15
NEWS
FROM BOTTOM TO TOP: Southern Kakadu
It’s time to get dirty as we head into Australia’s largest national parkUp until now, our Stuart Highway adventure has been a mostly dust-free affair, with the LandCruiser’s and New Age Gecko’s all-terrain rubber barely leaving the bitumen.
But why waste one of the world’s best all-terrain passenger vehicles and a family caravan equipped for some rough stuff, on sealed surfaces that only lead to the most predictable tourist spots?
And what better way to get off the beaten track, explore the rugged wilderness and enjoy some bush camping than in Kakadu, Australia’s biggest, most popular and pristine, national park.
Our Kakadu explorations begin in the southern region, entering via Pine Creek on to the Kakadu Highway. Stick to this main road and all you get is pretty dull savannah woodlands.
You really need to hit the dirt to experience some of the best bits of Kakadu, so it’s not long before we’re bumping along the 37km access road to the Gunlom Campground.
On the way in we spot a crashed 100 Series LandCruiser that’s overshot a long sweeping corner, and later find out it’s the campground manager and his wife, who was injured and airlifted to hospital. The written-off car is being trucked out when we leave two days later…
Drama aside, Gunlom is well worth the visit, with a terrific sandy beach in front of the large swimming hole and falls with more invitingly tepid water. Gunlom is one of a number of managed bush campgrounds in the Park that offer excellent facilities including flushing toilets and solar showers, as well as waste bins in this case for your $38 family fee.
Next morning we tackle the steep 950m scramble to the top of the falls, where more enticing swimming holes await. (For Crocodile Dundee fans, this is the spot where he looks at his watch and pretends to tell the time by the sun!). It’s stunningly beautiful and, as has become the norm on this trip, we have the place to ourselves until others arrive later.
Back on the Kakadu Hwy, we turn off down the 12km dirt track to another ‘must see’ location: Maguk or Barramundi Gorge. The picturesque 1km walk through monsoonal forest and rocky creek beds ends in a picture-postcard billabong and because we're up early for this one, we get to enjoy the birds, butterflies and other creatures that are yet to disappear with the heat of the day…
We also stay a night at another great little managed campground at Garnamarr, enjoying the scenery in glorious late-afternoon light along the 60km dirt access road. The walk into the very popular Jim Jim Falls is quite strenuous but well worth it, with a refreshing dip under the towering falls, although they dry up quickly after the wet season.
We skip the nearby Twin Falls, as it requires a deep water crossing and the LandCruiser doesn’t have a snorkel, and head back to camp for another stunning pink and orange sunset against the nearby rocky backdrop.
The LandCruiser and New Age van with its trailing arm, independent coil suspension have glided over the close to 200km corrugated roads, and there's surprisingly little dust in the van despite the number of gas vents. However, the 16ft Gecko has lost that ‘new van’ look, with red dust covering all extremities…
While thoroughly enjoying our two hot, dusty nights in rustic bush camps, we’re looking forward to plugging into mains power and cooling off with the van’s air-conditioning at our next stop, the relatively upmarket Cooinda Lodge caravan park in the Yellow Water wetlands…
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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