1 Cairns and District, North Queensland
2 The Gold Coast, Queensland
3 The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
4 Great Ocean Road, Victoria
5 Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
6 The Kimberley, Western Australia
7 Blue Mountains, New South Wales
8 Sydney Harbour & Sydney Opera House
9 Tasmania's World Heritage Site
10 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory
Australia's largest national park is both a superb tropical wilderness and a treasure house of ancient Aboriginal art and culture.
Covering almost 20,000sq km to the east of Darwin, this vast World Heritage registered national park is one of Australia's most spectacular attractions. Much of Kakadu is a flat, river-crossed floodplain that is transformed into a lake during the wet season, but this large area is backed by forested lowlands, hills, and the dramatic 250-m cliffs of the Arnhem Land escarpment. The extraordinary wildlife within this varied terrain ranges from dangerous estuarine crocodiles to dingoes, wallabies, snakes, goannas and over 280 species of bird.
There is much evidence of the area's long Aboriginal occupation, which may have endured for an incredible 50,000 years. Aboriginal-owned Kakadu includes Nourlangie and Obirr rocks, where you can see fine examples of Aboriginal painting, estimated to be around 20,000 years old. Among the park's scenic highlights are the spectacular Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls that tumble off the escarpment, and Yellow Water - a tranquil waterhole and wetlands area, home to prolific birdlife. During the Top End's wet season (November to April) many of the roads are impassable, so the best time to visit Kakadu is during the `Dry' - from May to October. Much of the park can be explored in a normal vehicle, but a four-wheel drive is necessary for off-road travelling. General information is available from the main Visitor Centre, but the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Yellow Water provides a deeper insight into the area's indigenous culture and history. To see something of modern Aboriginal life, you can visit neighbouring Arnhem Land; this is Aboriginal land and permits are required to visit, so a tour is the only real option.Restaurant: Cafés in the area (Inexpensive-Moderately priced)
Air: To Jabiru
Accessible: Few
Admission: Moderate
Practical: Guided walks and tours from the Visitor Centre.
Info: Bowali Visitor Centre, Kakadu Highway (Phone: (08) 8938 1100 Hours: Daily 8-5); www.ea.gov.au, www.ntholidays.com
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