Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

KAKADU NATIONAL PARK 411
Never Smile at a You-Know-What
The Aboriginal Gagudju people of the Top End have long worshipped
a giant crocodile called Ginga, but the way white Australians go on
about these reptilian relics of a primeval age, you’d think they worshipped
them too. There is scarcely a soul in the Northern Territory
who will not regale you with his or her personal croc story, and each
one you hear will be more outrageous than the last.
Aussies may be good at pulling your leg with tall tales, but when
they warn you not to swim in crocodile country, they are deadly serious.
Crocodiles are good at pulling your leg, too—literally. To be sure
you don’t end up as lunch, here are some tips:
1. There are two kinds of crocs in Australia, the highly dangerous
and enormously powerful saltwater or “estuarine” kind, and the
“harmless” freshwater kind, which will only attack if threatened
or accidentally stood on. Saltwater crocs can and do swim in the
ocean, but they live in fresh water.
2. Don’t swim in any waterway, swimming hole, or waterfall unless
someone authoritative like a park ranger has specifically told you
that it is safe. You can never be sure where crocodiles lurk from
year to year because, every Wet Season, crocs head upriver to
breed and spread out over a wide flooded area. As the floodwaters
subside, they are trapped in whatever waterway they happen
to be in at the time—so what was a safe swimming hole last Dry
Season might not be croc-free this year.
3. Never stand on or walk along a riverbank; stand well back when
fishing. A 20-foot croc can be 1 inch under the surface of that
muddy water, yet remain invisible. They move so fast you won’t
see them until you’re in their jaws.
4. Make camp and clean fish at least 25m (82 ft.) back from the
bank.
And if you do come face-to-face with a crocodile? Everyone has different
advice, but it all boils down to two things: Make your peace
with God, or run!
and unpaved. The Bowali Visitor Centre, main attractions such as Nourlangie
and Yellow Water Billabong, and the towns of Jabiru and Cooinda, stay above the
floodwaters year-round.
Facilities are limited in Kakadu. The only town of any size is Jabiru (pop.
1,455), a mining community where you can find a bank. The only other real settlements
are accommodation houses (see “Where to Stay & Dine” later in the
chapter).
SEEING THE HIGHLIGHTS
EN ROUTE TO KAKADU
En route to the park, stop in at the Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve (& 08/
8988 8009 is the ranger station), 25km (15 1 ⁄2 miles) down the Arnhem Highway
plus 10km (6 miles) off the highway. Here you’ll get a close-up look at