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Kakadu is calling you

Mogens JohansenThe West Australian
Jim Jim falls in Kakadu during the wet season.
Camera IconJim Jim falls in Kakadu during the wet season. Credit: Supplied

Visiting Australia’s top end during summer may not be at the top of most people’s list but perhaps it should be.

Kakadu National Park is at its most spectacular during the tropical summer. The season offers almost nightly light shows as thunder and lightning roll in, the dry land turns green and the waterfalls and streams begin to flow.

The best way to see them is from the air or by getting out on the water. You can take a scenic flight from Jabiru Airport or you can jump onboard one of Kakadu Cultural Tours wet season tours.

Cruising on Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu.
Camera IconCruising on Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu. Credit: Joe Florian.

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The Ubirr Combo Tour collects clients in customised 4WD vehicles from Jabiru based accommodation and heads out to the East Alligator River district through the flooded Magela Creek. At the creel guests are transferred onto a waiting Guluyambi Cultural Cruise where expert Aboriginal guides will provide them with an insight into local Aboriginal mythology, traditional uses for many plants and animals as well as bush survival skills.

After the cruise guests head to the Ubirr Rock Complex to view the ancient rock art sites and experience the views from the lookout before heading back across the Magela Creek to Jabiru.

Fishermen can cash in at the annual Million Dollar Fish competition which starts on October 1 until the end of March 2022. This season there are eight million-dollar and one hundred $10,000 barramundi waiting to be hooked.

Hook a baramundi at Kakadu National Park.
Camera IconHook a baramundi at Kakadu National Park. Credit: Supplied

To give visitors the best possible chance to hook a cool million, Kakadu Tourism has launched a Fish For The Million in Kakadu package whichincludes a two night stay at Cooinda Lodge Kakadu, daily breakfasts, a $50 BP fuel voucher to be used at Cooinda Lodge, $100 Dining credit to be used in Mimi’s Restaurant at Cooinda Lodge, and a Yellow Water Fishing Tour, with expert advice from one of Kakadu’s most experienced wildlife and angling guides. Prices from $889 per couple & $1244 per family of four.

Alternatively visitors who want to experience Kakadu’s remarkable landscape can choose the Live It Up In Kakadu package which includes two nights’ accommodation including breakfast at Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru, a one-hour scenic flight with Kakadu Air, a Yellow Water Cruise, and a four-course degustation Kakadu Style dinner with a bottle of wine. This package starts from $1259 per couple.

Many of Kakadu’s prime attractions are accessible throughout the wet season along sealed roads. Visitors can see rock art at Nourlangie, enjoy a cooling swims in waterholes such as Motor Car Falls and watch hundreds of bird species along with crocodiles and other wildlife on Yellow Water Billabong. Indigenous art and culture can be experienced at Warradjan Cultural Centre near Cooinda and at the Marrawuddi Arts & Culture Centre in Jabiru.

Read MOGENS JOHANSEN’s story about his visit to Kakadu in Travel inside The West Australian this weekend.

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