Mary River & Kakadu National Park Campervan Odyssey Watching 5 metres of hungry croc literally launch itself out of the water isn’t something easy to forget! by Ian Bowhay

The staff at Britz Campervans gave me a thorough run down on the vehicle. A fully equipped kitchen, sleeping bag, sheets & pillows, mop, hose (to fill the water tank), everything squared away so all I need to do is drop into the supermarket for supplies and hit the road – destination Mary River & Kakadu National Parks!!

In local terms it’s only a quick trip down the highway (In parts of Europe I’d be crossing borders). My first stop was at the Window on the Wetlands Visitors Centre, around 60km out of Darwin. Perched on one of the highest points on the Adelaide River floodplain, one of eight in the top end, the views go on forever. By the time I arrive in Jabiru, in the heart of Kakadu National Park, I will have crossed 5 of these mighty rivers.

At the rear of the Visitors Centre carpark is a boat ramp where I board for my Spectacular Jumping Crocodiles Cruise. More than 80,000 saltwater crocodiles roam the waterways of Northern Australia and this region has one of the highest concentrations of crocs per hectare. These guys are deceptively quick. Most of the time you only see them resting on the river banks or cruising slowly through the water, showing only a small portion of their true size. They hear the boat coming and know it’s lunch time. Watching 5 metres of hungry croc literally launch itself out of the water isn’t something easy to forget! With a bite force of more than 3000 pounds per square inch (I’m not sure of the metric conversion) one of these ancient reptiles could really spoil your day if you are careless.

After the cruise it’s back behind the wheel in order to be at Mary River Park for a sunset river cruise. The Mary River catchment area covers over eight thousand square kilometres but has a permanent human population of less than 30. My cabin tonight has a huge ensuite bathroom, wardrobes, fridge, coffee and tea making facilities, ceiling fans, air-conditioning and a balcony overlooking the secluded pool. After dinner and a bit of stargazing it’s off to the last real bed I’ll sleep in for the next few nights.

The mornings are nice and gentle up here. The phenomenon known as “NT Time” is working well today. No rush, no fuss, no alarm clock, just a matter of getting around to getting out of bed and back on the road. After passing through the northern entrance of Kakadu National Park it’s about a thirty minute drive to the first of today’s walks, this one at the Gungarre Monsoon forest and billabong. The walk takes you through a monsoon forest, along the edge of a billabong and finally through fringing woodlands. The walk is open all year round, is 3km and takes up to 1.5 hours. After grabbing some lunch at the Aurora Kakadu Resort, it’s time to continue the journey to the township of Jabiru, in the heart of Kakadu.

Covering some 19 000 square kilometres, the park has five major topographical landforms. Kakadu covers a huge region with vast floodplains, hundreds of kilometres of escarpments, estuaries, lowlands & monsoon rainforest. Aboriginal culture abounds throughout the Park with some 5000 sites recorded. Dating of rock art indicates that Aboriginals have been here for over 50,000 years. This is one of the oldest recorded continuous occupations of a region by human beings. To fully explore this Park you need to travel off the main highway. If you were to travel straight through the National Park on the main Arnhem and Kakadu Highways you would more than likely miss out on what all the fuss is about…

Over the next 4 days I’ll sleep under the stars and cook on my campfire. I’ll walk, fly, cruise and drive into some of the Top End’s most spectacular locations. Gorges, swimming holes, waterfalls, art sites like Ubirr & Nourlangie Rock, all within only a few hours drive from Darwin.

Some people spend that long getting to and from work each day. But this is my office as well as my playground and the travel is the best part of the job. No phones, faxes or emails for the next few days, just a heap of magical moments and memories.

Do you have any holiday reviews about spending your holidays in the Top End? Comment below to share your NT holiday reviews with fellow travellers!
 

I experienced this in November 2007

Ian Bowhay | Product Development Coordinator