Kakadu, an exotic region made famous by the “Crocodile Dundee” movie, is a widespread area of swamps, called billabongs, and rivers located north of the continent and delimited by a cliff where we found Aboriginal paintings and impressive waterfalls. Camping is permitted in the park though we found many signs that said, “Watch out for crocodiles, swimming prohibited” and campsites must not be too close to the water. Two types of crocodiles live in these beautiful swamps: the not very aggressive sweetwater crocodile and the more dangerous saltwater crocodile. However, you can’t be over confident because, during our stay, we were attacked by a sweetwater crocodile and discovered the biggest one, over 3 mt (10 ft) long, swimming in a billabong.

 

 

The area has 250 types of birds, such as ducks, geese, jaribu stork, eagles and cockatoos; 60 varieties of mammals (like dingoes and kangaroos) and, as if there was a sign that says, “Crocodiles prohibited” you can safely swim in the Jim Jim and Maguk falls.  These are beautiful cliffs with transparent, refreshing water but the beautiful Twin Falls have been conquered by the king of the region and no one is allowed to run the risk.

Kakadu, east of Darwin, is a region of adventures, traversing the roads on a 4X4, discovering the beautiful billabongs, observing the rich fauna, admiring the Aboriginal art and enjoying memorable evenings around a campfire under a sky filled with stars.   

 

 

Text: Patrick Monney ± Photo: Patrick Monney.