Kakadu National Park

In 1984 Kakadu National Park gained its World Heritage Listing and the area achieved international recognition as a cultural and ecological treasure. Kakadu is one of the few sites on the World Heritage List of both outstanding cultural and natural values by representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes and superlative natural phenomena and for unique artistic achievements and association with living traditions of outstanding universal significance. The park is located in the tropical north of Australia, 252 kilometres east of Darwin, covering a total area of 19,000 square kilometres.

The flood plains of Kakadu are a series of interacting ecosystems which continue to evolve in their natural setting, and with minimum human disturbance. The park contains important and significant habitats for a diverse range of flora and fauna, with more than 50 species of mammals, 280 species of birds, 123 species of reptiles, 77 species of freshwater fish and 10,000 species of insects.

The name "Kakadu" comes from "Gagudju" the main Aboriginal language used in the northern part of the area at the start of the 20th century. For at least 50,000 years, Aboriginal people have continuously lived in the area now defined by the National Park, leaving behind shelters, stone tools, grindstones and ochre for ceremonial painting. Most visitors to Kakadu visit the famous Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock where Dreamtime legend and day-to-day living are presented side-by-side. The rock art galleries reveal sprayed hand stencils, hunters carrying barbed spears and creation beings Namarrgon the Lightning Man and Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent. There are as many as 5,000 other recorded sites scattered throughout the Park revealing more about the Aboriginal culture.

On the flood plains the waterlily-covered billabongs such as Yellow Water and Mamukala, left behind by the Tropical Summer rains, attract amazing flocks of waterfowl year round. The sandstone escarpment to the east, soaring 100 to 200 metres, is a celebration of spectacular waterfalls like Jim Jim Falls, Twin Falls and Gunlom. Between November and March, when the rains come to the Top End, Kakadu National Park springs to life when the floodplains fill to become an endless sea of birdlife and the waterfalls roar their loudest. The monsoonal storms occur mostly in the evenings, so during the day you can cruise the luscious billabongs, visit the art sites, or go by 4WD to the accessible falls. A scenic flight by plane of helicopter will leave you gasping at the beauty of Kakadu.