Kakadu Kaleidoscope

So we had farewelled Mike and June, Trace’s parents, and on the first day in September our adventure continued to Kakadu National Park. Josh had visited many years before, but it was the first time for the remainder of us.  We had heard different reports along the way about whether Kakadu was worth visiting with quite a number of people not overly impressed with their experience.  Nevertheless, given that we had already planned some exciting adventures in Kakadu, we were all looking forward to it.  On the way we crossed the Mary River, where only a week or so earlier a man in his twenties had been taken by a croc trying to swim across the river, despite the Mary having a reputation for being home to a large population of estuarine crocodiles.  

Our first base in the Park was Jabiru in the north. Given the heat, and the presence of salt water crocs in virtually all the waterways of this region, a pool was considered important. Thankfully the van park in Jabiru was well shaded and boasted a large swimming pool - croc free!  After two full circuits, we chose what seemed a reasonable spot, got set up - tables, chairs and awning out, only to find out, as the afternoon set in, that we had selected our site rather poorly with the hot afternoon sun beating down on us. So with the kids moaning and groaning, we pulled up stumps and moved across the way to a much shadier spot. Our first afternoon was a fairly lazy one, spent chilling out and swimming.  Night was quiet apart from a couple of resident boobook owls perched above our van that we hadn’t noticed during the day, but caught up with just about every other day. 

The following morning we set off for Nourlangie a site rich in Aboriginal rock art. The walk around this area also passes an ancient Aboriginal shelter which has, as we were to learn, been the site of a small archaeological excavation and yielded some important finds. The rock art was outstanding and we went to the first of several excellent free ranger guided talks that happen all around Kakadu throughout most of the dry season.

The Anbangang Gallery at Nourlangie was a particularly impressive site depicting Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, and his wife, as well as family groups on their way to a ceremony, amongst other things. Kakadu’s rock art represents one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world. This is even more significant given that this culture has been continuous for tens of thousands of years and still exists today.

Given Trace’s interest in some of the pandanus weaving from Arnhem Land, she was keen to head along to another ranger organised activity, the weaving demonstration at one of the campgrounds in the north of the Park.  We had first come across pandanus weavings in the Kimberley and then seen fine examples at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, which had fostered her interest further.  We were planning a trip to Gunblanya, in Arnhem Land and the Injalak Art Centre, well known for it’s high quality weavings, so it was a demo we were keen not to miss. It was worth the trip with an insight into just how labour intensive the whole process is, from collecting the leaves and various dye products, stripping the leaves, preparing the dyes and dying the leaves, and finally, the weaving itself. The kids even had a go at a little weaving under the guidance of some veterans of the trade. 

For a bit more spectacular rock art and some panoramas over the northern Kakadu floodplains we drove up to Ubirr.  A short climb up to a rocky lookout afforded some superb views over the Nabab floodplain we spent nearly an hour just taking in the spirit and beauty of the place and were only kicking ourselves for not remaining to take in the sunset.  

On the way back to Jabiru, we thought we’d check out the East Alligator River crossing that we were to take in two days time on out trip to Arnhem Land.  Trace was expectedly nervous about any river crossings especially those that involved the possibility of encountering crocodiles.  

Between the 40s and 60s, crocodile in the Northern Territory we hunted to near extinction for their skins and as trophies, but by 1971, both freshwater and saltwater crocs were fully protected.  Since then their numbers have recovered dramatically and salties continue to move further inland into freshwater rivers, billabongs and creeks in search of new territory. Given all this and the recent fatality, we thought a recon mission was in order.  We had heard about crossing on the low tide and checked out tide charts to ensure our passage was safely timed. As it turns out there was less than 20cm of water over the causeway when we arrived and we were comfortably reassured.  What was not so reassuring was some locals who told us about a 5m croc they had seen earlier in the day just a few kilometres up the East Alligator River.  He’d been sunning himself on the riverbank most of the day and there was a fair chance he was still put, so we drove around to catch a glimpse of the monster.  We did see a big one, but he was more around the 3.5m length, still big and scary. 

Before our trip to Injalak, later in the week, we took a trip out to Twin Falls. We knew that it was about a 60km drive on a 4WD track, but we figured it would be worth it. The last 20km was a little more challenging with a crossing of Jim Jim Creek just over 0.6m, nothing that the Beast couldn’t handle.  Josh had remembered floating up the Gorge and swimming at Twin Falls many years earlier, but swimming at Twin Falls is no longer allowed, so after a short wait for the Parks boatman, we were heading up the Gorge, as access to the falls is either via boat or up onto the escarpment for a vantage point from above.  A walking track over boulders and sand and a boardwalk, complete with hand pumped showers to cool off along the way, saw us reach the Falls.  In the heat of the day without much shade and being the only ones there, the temptation to swim was great, however, for cultural and environmental reasons we resisted. Getting toward the end of the dry, the falls were more of a trickle, but the Gorge and the pools were impressive enough. After the return boat trip and walk back to the car without a swim, no one was looking forward to the long rugged drive home. 

With permit in hand and high expectations, we crossed the East Alligator River effortlessly, after our previous day’s crossing, and slid into Arnhem Land.  We had toyed with doing a longer trip into Arnhem Land. Given it’s remoteness and the potential Indigenous cultural experiences to be had, it held great promise. However, the expense and lack of infrastructure meant that for the time being our day trip to Injalak Art Centre and the Injalak Hill rock art tour would have to suffice.  

We found the Art Centre without too much difficulty and had a look around whilst we awaited our guide for the rock art tour to arrive. The Injalak Arts and Crafts Centre is managed by an incorporated association whose members are the artists and the community.  The association’s major aims are cultural maintenance and economic self-determination.  Injalak is a non-profit enterprise with over 200 members from Gunbalanya and the surrounding outstations.  All artists are paid upfront for their work. 

On application for our permit a few days prior, we were given instruction not to stop and linger about other parts of town, but to go directly to the Art Centre. It wasn’t till we got to the top of Injalak Hill some hours later that we got an appreciation for the surrounds.  

We had been holding off any Indigenous art purchases until our trip to Injalak in hope that we would find something special. Plenty of excellent weaving, a few of which caught our eye, but these would need a closer look upon our return.  Trace and the kids were already outside watching some of the local women preparing for a morning of weaving.  Nelson, our guide for the rock art tour, was the son of one of the weavers.  He arrived ceremoniously late, which didn’t matter to us - he had to take his wife shopping first. 

Nelson was in his late 20s and his Country was the ground we stood on.  He was born in Gunbalanya. He was also an artist himself and we would later see some of his artwork at the Art Centre. We drove and he directed, it didn’t take long for us to warm to him and vice versa. We commenced our walk up the nearby stone country to the east of Oenpelli. As we ascended, Nelson talked about lots of different things - the sites, his childhood, life in Gunbalanya, his family and connections, totems, bush tucker and more. His English was quite good, but he was at times difficult to follow.  Knowing when to interrupt and when to ask questions was somewhat tricky at first, but once we understood his rhythm, we found opportune moments.  He had travelled to Darwin frequently where he had family, but most of his life had been spent in Arnhem Land. 

The rock art sites were exquisite and Nelson’s explanation of them were simplistic yet informative and gave us insight that we could never have gained without a guide. Most of the art depicted everyday events, such as animals inhabiting the area, a hunting experience or a story about creation.  Some of the stories are not for everyone to know and sometimes it seemed that there was more to be said which could not be said. It was hot and the caves and of the stone country where most of the rock are resides were shady and much cooler than being in the direct sunlight.  We made our way over 4 hours via numerous sites to the top of Injalak Hill and looked back to the west over the town of Oenpelli, or Gunbalanya.  On the east side of town is a large billabong surrounded to the north by open floodplains and to the south and east by more rugged escarpment. The surrounding countryside we had heard is abundant in wildlife with a wide variety of fish, birds such as emu and waterfowl, and game including kangaroos, wallabies, possums, flying foxes, echidnas and goannas. As we looked from our perch high above, Nelson pointed out a small group of women on the edges of the billabong hunting for turtle and file snakes. After sharing a drink and some food, it was time to start our descent. 

Back at the Art Centre we got serious about looking at the art. We found some really fantastic work by Glen Namundja, a two time winner of the National Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA). This is one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia and is also known as the Telstra Award.  We had purchased work several years earlier on a trip to Tasmania by another Telstra Award winner, Denis Nona, which we are yet to find a place for.  Regardless, Glen’s work really caught our eye, and stood out against some beautiful works. In particular, we like two of his rarrk (cross-hatching) works on paper, but unfortunately at around $7,000 a piece, they were a little out of our price range.  We did eventually find a smaller work by Glen called Creation Mother, which we really liked and decided to buy along with a couple of woven mats. We missed meeting Glen only by a few minutes.  He had been painting out the back most of the day. 

We said our goodbyes to Nelson and the Art Centre and drove back to Kakadu after a wonderful day in Arnhem Land that has left us with a strong desire to return sometime in the future. 

Our plan was to move to Cooinda the afternoon we returned from Gunbalanya, but after a late return we stayed decided to move the following day.  Cooinda is located in the centre of the Park and given that one of our tours was leaving from there and we had decided on a sunrise boat cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong at Cooinda, it was a better spot to base ourselves.  Jem got a little help from Trace to fashion himself an Iron Man suit out of cardboard, Iron Man being his favourite super hero at present. 

The kids were really enjoying Kakadu, but our afternoon out on Animal Tracks Safari was a real highlight for them, particularly Oscar and Rubes. We’d heard that Animal Tracks was a trip not to be missed and was a great experience for the kids. So after a morning spent in the pool we prepared for our afternoon and evening within the Kakadu Buffalo Farm and its surrounds. 

The Kakadu Buffalo Farm occupies 170km² in the middle of Kakadu and exists solely for the purpose of supplying bush meat to those who can no longer hunt and gather for themselves, particularly the elderly and children. The water buffalo was introduced into northern Australia in the early 1800s from Asia.  The indigenous communities of the Top End became reliant on the buffalo as a source of food. When, in the 1980s and 1990s, the government decided to eradicate Australia of bovine Tuberculosis, these communities feared they would lose an important food product. So in 1988, in order to continue the supply of bush meat, especially the elderly Aboriginal people the Kakadu Buffalo Farm was created in the heart of Kakadu. And the proceeds from the Animal Tracks safaris support the Buffalo Farms operations. 

Our outing on Animal Tracks was spent mainly with Patsy, an Aboriginal woman, who had lived her entire life out in the bush. 

Her family had relied on buffalo meat long before government assistance.  Now Patsy, and her husband, Dave, run the Buffalo Farm on a voluntary basis to continue provision of this meat supply.  Patsy took us into the bush, showed us bush tucker and bush medicines. Dave had caught a magpie goose and a duck, as well as some wild cattle meat for our evening meal later in the day. The kids were fascinated eating palm hearts and green ants, hunting for turtle, gathering paperbark for our bush oven, and collecting water chestnuts for dessert. We learned the importance of fire in regenerating the landscape and explored freshwater billabongs and woodland savannah.

In the late afternoon we settled at a massive billabong on an open floodplain and prepared for dinner.  Ruby and Oscar got busy assisting with preparation by plucking the goose and duck, Patsy prepared the fire with hot rocks and coals for the bush oven.  Once the meat was prepared it was rolled into paperbark which we had gathered with hot rocks and leaves for additional flavour and buried in the ground beneath the hot coals. 

Meanwhile we relaxed taking in the massive billabong home to tens of thousands of magpie geese, as well as other bird species and, of course, crocs.  When the magpie geese were startled by Dave shooting for magpie geese on the other side of the billabong, the sky blackened with the sheer density of their numbers in flight.  And as we watched the warm sunset over the billabong, we reflected on the fantastic afternoon we’d had. Bush meat, damper and tea were all delicious and water chestnuts for dessert weren’t too bad either - although I think the kids would have preferred ice cream.  

It was dark and time to head back to Cooinda. We said goodbye to Patsy.  The kids had been amazing, engaging with Patsy, listening to all that she had to say about living off the land, getting involved in absolutely everything with great enthusiasm. We were proud of them.  I think they’ll remember the experience for a long time to come. 

On our last morning in Kakadu we were off on the morning cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong. It was the earliest rise the kids had made just about all year. We were on the boat by 6.30 and all were still a little bleary eyed, especially Jem. But it was the perfect time to go. Nice and cool, with lots of activity in the billabong - birds in particular, but also crocs, water buffalo, even horses. Lots of good photo opportunities. After the cruise we had a buffet breakfast back at Cooinda which was included in the sunrise cruise, much to Oscar’s delight. September 8, and that was Kakadu.