In Darwin we picked up a Wicked Campervan - an early '90s Mazda van with aircon that doesn't work, a steering wheel that lists to the left and Batman painted on the side! This mighty Batmobile was to be our mode of transport across the great Australian Outback, for a total of some 4,800km from Darwin in the top end to Adelaide in South Australia.
Litchfield National Park
We didn't have to drive very far to come to our first stop - 135km south west of Darwin lies Litchfield National Park, a small gem that often gets overlooked as people visit the larger and more popular Kakadu NP. The beauty of Litchfield lies in its small size - we visited the major attractions in a day and a half, and there isn't much driving to be done between stops. The areas that we didn't visit are only accessible by 4WD vehicle, and while we were there most of these were closed as the high waters of the wet season had not receded sufficiently.
Litchfield holds not only lots of natural wonders but is also highly significant to the local Aboriginal Australian Tribes. Most of the waterholes of the park are open for swimming, though certain areas are of such an important spiritual significance to the local tribes that access is forbidden. That being said, there are plenty of places for people to cool off and take a break from the heat of the day. The most popular place is Buley Rock hole, a series of cascades and rock pools of cool, clear water. While swimming in one of the rock pools we came face to face with a large goanna or monitor lizard. The creature seemed unfazed by the bathers in its waterhole, it just went on about its business basking in the sun, occasionally cocking its head to one side to pose for photos!One of the most amazing sites in the park that doesn't involve water features are the termite mounds. There are several varieties of termite mound in Australia, but here in Litchfield National Park two very particular ones are found close together. These are the Cathedral mounds and the Magnetic mounds. The former can be more than two meters tall and are so called because of the buttresses and alcoves that look like they belong in a Gothic cathedral. On the other hand magnetic termite mounds make up for what they lack in size with ingenuity. All the mounds are aligned more or less along the north-south magnetic axis to maximise exposure to the sun. This gives the mound a more or less constant temperature - the termites move around to the warmer or cooler parts of the mound depending on the time of day. Scientists believe that the termites have the magnetic alignment genetically implanted in them - each alignment varies by a few degrees depending on location, and if the mound isn't perfectly aligned it will fail, thus ensuring that only the termites with the correct information in their genes survive.
Kakadu National Park
A further couple hundred kilometers away from Darwin is the mighty Kakadu National Park - this behemoth is world heritage listed both for its natural diversity as well as for its cultural significance. The park is steeped in rich Aboriginal history and there are several rock art sites that date back thousands of years. The sheer size of Kakadu is impressive - if you approach from the north entrance then you will drive for 200km before arriving to the first point of interest - in between is just highway and forest! Having visited Litchfield before Kakadu we approached the park from the southern Kakadu highway. This is where all the action is happening - the action that can be seen in a 2WD vehicle that is! As with Litchfield there's a lot in Kakadu that can be accessed only in a 4x4, and then that's only when the conditions permit. While we were in Kakadu most of the 4WD tracks were still closed for maintenance due to the recent rains. Unlike in Litchfield there wasn't any swimming to be done in Kakadu - saltwater crocodiles just love the waters of Kakadu!
The park lies on the edge of Arnhem Land - a special reserve that belongs to the traditional Aboriginal owners who have lived on this land for at least 30,000 years. Visiting Arnhem Land is not possible without a hard-to-obtain special permit, but at least you can catch a glimpse of the Arnhem escarpment from many of the lookouts in Kakadu, and at the rock art site called Nourlangie Rock you are just under 30km away.
For me the rock art was the most amazing aspect of our visit to Kakadu. For thousands of years this art was used by Aboriginal ancestors to teach laws, customs, behavior, tracking skills, hunting skills, spirituality etc. Aborigines had no written language till 1985 - before then, and till today, art is the way that they pass their knowledge down to the new generations. While it is taboo to alter a previous painting (it would disturb the spirit of the painting's creator), it is perfectly fine to paint a new story over an existing painting, or to refresh an older painting so that the story is not lost. This results in a mishmash of paintings at the rock art sites, stories blend into each other, and it is very difficult to date particular paintings precisely.
The Bowali visitors centre at the heart of the park provides an insight into the work of the rangers who manage the park. It is also one of the few places with air-conditioning in the whole park, and provides a welcome break from the baking tropical sun! About half-way along the Kakadu highway on the Yellow Water turnoff we found the Warradjan Cultural centre which provides detailed information about the customs and lifestyle of the Anangu who make their home in Kakadu.
Our visit to the park was very rushed, we visited the attractions in the same time that we spent in Litchfield, a park about a quarter of the size. That being said, it is very difficult to see Kakadu properly without undertaking one of the longer treks or having an off-road vehicle, and on our time schedule this was just not possible! We did get to see some wild life while driving along the highway - some wallabies crossed our path, a frilled lizard was sunbathing on the highway as we drove past, and we also caught sight of the elusive Jabiru (the only Australian stork) in one of the many waterways that criss-cross the highway.
In our first three days with the van we'd covered 830km, less than a fifth into our expected total trip! From Kakadu it was on to Katherine...
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