Kakadu!!!

We were allowed a bit more of a lie-in this morn, just til the birds woke us at 6.15am! Away with the camp and off to Kakadu N.P. We entered into Jawoyn country and started with a walk in Gunlom with the Arnhemland escartment in the background. This was a gorgeous place with lovely rockpools when you got to the top. They were very welcome after the climb up! After about an hour we went back down to the bottom to the plunge pool, which was just heavenly. It has white sand all around it. We swam here, even though the sign said that there were fresh water crocs and from time to time salt water ones!! But I'm still alive Mam and Dad!!

Then it was off to Maguk (aka Barramundi Gorge) with us. This entailed a 3.5km hike in the ROASTING heat and I honestly thought I was going to collapse at one stage, but it was definitely worth the agony! The top was full of deep cascading rockpools with warm water!! It was fabulous and we really didn't want to have to leave here. We swam (and climbed, or got hauled)up to the creek. Like a spa again. But alas we had to leave so that we could make it to a lookout spot for sunset! We stopped on the way to get foto's beside a cathedral termite mound. Then came yet another steep run (as we were running late) up a hill for the amazing sunset over Kakadu and the escartments. Kakadu consists of 20,000sqm. It is the largest national park in the Northern Territory but not the largest in Oz. Megan had brought a beer up for everyone and we sat there for about 40 mins taking in the views and relaxing after our day of walking!It was a perfect ending to a perfect day!

We camped at Sandy Billabong that night and this was to be our home for 2 nights so we didn't have to pack up the next morning. The Billabong itself is overrun with salties, so we didn't go too close! The next morning we headed straight to the Twin Falls. This was a rough 4-wheel drive, but good fun, we even had to go thru a river. You get a little boat to the bottom of the falls. They really are magnificent. You can't swim at the bottom as there are crocs. They pulled a 3metre salty out of there last week and they think there's still one more!Then we hiked up to the top of the falls! My God was it hot!!! It took about 45mins and as soon as I got to the top I stripped off and jumped straight into the water! We chilled here and had lunch before making our way back down, which was nearly as hard as coming up!!

Then it was off to Jim Jim. It's usually called Jim Jim falls, but the water has dried up now and there is only a trickle like light rain coming down.!On our way into Jim Jim we say a Buffalo running across the track, which was very exciting and we had seen a Dingo on the way into Twin Falls, so we were feeling very privileged! We had another trek into Jim Jim, but it wasn't as bad as Twin Falls. Megan had warned us that the water in the plungepool is freezing as it is very deep and in the shade a lot, but it definitely wasn't anywhere near as cold as the water at Millaa Millaa falls in the Atheton Tablelands! We swam the 90m to the back of the plungepool where we sat relaxing before the swim back!

That evening we returned to Sandy Billabong for our last night of camping. We sat near the billabong with a few beers watching wild pigs on the far bank and waiting to see if any would be eaten by the crocs!

On our last morning we packed up the camp and headed for Ubirr where there is a magnificent concentration of Aboriginal rock art and views of the surrounding area. It was really really interesting. It is estimated that the art here is between 300 and 1500 years old. An exact date can not be given, but a Dutch archaeologist has stated that there are 5 eras the art can be broken into. Aboriginals painted only what they saw, therefore, whatever animals are seen in the paintings depicts the era. The paintings are generally done by boys but there is some evidence of women painting. There is evidence of contact art here, ie, contact with white men. They painted white men with hands in their pockets and smoking pipes! This is a really special place and hopefully it will be preserved for years to come. Rock art is not practised anymore and therefore it will eventually disappear.

Our final stop of the trip was a croc cruise on the Mary River. It was great, but a bit too short. We saw loads of crocs, all around the boat and on the shore. You wouldn't have a hope in hell if you fell in there. I was afraid to put my arm anywhere near the edge as I've seen how they can jump! We even saved a freshie from being dinner for a saltie!!

So that was the end of the Kakadu experience with Wilderness Adventures. It was really amazing and I would highly recommend this company. There was not one second that I didn't love and I wished I could have stayed longer, but alas there is so much more to see!