This National Park is located in the northern fringe of the Australian Northern
Territory. It is one of the largest parks
of the world and the largest of Australia;
since, it covers an area of around 1 980 400 hectares (4 894 000 acres). This territory
is almost so large as Switzerland or Israel. The landscapes of Kakadu are diverse
and set the scene to experience an adventure travel, the native culture and activities
in the nature.
Kakadu is an ecologically and biologically diverse wonderland, with different and
beautiful unique habitats. The six main landforms that compose the Kakadu national
Park are the Arnhem Land Plateau and escarpment complex (also known as stone country),
the outliers, the southern hills and basins, the lowlands, the floodplains and the
tidal flats. The park is composed by a great variety of landscapes and habitats,
which vary from the high stone plateau to forest woodland and from the monsoon rainforest
to opened savanna plains dotted with mangroves-fringed estuaries. The Park is inhabited by over 77 species of mammals (kangaroos, dingoes, possums, bats, dusky rats, etc),
a great variety of reptiles that include 132 different species (like the famous
and dangerous Australian Saltwater crocodile or the water pythons), 280 bird species
(pelicans, ducks, egrets, herons, spoonbills, sea eagles, etc.), 314 fish species
and abundant vegetal
life which is composed by around 1600 plant
species. Unfortunately
several of these species are threatened or endangered.
The name of the Park comes from the “Gagudju”, a native language. This park has the highest concentration of areas with aboriginal rock art of the world, being
the best examples of this fact at Ubirr, Nourlangie Rock Nanguluwur. The paintings
done in this rocks represent several activities such as hunting, religious ceremonies,
sorcery, magic, stories about diverse themes, etc. Besides, because of the particular
climate of the zone with seasons of varied extremes; the native inhabitants of Kakadu
divided the year. into six different seasons: Gunumeleng (October, November, December;
humid and hot), Gudjewg (January, February; thunderstorms and heavy rain), Banggereng
(March; storms), Yegge (April, May; mist), Wurrgeng(June, July, the coldest and
dry time) and Gurrung (August, September; windless and hot).
Some of the most popular zones of Kakadu are the beautiful waterfalls such as Gunlom,
Maguk, Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. Besides, some of the best places to see wildlife
in the park are Cooinda, Mamukala Wetlands, Anbangbang or Yellow Water Billabong.
Fishing is also an important activity amongst Kakadu’s visitors, mainly in Yellow
Water and at south and east Alligator River. The Kakadu Park is connected to the
city of Darwin through the Arnhem Highway and is linked to Pine Creek and Katherine
by the Kakadu Highway. Besides, the town of Jabiru offers several accommodations
options to the Kakadu’s visitors.
History
Aboriginal people have lived in this region since 40000 years ago; therefore, the
Kakadu Park owns a great number of archeological sites (around 5000) that include
zones with rock carvings and cave paintings. The cultural richness that saves Kakadu
is one of the reasons why the Park is part of the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The Park is listed in three different stages, because of its cultural significance
and the importance of its natural richness; being one of the only 22 World Heritage
sites listed for both its natural and cultural heritage. Besides, the aboriginal
people of Kakadu had contacts with the Macassans from Sulawesi in the Indonesian
archipelago; there are some evidences of this ancient contact between the Macassan
culture and the native people from Kakadu. Nevertheless, there are not evidences
of permanent Macasan settlements in Kakadu.
Jim Jim Falls at Kakadu
The first non aboriginal explorers that arrived to the Kakdu’s region were the Dutch
Jan Carstenz in 1623 and Abel Tasman, who visit this part of the Australian coast
in 1644. The region was abandoned by the European people,
until 1802, when Mathew
Flinders surveyed the Golf of Carpentaria; almost 20 years later, Philip Parker
King explored also the Gulf of Carpentaria and the three Alligator Rivers, which
are the axis of the current park.
But the first European settlement in the Kakadu region was established around 1845
by Ludwig Leichhardt as part of his commercial route between Moreton Bay in Queensland
and the Port Essington in the Northern Territory. Along the XIX century, British
established several settlements in the region, such as Fort Wellington, Port Essington,
amongst others; in order to protect the northern Australia against French and Dutch
invasions. Nevertheless, most new British settlements were abandoned, because of
the isolation of the region that caused often lack of water and food as well as
sickness. However,
like most part of Australia the European arrival signified the
devastation of most aboriginal population of Kakadu region.
During the XIX century
the pastoral industry was the most important activity of the region; Europeans introduced
in Kakadu the Domestic Asian Water Buffalo, which resulted in damage for the fragile
wetlands and floodplains; nevertheless, the livestock was progressively abandoned
at the end of the century, because zones such as Barkly Tablelands or Victoria River offered better conditions to this activity.
At the end of the XIX century and the first years of the XX century, many Christian
missionaries arrived to Kakadu, they established several missions that played an
important role in the development of the region; since, these missionaries contacted
with the aboriginal people and taught them the western culture. These missions worked
during the first half of the XX century, the Oenpelli Mission was the last mission
to be founded and worked for
50 years.
The first proposal to create a national park in the zone that currently is
occupied by the Kakadu Park, was made in 1965, when Australian people was becoming interested
about the conservation of its natural heritage and the rights of the aboriginal
people. Nevertheless, the procedures to create the Park and acquire the titles over
several tracts of land that now are part of Kakadu, were initiated by the Australian
government only in 1978. The Kakadu National Park was officially
created in 1979
and was declared part of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975. Nevertheless,
between 1979 and 1991, several changes were made in the territorial configuration
of the Park and its management policy. Currently the Kakadu national Park is managed
by the Aboriginal traditional owners and the Director of National parks. Kakadu
is an important tourist attraction in the country that receives around 250 000 tourists
per year and is one of the most famous wonders of Australia.