Kakadu Trip Part 4
On the final part of our Kakadu Trip over Easter and after visiting a few sites in Nourlangie, we visited the Warradjan Aborignal Cultural Centre. It was a really interesting place and was full of history, artwork and Aboriginal culture.
I wasn’t able to take any photographs inside the centre but if you are in the area it is worth taking a visit so you can learn more about Aboriginal culture.
We spent some time at the Warradjan Aborignal Cultural Centre before taking a trip on a Yellow Water Cruise which runs from Cooinda.
The cruise took us through the wetlands of the yellow water region which was quite flooded in places from the wet season. We were lucky to leave through a billabong at the Cooinda resort because the road to the usual boat ramp was flooded which was really special. In places the water was just wide enough to get the boat through because of the reeds and grasses that ran either side and it took some extra careful maneuvering for the driver who may or may not have been a trainee!
We saw so many birds which is developing in to one of my favourite photographic subjects. We did of course see quite a few crocodiles as well as some stunning landscapes as well. The good thing with these kinds of trips is that its not focused on finding crocodiles its about the waterways and wildlife as a whole so its great when you see a crocodile but the people running the trip want to make sure its a well rounded trip and you see everything.
We took the 4.30pm trip which finished just before the sunset which was as pretty as I thought it would be and was one of the reasons I wanted us to take the trip. The trips run throughout the day and I think you wouldn’t be bored if you took a sunrise or actual sunset trip because you would still see so much.
Here is some of the wildlife we spotted.
Kakadu Travels Part 2
What seem’s like years ago now, me and the Aussie took a trip to Kakadu and the first part of our trip is detailed here.
In Kakadu Part 2 we spent the Saturday of our trip exploring the Cooinda part of the national park before taking a trip on the Yellow River Cruise.
Kakadu is an UNESCO World Heritage Centre as unique archaeological and ethnological reserve and having visited I can totally understand why, it is a stunning landscape literally everywhere you turn.
As we visited during the wet season quite a few places were either closed off because of floods or were only 4WD access only so our little Hyundai couldn’t get all the way down to the places we wanted to visit but it kind of worked out well because we wouldn’t have managed to see everything we did want to see and it’s a great excuse to visit again in the future. It was also pretty hot and humid so it was difficult to spend a lot of time out in the direct sun during the middle of the day.
Firstly we headed to Gubara in the Nourlangie region which is full of rock art galleries, kind of by accident after I missed the turn off (oops).
The drive down to Gubara was about 8km before we got cut off by the flooded track down. It was however a totally stunning drive down with the escarpments rising up along the roadside, so much so we had to keep stopping the car to take more and more photos.
Below are some of my photos from our mini drive before we had to head back to the main road because of the flooding.
Territory Day 2015
Every year on the 1st July the Northern Territory celebrates Territory Day which marks the day with the Northern Territory became independent and began self governance.
Last year we celebrated Territory Day aboard Sea Darwin‘s Fish and Chip Cruise with my family who were visiting me in Darwin and it was fantastic. We all had a great evening with delicious fish and chips watching the sunset before the fireworks on Mindil Beach.
Whilst talking about Territory Day with our American friends we mentioned the cruise and how good it was and they were really keen on doing it for Territory Day 2015. There was a concert with Jessica Mauboy on Mindil Beach before the fireworks but having visited the markets at Mindil Beach on a regular day we knew we didn’t fancy fighting the crowds on Territory Day so the cruise was the perfect solution. My friend and her family also joined us so it turned into a party of 7 with me, the Aussie and our friends and a few out of towners.
After collecting our Fish and Chips by boat from La Beach our boat positioned it self so that we had the sunset on one side and the full moon rising on the other. It was a pretty spectacular view.
After dinner we positioned ourselves in Fannie Bay waiting for the fireworks show which being in Darwin was on Darwin time (maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after) but it was worth the wait as the fireworks show was really cool.
The guys running the trip were really great company, with lots of interesting information about the Northern Territory and harbour area. They also stayed out with us until the end of the firework show which was really good of them as we were over an hour late getting back because the fireworks were delayed.
Altogether it was a great fun night out and I would highly recommend a trip with Sea Darwin if you are ever in Darwin (please note that this post is not sponsored by them). We all said that we would do it again, especially if available on Territory Day.