Guide · Northern Territory ·
Kakadu National Park: a first-time visitor guide
Kakadu National Park is a World Heritage area in the Northern Territory, 253 km east of Darwin. Its dry season runs from April or May to September, when humidity is relatively low and rain is very unusual. Parks Australia says it is best to stay a couple of days, not make a day trip. We suggest three or four days.
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Getting Here; Climate. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kakadu National Park.
What Kakadu is
The park covers 19,804 square kilometres. It reaches 150 km from the northern coast to the southern hills and 120 km from the Arnhem Land plateau to its western edge.
UNESCO listed it in stages: stage one in 1981, stage two in 1987, and the whole park in December 1992. It is listed for both natural and cultural value. Only 25 of the 851 sites on UNESCO's list are listed for both.
UNESCO says people have lived here continuously for more than 40,000 years, and points to its cave paintings, rock carvings and archaeological sites as a record of their way of life. About half the land is Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The park is managed jointly by its traditional owners and the Director of National Parks, who works through Parks Australia. A Board of Management with an Aboriginal majority was set up in 1989.
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Frequently Asked Questions; Joint Management; Kakadu Board of Management. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Kakadu National Park; World Heritage List.
What to see
Parks Australia's suggested plans include all four of these sights.
- Ubirr: a rock art site in the East Alligator area. The main gallery shows animals such as fish, turtles, goannas and wallabies. The circular walk is 1 km and takes about an hour, plus 30 minutes for the lookout climb. The views over the floodplain are spectacular, particularly at sunset.
- Nourlangie: a group of rock art sites around Nourlangie Rock. The main gallery shows Creation Ancestors such as Namarrgon, the Lightning Man. A 1.5 km circular walk takes about an hour, and in the dry season there are ranger talks at the galleries. At the Lightning Man site, the explanations are incomplete: non-Aboriginal people are not entitled to know the full story.
- Yellow Water: wetlands where you can take a boat cruise or walk the boardwalks. Parks Australia says boat tours let you get close to crocodiles and the birdlife.
- Jim Jim Falls: in the dry season you can reach the area by four wheel drive only, and walk to a deep plunge pool surrounded by 150 metre high cliffs. The falls are in full flow only in the wet season, and scenic flights are the best way to see Kakadu's waterfalls then.
Bring binoculars. There are bird hides at the Mamukala floodplain in the South Alligator area, and waterbirds crowd the shrinking billabongs from mid-June to mid-August.
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Suggested Itineraries; Ubirr Art Site; Nourlangie and Nanguluwur Art Sites; Regions of Kakadu; Scenic Flights, Boat and 4WD Tours; Walks in the Park (Jim Jim Falls Area); Viewing the Wildlife; Aboriginal Seasons.
When to go
The dry season runs from April or May to September. Parks Australia says visitor numbers are greatest in the dry season months of June to September. About 33,000 people visit each July, against about 7,000 each January. At Jabiru the average daily high in June and July is 32°C.
From October to December comes the 'build up', which can be extremely uncomfortable. At Jabiru the average daily high in October is 37.5°C. The wet season runs from January to March or April, and wet season flooding often occurs between November and April. Ask about road conditions at the Bowali Visitor Centre, near Jabiru, before you drive.
Local Aboriginal people, known as Bininj/Mungguy, recognise six seasons, not two: Gunumeleng, Gudjewg, Banggerreng, Yegge, Wurrgeng and Gurrung. Drying winds and flowering Darwin woolly butt, for example, tell them it is time to start burning the woodlands in patches.
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Frequently Asked Questions; Climate; Getting Here; Aboriginal Seasons.
How many days to allow
Parks Australia lists plans from one day to five. It calls its one day plan a rush around. The park is big, and just driving from Darwin to the Bowali Visitor Centre takes about three hours.
| Time | What fits in the dry season |
|---|---|
| 2 days | Day one: Bowali Visitor Centre, Nourlangie, then Yellow Water at sunset. Day two: Ubirr and an East Alligator River cruise. |
| 3 days | Ubirr, then Nourlangie, then Yellow Water at dawn with the Maguk (four wheel drive only) and Gunlom waterfalls. |
| 4 to 5 days | All of the above, plus Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls, which are four wheel drive only. Tours are available. |
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Suggested Itineraries; Getting Here; Scenic Flights, Boat and 4WD Tours.
Staying safe
- Crocodiles: estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles live in places such as floodplains, billabongs, rivers and coastal waters. Parks Australia says they are aggressive and dangerous and have attacked and killed people in Kakadu. Look out for crocodile signs, obey no swimming warnings, and set up tents at least 50 metres from the water's edge.
- Swimming: some visitors choose to swim at their own risk in selected plunge pools and gorges. These are surveyed for estuarine crocodiles before each dry season opens, but some risk remains. Do not enter the water in Twin Falls Gorge.
- Heat and water: Parks Australia says September to December is extremely hot and humid. Carry plenty of drinking water wherever you go, and at least 2 litres per person on short walks.
- Floods: from October to April, flash floods can happen suddenly in the gorges, creeks and streams in the stone country, and can cut off the way back from the top of waterfalls such as Jim Jim.
This is general information, not medical advice.
Sources for this section: Parks Australia: Visitor Safety and Responsibilities; Walks in the Park (Jim Jim Falls Area).
Sources
Archived copies: Parks Australia pages from 16 March 2008, UNESCO pages from 8 and 16 March 2008.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Kakadu National Park: web.archive.org
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, World Heritage List: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Getting Here: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Frequently Asked Questions: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Climate: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Aboriginal Seasons: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Joint Management: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Kakadu Board of Management: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Regions of Kakadu: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Ubirr Art Site: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Nourlangie and Nanguluwur Art Sites: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Walks in the Park: Jim Jim Falls Area: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Scenic Flights, Boat and 4WD Tours: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Viewing the Wildlife: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Suggested Itineraries: web.archive.org
- Parks Australia, Visitor Safety and Responsibilities: web.archive.org