Kakadu and Arnhem Land

---

Mon 4 May

We set off to explore Kakadu World Heritage with AAT Kings Tour company and Matt as our tour guide. Kakadu National Park covers 20,000 sq km and is the largest terrestrial park, half the size of Switzerland! The first thing we learnt about was the controlled 'Burn off' where the grasses are systematically burnt to promote new growth as has been practised by Aborigines for centuries. These lands have been inhabited by Aborigines for over 20,000 yrs and possibly even 40,000 yrs. Because the land had not been 'cultivated' the British settlers claimed that Australia was uninhabited 'Terra nullis' in the 18th Century and the Aboriginal people had their lands taken from them. This was revoked in the 1990s. The Mirarr are the Traditional Owners (Binninj) of much of the northeast of Kakadu national Park and parts of Western Arnhem Land. 'Big Bill Neidjie', considered to be the Father of Kakadu, petitioned the Government tirelessy to return ownership of Kakadu to the aboriginal people. In the late 1960s it was felt necessary to designate Kakadu as a National Park to keep aboriginal culture alive. The Mining Industry wanted to exploit uranium resources in exchange for lands around Jabaru. 1979 Kakadu was finally declared a National Park. It has a Dual Heritage Listing due to its cultural heritage which some estimate to be 50,000 yrs old. Binninj people are the traditional owners of the land and Balanda are white European people. Aboriginal people believe they belong to the land not other way round. The National Park criteria were met due to the variety of flora and fauna to be found in Kakadu and also the cultural heritage of the aboriginal people and the many sites of rock art. There are 280 bird species including the Jabiru, Magpie geese and 3 types of Egret along with 2000 plant species. This also includes relic species such as Crocodiles, Goannas and Plant species called Cycads which are considered to be prehistoric. We also learnt that the Didgeridoo is an instrument from the Northern Territories and was not used by all Aborigines. It is formed by termites eating the centre of Woolibuck Eucalpt to form a hollow branch.

The landscape is considered to have been created by volcanic intrusion 2.5 billion yrs ago! The Pandanus tree is significant and its uses are considered 'woman's business'. Women are not allowed to know Men's business and vice-versa! Aboriginal women can shred the sharp-edged leaves of this tree to form strands to weave with. They create woven baskets and mats and colour the strands with dyes made from berries. Dilly Bags are used for carrying berries etc when collecting bush tucker or even their babies in some areas, but not Kakadu. Men on the other hand make paintbrushes from the roots.

The area has a lot of Road Trains carrying Sulphuric acid & Ammonia to the Uranium mine to process the ore. The Ranger Mine was established in Kakadu before it became a National Park but is still a contentious issue in the area. The mine produces power but it is still an eyesore and careful checks are made on the water to check for any possible contamination.

An Aboriginal Language Group can be made up of different clans (people with the same ancestors and beliefs) so the Mirarr know 3 aboriginal languages plus English. Gundjeihmi (Kund-jate-me) is main language. The men guard the country and women guard blood groups to keep it pure and to avoid incest. Aboriginal children are given a skin type when they are born and have to marry within the same group. Our first stop was Noorlangie - correct name Anbangbang to look at the Rock Art Gallery. This was our introduction to rock painting. Symbolism is really important in rock art and the colours used vary from white to ochre to red. This is dependent on the rock used. Then we walked up to Gun-warddehwarde lookout. There were some amazing Crocodile Dundee views over Arnhem Land and we also saw a wallaby! We had lunch at Cooinda Lodge. Next we went on a Yellow River Cruise with Margaret who pointed out flora and fauna including Crocodiles, Magpie Geese, Jabiru, 3 types of Egret and Whistling Ducks. After the boat tour we went on a flight over Kakadu and Arnhem Land. Pretty awesome views! After a long day we crashed out at the South Alligator hotel.

The second day we did a tour of Arnhem Land in a 4WD bus with Kakadu Cultural Tours and the owner, Liam. Crocodile Hotel Pick up was at 8.30. The need for a 4WD is that Cahills Crossing is a ford which is often impassable otherwise. The river, in spate, has very strong currents and cars have been washed downstream in the past. Not good news in crocodile country!! We then visited Injalak Art Gallery and met George, one of the Indigenous artists. We saw artists at work, and women weaving and silk screen printing. It was tempting to buy some of the art work but not very practical when back packing and expensive to send home. Afterwards we drove out into the countryside again and had a picnic lunch followed by some more climbing to look at artwork. We were taken to the area where Bill Nighy's funeral took place And then drove to another spot where we sat in a cave and looked out over Arnhem Land, eating fruit and chatting. So much so that we lost track of time and when we got back to the Crocodile Hotel we had missed the coach back to our hotel and Liam had to drive an extra 40kms to take us to back! on arrival we met our new driver, Will, who was frantically making calls to find out where his missing passengers were - panic over !! On Day 3 we went to Ubirr to see more Rock art and spotted some Black footed Rock Wallabies. There were various examples of rock Art and more impressively a 360 degree view from a lookout over Kakadu and Arnhem Land. from here we could see the spot where Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee Claimed to have wrestled with a crocodile. After we went on the East Alligator River Cruise with Neville our indigenous guide on the Guluyambi Cruise. He was really informative and we learnt a lot about bush life. We saw Crocs and he demonstrated how to make an indigenous paint brush from Pandanus Tree roots. He demonstrated how spears are made and all the uses of the Silver Leaf Paperbark Tree. He also had fire sticks which Aborigines used to light fires. We disembarked in Arnhem Land, which you can't do as an individual without a permit. Neville then took the opportunity to demonstrate spear throwing using a spear and spear thrower. He narrowly missed hitting the opposite bank And we were able to retrieve the spear which floats! He then told us about a young woman called Val Plumwood who made the mistake of canooing in Catfish Creek in the early evening and was tipped out of her canoe by a crocodile! The Canoeist twice pulled herself out of the water and twices was dragged back in by the croc but somehow survived. She was found at 1pm the following day 100m from the river in Arnhem Land! Following lunch at The Mercure Crocodile Hotel we started the journey back to Cairns. First of all we drove around Jabiru and then we went to look at the Uranium Mine. From here we drove to a cultural centre and then made a quick stop at a wetland hide. There were hardly any birds as it was still quite dry but there were a huge amount of pond lillies. It was a long drive back to Cairns but the three days were a fantastic insight into the aboriginal culture and the history of the land, it's flora and fauna. It is literally mind blowing when you realise how old the landscape and the cultural artifacts are and when you see the sheer scale of the area. Australia's colonial history may be relatively recent but in terms of geology and biology there are parts which are truly prehistoric!

---

Photos

East Alligator River Cruise.
There are no alligators in Australia but Lieutenant Philip Parker King named the 3 rivers in the mistaken belief that the Estuarine Crocs were alligators!

Arnemland lookout
Looking over the area where Mick Dundee said he wrestled the croc!

Mercury Crocodile Hotel, Jabiru
Whole hotel built as crocodile. This is the head with reception and restaurant etc. there are 4 legs and a tail. Best seen from above.