WHO: @Counting_Continents, Liz, Dan, Phoenix & Beau
VAN: Jayco Starcraft Outback
LOCATION: Kakadu National Park
Stayed 5 nights at Kakadu Lodge and Caravan Park, Jabiru
A 3-hour drive from Darwin and right in the heart of Jabiru, Kakadu Lodge and Caravan Park is a well presented caravan park in a good central location, (keeping in mind the National Park covers 20,000 sq km – or about half the area of Switzerland) to explore all the UNESCO World Heritage National Park has to offer.
A unique feature of the park is the gorgeous lagoon style pool and bar/bistro area which the park is centred around.
Each row of sites is in concentric circles around the pool, meaning no matter your site location you will always be a short walk to the pool area.
The tropical gardens are also a highlight, we really felt like we were nestled in amongst a hidden oasis – although the green ants did try to take over the outside of our van!
You cannot make forward reservations, but with 186 powered campsites and 100 unpowered they guarantee they’ll be able to accommodate everyone – we were fortunate to visit during the end of the off-peak wet season, so had the majority of the park to ourselves.
Cost: $45 per night 2A/ 2C (Power & Water)
A few of our highlights of Kakadu National Park
Ubirr
Home to some of the worlds most outstanding rock art and one of the reasons for Kakadu’s dual World Heritage status, Ubirr was on our must see list.
However, due to visiting at the end of the tropical wet season, and having been the “wettest wet” in a decade much of Kakadu was still flooded and road access closed for our visit.
(Whilst we did see locals driving through floodways and opening their car doors on the other side to let the water pour out, we decided not to take this option)
Our solution was to do a tour of Ubirr & the Magela wetlands, which took us in a purpose built vehicle across the flooded Magela Creek to Ubirr – also meaning we had exclusive access to the rock art site and a guide to explain the traditional indigenous mythology and knowledge.
East Alligator River
Cruising down the East Alligator River with Kakadu on one side and Arnhem Land on the other learning about indigenous culture, bush tucker, traditional uses for plants and animals as well as bush survival skills was a spectacular experience.
There was no sign of Kakadu’s resident 10,000 crocodiles as the water levels were still very high (best time to see concentrations of crocodiles is at the end of the dry from August – November) but we still kept our limbs well inside the boat.
Nourlangie Rock
An easy 1.5km walk to impressive views over the Arnhem Land escarpment, savanna woodlands and sandstone cliffs and with examples of rock art up to 20,000 years old, this was a fascinating insight into this ancient land.
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