Darwin and Kakadu small group tour

Odyssey Traveller is pleased to announce that we are now offering a tour of Kakadu and the Northern Territory. Australia's largest national park, Kakadu is a place of rare majesty, a land of rugged red escarpments, lush rainforest, and thundering waterfalls; inhabited for over 60,000 years by the world's oldest living culture. Kakadu covers almost 20,000 square kilometres, and is a place of incredible ecological and biological diversity, home to one-third of Australia's bird species and one-quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species.

This, like all Odyssey Traveller small group tours is limited to 12 people.

This Odyssey Traveller small group tour is designed for mature and senior travellers, in couples or travelling solo. Our escorted tours are designed for mature travellers who want an in-depth and informed experience of their travel destination. Since 1983, we have specialised in bringing Australian travellers to the world: now, our goal is to let you again rediscover your own country.

Our Kakadu tour lasts for fourteen days, allowing you to delve into the vast array of ecosystems offered by the national park in a way not possible on your typical Kakadu day tour. Beginning and ending in Darwin, we spend six nights in Kakadu National Park, and three nights in Arnhem Land (to be confirmed according to current public health directives). On our tour of the Northern Territory's Top End, we also make trips to the historic town of Pine Creek, the sandstone formations of Litchfield National Park, the Territory Wildlife Park, and the Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, within the Mary River Wetlands. Our Litchfield tour will take you to pristine Buley Rockhole and the iconic Cathedral Termite Mounds, which can also be seen in the southern part of Kakadu.

In 1981, Kakadu National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the first Australian sites to achieve this recognition. UNESCO describes Kakadu as 'a living cultural landscape with exceptional natural and cultural values,' including its extreme biodiversity, the incredible collection of Aboriginal art, and diverse array of ecosystems. Our tour takes you through all three facets of Kakadu, learning about the geology and biodiversity of the park while paying homage to its vibrant Aboriginal culture and history.

Landforms of Kakadu:

At 19,804 km squared, Kakadu National Park protects a region roughly the size of Wales, a third the size of Tasmania, and half the size of Switzerland. It ranges from mangrove-fringed tidal flats bordering Van Diemen Gulf to the north, through floodplains to the spectacular cliffs of the Arnhem Land escarpment. The park protects four major river systems, including the East Alligator River, the West Alligator River, the Wildman River, and the entire South Alligator River, and an extraordinary range of environments.

Ecologically, Kakadu is regarded as having six distinct landforms:

• the sandstone escarpments of the Arnhem Land plateau, also known as 'stone country', which reaches highs of 330 metres,
• Southern Hills and Basins, located in the south of the park, consisting of alluvial plains and volcanic rock
• lowlands, undulating plains consisting primarily of laterite soils
• floodplains serving as drainage for the four rivers, rich in flora and fauna
• estuaries and tidal flats, covered in mangrove swamps
• and 'outliers', areas of the plateau which were once islands in an inland sea

The geological history of southern and northern Kakadu are distinct. The oldest known rocks in Kakadu are some of the oldest in the world, formed 2.5 billion years ago, while the Arnhem Land plateau was laid down 1.6 billion years ago.

The escarpment wall - spectacular sheer red cliffs separating the Arnhem Land plateau from the lowlands below - is one of the defining features of Kakadu National Park. Around 140 million years ago, most of Kakadu was under a shallow sea, with the escarpment wall forming sea cliffs. Some of the most dramatic points can be seen today at Gunlom, Jim Jim and Twin Falls.

The sandstone 'outliers' were separated from the plateau between 500 to 140 million years ago, thanks to the erosion of older sandstone into sea cliffs. They would have been islands in the inland sea.

By contrast, Kakadu's lowlands are a relatively young landscape, dynamic environments which are continually reshaped by sand and silt being eroded from rocks and being carried by wet season waters.

Ecosystems of Kakadu:

Each of Kakadu's landforms is home to its own distinct ecosystems, shaped by the dramatic seasonal changes. While settlers describe the landscape in terms of 'wet' and 'dry', the Bininj/Mungguy people recognise six distinct seasons:

• Gudjewg, or monsoon season is the 'true' wet season. Lasting from December to March, gudjewg is defined by electrifying thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding, and vivid green landscapes.
• Banggerreng ('knock 'em down storm season') in April marks the point at which the rain ends and clear skies are seen, as the floodwater recedes into streams. The 'knock 'em down storms' refer to the violent, windy storms at the start of April, which flatten the spear grass of Kakadu's lowlands.
• Yegge is a cooler but still humid season, lasting from May to mid-June, in which early morning mists hang over the plains and waterholes.
• Wurrgeng, from mid-June to mid-August, is the 'cold weather time', in which humidity is low and the floodplains dry out.
• Gurrung, mid-August to mid-October, is hot and dry, with temperatures reaching up to 37 degrees.
• Gunumeleng is the pre-Monsoon season, lasting from mid-October to mid-December. Humidity is high, with storms building in the mid-afternoon. This season is often referred to as the 'build up' in the Kimberley.

In total, Kakadu is home to more than 2,000 plant species. The lowlands are dominated by Savannah woodlands, consisting primarily of eucalypts and tall grasses. Eucalypt forests here are among the largest tracts of virgin eucalyptus in Australia. Trees here are heavily influenced by the intense seasonality, growing during the wet season and developing a variety of coping mechanisms for the long dry. Other plants found here include the Billy Goat plum, which bears edible fruits noted for a high content of vitamin C, turkey bush, which bears pink-purple flowers during the drier seasons, and Swamp banksia, the only banksia found in the Top End.

The Southern hills and basins are home to a number of uncommon and endemic species, thanks to their ancient geology. The most notable plant here is the hills salmon gum, which develops a beautiful salmon-coloured bark after shedding the old, white bark. Other trees here include the freshwater mangrove, known as the 'itchy tree', and the silver-leafed paperbark. Water pandanus grows along freshwater streams, and yellow bladderwort along sandy creek banks.

Plants growing among the rugged escarpments of stone country must survive extremely hot, waterless conditions for much of the year. Reduction grasses are well adapted to these conditions, dehydrating in the absence of moisture, and springing to life within twenty-four hours of rain. Other plants, such as the Allosyncarpia evergreen and sandstone pandanus grow only in the sandstone areas of Kakadu and Arnhem Land.

The tidal flats are primarily lined with mangrove forests and samphire flats, with pockets of monsoon forest.

The floodplains and wetlands undergo dramatic seasonal changes, with the landscape flooded following wet season rains. In areas where the landscape is flooded for several months, grasses and sedge rushes dominate, while mangroves, pandanus and paperbarks are found on higher ground.

Kakadu is also home to a number of endemic animals. The park is home to over 77 species of mammals (nearly a quarter of Australia's land mammals), 271 species of birds (more than one-third of Australian bird life), 132 reptiles, 27 frogs, 314 fish species and over 10,000 species of insect. This includes over 75 threatened species - likely more than any other Australian nature reserve.

The extensive floodplains are listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance. In the wet, saltwater crocodiles head inland, while the dry season sees an array of waterbirds, including magpie geese, green pygmy geese, the Burdekin duck, and the wandering whistling duck congregate on billabongs within the park. Kakadu is a major staging point for migratory birds, many of which come from the sub-Arctic region.

Mammals commonly seen within the park include eight species of macropod (kangaroo), most notably agile wallabies and antilopine wallaroos, and the 'stone country'-endemic black wallaroo. You will likely hear the howls of dingoes at night, or glimpse them as you travel through the park. Sugar gliders, northern quolls and bandicoots all hide through the day, but you may be able to spot one as it searches for food at night.

Aboriginal history of Kakadu:

The traditional owners of Kakadu are the Bininj/Mungguy people, who have lived in this country for up to 60, 000 years. Kakadu is believed to be one of the first areas settled by the indigenous people of Australia, with excavations by University of Queensland researchers at the Madjedbebe rockshelter in Kakadu suggesting that the area was inhabited 65, 000 years ago. These archaeological sites revealed stone axes, seed-grinding tools, stone points (likely used as spear tips), and ochre - the oldest ground-edge stone axe technology in the world.

'Bininj' is the name for Aboriginal peoples of the north of the park, and Mungguy in the south. In the time before European settlement, twelve languages were spoken in the Kakadu area. Today, only three - Gun-djeihmi, Kun-winjku and Jawoyn - are spoken on a regular basis, and most Aboriginal people in the area speak two or more languages. The Bininj/Mungguy people further divided into 19 clan, or family groups. All people, plants, animals, songs, dances, ceremonies and land are divided into two kinship groups, or 'moieties': Duwa or Yirridja. The two 'moieties' are in turn divided into eight 'skin' groups, which govern the way people relate to one another.

Like Aboriginal peoples elsewhere, the Bininj/Mungguy shaped the landscape in which they lived. They managed the country with fire, lighting fires year-round, but particularly during yegge and wurrgeng. Fire promoted suitable habitats for a range of different plants and animals, and protected food resources such as yams from later, more dangerous, natural fires. They knew the plants that surrounded them intimately: in 1985, Kakadu elders were able to name 420 scarp species, including several not yet known to science, and detailed the behaviour of each (Gammage, The Biggest Estate on Earth, 288-289).

The Bininj/Mungguy built stringy-bark shelters near billabongs, rock shelters in 'rock country', and houses on stilts in the wet season. Their regular diet included an array of fruits, including kakadu plum (anmorlak), red bush apple (andjarduk), and blackcurrent bush (andjurrugumarlba). The roots of water lilies were ground into a paste and baked in ground ovens to form cakes. The Bininj/Mungguy also fished barramundi, saratoga, and freshwater mussel out of Kakadu's extensive waterways.

Kakadu National Park is home to an extensive collection of ancient Aboriginal rock art. The park boasts over 5, 000 known rock art sites, with some archaeologists believing that there might be up to 15, 000 total sites in the park. Some of these rock paintings are up to 20, 000 years old, constituting one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world. As UNESCO points out, 'it provides a window into human civilisation in the days before the last ice age' (which ended around 11, 700 years ago).

For the Bininj/Mungguy, the first paintings were done by creation spirits, who then taught the Bininj how to paint. They painted by crushing minerals - including ochre, charcoal, haematite, limonite, goethite, kaolin (pipeclay) and huntite on stone palettes, mixing it with water to create a paste, and using human hair, reeds and feathers as brushes.

The styles of painting found in Kakadu National Park evolved over the site's long history. The earliest paintings, during the last ice age, include naturalistic portrayals of animals (including some now extinct), and human figures - simple stick figures with boomerangs, heavily ornamented figures, and northern running figures, small figures common to Kakadu. The 'Estuarine Period', from the Ice Age to 2000 years ago, saw the beginning of x-ray art, which portrays the internal organs and bone structures of animals. More recently, rock art has depicted the arrival in Australia of Macassan fishermen from Sulawesi and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago, with depictions of their ships, guns and knives among spears and spear throwers, and the arrival of Europeans to Australia by ship.

Other artworks depict creation ancestors important to the Bininj/Mungguy, including Namarrkon, who is responsible for the violent lightning storms that occur each summer, and the Rainbow Serpent, who created the waterholes and rock passages of Kakadu, creating a habitat for all beings.

While a number of rock art sites are closed off to visitors due to their spiritual importance to the Bininj/Mungguy, extraordinary collections can be seen at Nourlangie Rock and Ubirr Rock.

Today the Bininj/Mungguy work collaboratively with Parks Australia to manage Kakadu National Park. Thanks to the Bininj/Mungguy, every Kakadu park ranger has been trained in traditional Aboriginal land management practices, such as seasonal burning to prevent devastating bushfires later in the year.

Tour Kakadu with Odyssey Traveller:

Odyssey Traveller's trip to Kakadu includes several nights hotel/lodge and safari camp accommodation - we will not be camping. The tour price also includes breakfast, lunch (most likely a picnic lunch) and dinner.

The tour takes in the highlights of Kakadu: the plunge pool (one of the national park's most popular swimming holes) and stunning waterfalls of escarpment country; Barramundi Gorge (Maguk) in the Mary River wetlands. Our Kakadu tours make the most of the many indigenous culture opportunities offered by the park, seeing Aboriginal art and learning about the traditional culture of the Bininj/Mungguy people.

Articles about Australia published by Odyssey Traveller:

• The Kimberley: A Definitive Guide
• Uncovering the Ancient History of Aboriginal Australia 
• Aboriginal Land Use in the Mallee
• Understanding Aboriginal Aquaculture
• Mallee and Mulga: Two Iconic and Typically Inland Australian Plant Communities (By Dr. Sandy Scott).
• The Australian Outback: A Definitive Guide

For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature aged and senior travellers, click through on this link.

External articles to assist you on your visit to Australia:

• UNESCO: Kakadu National Park
• Welcome to Kakadu National Park
• Gunbim: Rock Art
• Kakadu Tourism
• Birdwatching in Kakadu National Park
• Aboriginal culture in Kakadu (Aboriginal rock art)

• Australian Tours
• Level 2 - Moderate
• Specialised