magnificent water falls. Unfortunately, the time of year I was there during 2000, access to all the falls were still closed. A must see inclides Jim-Jim Falls, Twin Falls and Gunlom.
A beautifully presented hardcover book ‘Kakadu: The Making of a National Park’ by David Lawrence
One great reason to visit Kakadu is for its sheer natural, wilderness wonder. An abundance of fauna and flora that just can’t be experienced any where else in the world.
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