The popular misconception about Kakadu is that it’s buried deep within Arnhem Land. The reality is it starts about 90 minutes from Darwin. As usual, we spent the best part of a day prepping the Jeep and van. We wanted everything to be clean and tidy for at least the first 24 hours. We allowed 12 days to do the triangle, (imagine a triangle with Jabiru at the apex and Stuart Hwy as the base).
We have no idea what to expect on our expedition, but our aim is to make our trip to Kakadu as memorable as possible!
Hardies Lagoon
First stop is Hardies Lagoon. Our first four nights are just outside Kakadu National Park, so no need to purchase our entry permits just yet. This was an ideal first night location. Very, very, quiet and peaceful. There is 12klm of dirt road off the highway to get us there, a bit rutty in places, but we took it slow. Easily done in constant 4WD, even 2WD is doable. Now there is plenty of room for overnighters and some discrete nooks for the long stays. The only creature comforts are garbage bins and a couple of boat ramps. If you had a tinnie strapped to the roof, you could easily spend a week here. Since we didn’t, one night of total relax saw us out and about ready for adventure.
Couzens Lookout
Two points to remember early on. Firstly, in the Northern Territory, the term lookout is to be taken literally. Often it means, looking ACROSS as the NT is pretty flat. Looking out OVER is an assumption you’d be wise not to count on. Secondly, corrugated dirt roads are a fact of life. Expect to do between 18 and 45 klm if you’re towing. You quickly become the equivalent of an Aboriginal tracker, looking ahead for tell-tale shadows on the road, noticing the colours that mean good or bad, seeking bare patches, following the locals who tend to hug the verges and weaving like a python looking for the least bumpy route.
We learnt all this our way to Couzens Lookout. The upside is you certainly notice more at 30klm. Along the way, we noticed our newly, and poorly fitted toilet window, flapping in the breeze (wow did THAT bring back memories). So we quickly pulled over on a causeway and Tamika jumped into the van and made it doubly secure. Now, Tamika is a vape girl and is frequently, what we would say if footy terms, a bit of a loose carry of the ball. I reckon she’s misplaced her vape at least 50 times in the last nine months, so it was hardly a surprise after a kilometre further along, to hear the familiar wail, “I can’t find my vapeâ€. After a frantic search, her conclusion was that it must have fallen onto the road back at the causeway. Now, she was prepared to WALK back to look for it – that’s how nicotine works folks. I contemplated karma for a second, but then decided to drive her back, which meant of course a full rig U-turn on a two lane dirt road, not once, but twice. No, it wasn’t there. The remorse was palpable as we drove on to Couzens. Of course I found it later, where she had put it in the first place, and wondered whether a vape worked just as well if inserted anally.
Luckily Couzens was worth the effort. The campground is set up for both off-road and touring rigs. Each site has its own table and fire-pit and its drive in, drive out. There are well maintained drop toilets but no running water. Filling up a billy from the billabong is actively discouraged (again, the crocs), but there is a boat ramp and several runabouts were on the water late in the afternoon. We set up our deckchairs, looking out across the billabong and flood plain to the mountains in the distance. Getting back to nature was getting easier by the minute.
Shady Camp
The following morning we made a lazy getaway and headed back to the blacktop. As you know, it seemed quicker on the way back and less bumpy. Apparently the corrugations are up to a metre deep below the road surface, so no quick fix I’m afraid. Shady Camp has a reputation for barra, crocs and mozzies, although at the time of our visit, all three were taking their annual vacations. In winter, the barra get lazy, the crocs get sleepy and most of the mozzies (thankfully), have other things to do.
It wasn’t long before we were back on the dirt, but the road was a highway by comparison. It still took us the best part of an hour to navigate those 50klm. Shady Camp is a large, generous area with, as you’d expect, plenty of trees to park in and around.
The barrage is one of many built in the eighties to restore the natural barriers destroyed by cattle. They prevent salt water from entering the fresh water river systems destroying the flood plains. Now it seems that anglers and crocs have come to mutual arrangement about fishing around the barrage – don’t make it easy for us to eat you and we probably won’t bother. So, there was no swimming under ANY circumstances and we kept a respectful eye on our immediate surroundings. I found out from a long time visitor that a guy, celebrating his 21st at a nearby resort one night, swam across the billabong for a dare. He did, but never made it back. Tamika got her hybrid fishing rig sorted and (almost) caught her first barra. It sort of smiled at her and then dropped off the lure.
The tides are amazing. “ONLY 5 metres†said one local. I told him a five metre tide would put half the Sydney Basin under water, Still, you can see from the pictures that the difference is quit dramatic. As we were to find out later, there aren’t crocs just lazing around wearing sunnies waiting for a photo op. So, catching one on the bank was pretty exciting. It was good to do some camping and using up some of that wood I’d been carting around for a year.
Merl Campground
Once we navigated our way back to the black top, it’s about 140klm to Jabiru. Jabiru is where you can get fuel, access a dump point and pick up supplies. If were heading towards Cahills Crossing and beyond, and bought our Kakadu Visitor Passes at the Bowali Visitor Centre, a couple of clicks along the Kakadu Highway. Amongst the many helpful facilities is a mobile phone re-charging centre. Now bearing in mind the ONLY internet you’re likely to get is in Jabiru, it’s a great place to relax and post your exciting adventures. Once we left Jabiru, the landscape became truly ancient.
Our next stop was Merl Campground, about 40klm from town, right next door to the legendary Cahills Crossing and only a short drive from Ubirr, home to fascinating Aboriginal rock art sites and a lookout over the Nadab flood plain. Merl Campground is a first in, best dressed site, so don’t leave your run too late in the day. Its slim pickings Fridays and Saturdays after 5pm.
Merl is a step up again on Shady Camp offering hot water for washing up and cool showers, which are refreshing in winter and an absolute godsend in summer. The camp fees are only $15.00 per night per person and family rates are available.
Just a word on croc watching. It’s seasonal and tidal for best viewing. October to April and on the neap tides (the really high ones) for the best results. You will see a croc or two all year round, but the high tides see them crossing barrages and causeways in large numbers, which of course makes the best pics. However, if you have a tinnie or take one of the Kakadu Culture Tours along the East Alligator River, you will see plenty.
The highlight was of course Ubirr. Come for the rock art but stay for the view. You can arrange a guided tour through the Bowali Visitor Centre, but the artwork is well documented on site.
A clamber up to the lookout was totally worth it. The world is divided neatly into two halves, sweeping flood plains on one side and rocky escarpments on the other. I’m sure it can be a spiritual experience, but you’ll be lucky to have the place to yourself. Still, there’s something about a sunset that quietens the boisterous, if only for a few minutes. Ubirr is only 10 minutes drive from Merl and a nice way to spend a late afternoon.
I can also recommend the Bardedjildji Walk. You can start from Merl and head towards Cahills Crossing. We took the right hand walking trail, just before the new viewing platform and in five minutes, found ourselves at the boat ramp and starting point. Great introduction to the feel of the land. There’s a mixture of monsoon rain forest, dry plains and stunning rocky outcrops There’s plenty of shade along the way but take water with you.
In our next post, we explore the southern part of Kakadu. See ya soon!