Territory Wildlife Park & Berry Springs Nature Park

The turn-off to the Territory Wildlife Park and Berry Springs is 48km down the Stuart Hwy from Darwin; it's then about 10km to the park.

Batchelor

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Adelaide River

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Daly River

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Pine Creek

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Geography

The circuitous Arnhem Land escarpment, a dramatic 30m- to 200m-high sandstone cliff line, forms the natural boundary between Kakadu and Arnhem Land and winds 500km through eastern and southeastern Kakadu.

Creeks cut across the rocky plateau and, in the wet season, tumble off it as thundering waterfalls. They then flow across the lowlands to swamp Kakadu's vast northern flood plains. From west to east, the rivers are the Wildman, West Alligator, South Alligator and East Alligator (the latter forming the eastern boundary of the park). The coastal zone has long stretches of mangrove swamp, important for halting erosion and as a breeding ground for bird and marine life. The southern part of the park is dry lowlands with open grassland and eucalyptuses. Pockets of monsoon rainforest crop up throughout the park.

More than 80% of Kakadu is savannah woodland. It has more than 1000 plant species, many still used by Aboriginal people for food and medicinal purposes.

Climate

The average maximum temperature in Kakadu is 34°C, year-round. The Dry is roughly April to September, and the Wet, when most of Kakadu's average rainfall of 1500mm falls, is from October to March. As wetlands and waterfalls swell, unsealed roads become impassable, cutting off some highlights such as Jim Jim Falls.

Local Aboriginal people recognise six seasons in the annual cycle:

Gunumeleng (October to December) The build-up to the Wet. Humidity increases, the temperature rises to 35°C or more and mosquitoes reach near-plague proportions. By November the thunderstorms have started, billabongs are replenished, and waterbirds and fish disperse.

Gudjewg (January to March) The Wet proper continues, with violent thunderstorms, and flora and fauna thriving in the hot, moist conditions.

Banggerreng (April) Storms (known as 'knock 'em down' storms) flatten the spear grass, which during the course of the Wet has shot up to 2m high.

Yegge (May to June) The season of mists, when the air starts to dry out. The wetlands and waterfalls still have a lot of water and most of the tracks are open. The first firing of the countryside begins.

Wurrgeng (June to mid-August) The most comfortable time, weatherwise, is the late Dry, beginning in July. This is when animals, especially birds, gather in large numbers around shrinking billabongs, and when most tourists visit.

Gurrung (mid-August to September) The end of the Dry and the beginning of another cycle.

Wildlife

Kakadu has more than 60 species of mammal, more than 280 bird species, 120 recorded species of reptile, 25 species of frog, 55 freshwater fish species and at least 10,000 different kinds of insect. Most visitors see only a fraction of these creatures (except the insects), since many of them are shy, nocturnal or scarce.

Rock Art

Kakadu is one of Australia's richest, most accessible repositories of rock art. There are more than 5000 sites, which date from 20,000 years to 10 years ago. The vast majority of these sites are off limits or inaccessible, but two of the finest collections are the easily visited galleries at Ubirr and Nourlangie.

Rock paintings have been classified into three roughly defined periods: Pre-estuarine, which is from the earliest paintings up to around 6000 years ago; Estuarine, which covers the period from 6000 to around 2000 years ago, when rising sea levels brought the coast to its present level; and Freshwater, from 2000 years ago until the present day.

For local Aboriginal people, these rock-art sites are a major source of traditional knowledge and represent their archives. Aboriginal people rarely paint on rocks anymore, as they no longer live in rock shelters and there are fewer people with the requisite knowledge. Some older paintings are believed by many Aboriginal people to have been painted by mimi spirits, connecting people with creation legends and the development of Aboriginal lore.

As the paintings are all rendered with natural, water-soluble ochres, they are very susceptible to water damage. Drip lines of clear silicon rubber have been laid on the rocks above the paintings to divert rain. As the most accessible sites receive up to 4000 visitors a week, boardwalks have been erected to keep the dust down and to keep people at a suitable distance from the paintings.

Ubirr & Around

It'll take a lot more than the busloads of visitors to disturb the inherent majesty and grace of Ubirr ( GOOGLE MAP ; h8.30am-sunset Apr-Nov, from 2pm Dec-Mar). Layers of rock-art paintings, in various styles and from various centuries, command a mesmerising stillness. Part of the main gallery reads like a menu, with images of kangaroos, tortoises and fish painted in x-ray, which became the dominant style about 8000 years ago. Predating these are the paintings of mimi spirits: cheeky, dynamic figures who, it's believed, were the first of the Creation Ancestors to paint on rock (...given the lack of cherry pickers in 6000 BC, you have to wonder who else but a spirit could have painted at that height and angle). Look out for the yam-head figures, where the head is depicted as a yam on the body of a human or animal; these date back around 15,000 years.

The magnificent Nardab Lookout is a 250m scramble from the main gallery. Surveying the billiard-table-green floodplain and watching the sun set and the moon rise, like they're on an invisible set of scales, is glorious, to say the least. Ubirr is 39km north of the Arnhem Hwy via a sealed road.

On the way you'll pass the turn-off to Merl ( GOOGLE MAP ; adult/child $10/free) camping ground, which is only open in the Dry and has an amenities block and BBQs, and the Border Store ( GOOGLE MAP ; %08-8979 2474; mains $20-28; h8.30am-8pm Apr-Nov), selling groceries, real coffee, and delicious Thai food (no fuel).

Jabiru

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Nourlangie

The sight of this looming outlier of the Arnhem Land escarpment makes it easy to understand its ancient importance to Aboriginal people. Its long red-sandstone bulk, striped in places with orange, white and black, slopes up from surrounding woodland to fall away at one end in stepped cliffs. Below is Kakadu's best-known collection of rock art.

The name Nourlangie is a corruption of nawulandja, an Aboriginal word that refers to an area bigger than the rock itself. The 2km looped walking track (open 8am to sunset) takes you first to the Anbangbang Shelter, used for 20,000 years as a refuge and canvas. Next is the Anbangbang Gallery, featuring Dreaming characters repainted in the 1960s. Look for the virile Nabulwinjbulwinj, a dangerous spirit who likes to eat females after banging them on the head with a yam. From here it's a short walk to Gunwarddehwarde Lookout, with views of the Arnhem Land escarpment.

Nourlangie is at the end of a 12km sealed road that turns east off Kakadu Hwy. About 7km south is the turn-off to Muirella Park (adult/child $10/free) camping ground at Djarradjin Billabong, with BBQs, excellent amenities and the 5km-return Bubba Wetland Walk.

Jim Jim Falls & Twin Falls

Remote and spectacular, these two falls epitomise the rugged Top End. Jim Jim Falls, a sheer 215m drop, is awesome after rain (when it can only be seen from the air), but its waters shrink to a trickle by about June. Twin Falls flows year-round (no swimming), but half the fun is getting here, involving a little boat trip (adult/child $12.50/free, running 7.30am to 5pm, last boat 4pm) and an over-the-water boardwalk.

These two iconic waterfalls are reached via a 4WD track that turns south off the Kakadu Hwy between the Nourlangie and Cooinda turn-offs. Jim Jim Falls is about 56km from the turn-off (the last 1km on foot), and it's a further five corrugated kilometres to Twin Falls. The track is open in the Dry only and can still be closed into late May; it's off limits to most rental vehicles (check the fine print). A couple of tour companies make trips here in the Dry and there's a camping area, Garrnamarr (adult/child $10/free) near Jim Jim Falls.

Cooinda & Yellow Water

Cooinda is best known for the cruises on the wetland area known as Yellow Water, and has developed into a slick resort. About 1km from the resort, the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre (www.gagudju-dreaming.com; Yellow Water Area; h9am-5pm) depicts Creation stories and has a great permanent exhibition that includes clap sticks, sugar-bag holders and rock-art samples. You'll be introduced to the moiety system (the law of interpersonal relationships), languages and skin names, and there's a minitheatre with a huge selection of films from which to choose. A mesmeric soundtrack of chants and didgeridoos plays in the background.

Gagudju Lodge & Camping Cooinda (%1800 500 401; www.gagudju-dreaming.com; Cooinda; unpowered/powered sites $38/50, budget/lodge r from $75/310; ais) is the most popular accommodation resort in the park. It's a modern oasis but, even with 380 camp sites, facilities can get very stretched. The budget air-con units share camping ground facilities and are compact and comfy enough. The lodge rooms are spacious and more comfortable, sleeping up to four people. There's also a grocery shop, tour desk, fuel pump and the excellent open-air Barra Bar & Bistro (%1800 500 401; www.gagudju-dreaming.com; Cooinda; mains $15-36; hall day) here.

The turn-off to the Cooinda accommodation complex and Yellow Water wetlands is 47km down the Kakadu Hwy from the Arnhem Hwy intersection. Just off the Kakadu Hwy, 2km south of the Cooinda turn-off, is the scrubby Mardugal camping ground (adult/child $10/free), an excellent year-round camping area with shower and toilets.

Cooinda to Pine Creek

This southern section of the park sees far fewer tour buses. Though it's unlikely you'll have dreamy Maguk (Barramundi Gorge; 45km south of Cooinda and 10km along a corrugated 4WD track) to yourself, you might time it right to have the glorious natural pool and falls between just a few of you. Forty-odd kilometres further south is the turn-off to Gunlom (Waterfall Creek), another superb escarpment waterfall, plunge pool and camping area. It's located 37km along an unsealed road, again 4WD recommended. Take the steep Waterfall Walk (1km, one hour) here, which affords incredible views.

Gunbalanya (Oenpelli)

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Cobourg Peninsula

The entire wilderness of this remote peninsula forms the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park (www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/gariggunak), which includes the surrounding sea. In the turquoise water you'll likely see dolphins and turtles, and − what most people come for − a threadfin salmon thrashing on the end of your line.

On the shores of Port Essington are the stone ruins and headstones of Victoria settlement, Britain's 1838 attempt to establish a military outpost here.

At Algarlarlgarl (Black Point) there's a ranger station (%08-8979 0244) with a visitor information and cultural centre, and the Garig Store (%08-8979 0455; Algarlarlgarl (Black Point); h4-6pm Mon-Sat), which sells basic provisions, ice and camping gas.

Two permits are required to visit the Cobourg Peninsula: for a transit pass ($12.10 per vehicle) to drive through Aboriginal land contact the Northern Land Council; for permission to stay overnight in the national park contact the Cobourg Peninsula Sanctuary & Marine Park Board (%08-8999 4814; www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/gariggunak). The overnight fee is $232.10 per vehicle, which covers up to five people for seven days and includes a camping and transit pass.

There are two camping grounds in the park with shower, toilet, BBQs and limited bore water; generators are allowed in one area. Camping fees (per person per day $16.50) are covered by your vehicle permit, but if you fly in you'll have to pay them. Other accommodation is available in pricey fishing resorts.

Eastern Arnhem Land

The wildly beautiful coast and country of Eastern Arnhem Land (www.ealta.org) is really off the beaten track. About 4000 people live in the region's main settlement, Nhulunbuy, built to service the bauxite mine here. The 1963 plans to establish a manganese mine were hotly protested by the traditional owners, the Yolngu people; though mining proceeded, the case became an important step in establishing land rights. Some of the country's most respected art comes out of this region too, including bark paintings, carved mimi figures, yidaki (didgeridoos), woven baskets and mats, and jewellery.

Buku Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre & Museum (www.yirrkala.com; Yirrkala; by donation; h8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat), 20km southeast of Nhulunbuy in Yirrkala, is one of Arnhem Land's best. No permit is required to visit from Nhulunbuy or Gove airport.

In August, the Garma Fesival (www.yyf.com.au) is a four-day celebration in northeastern Arnhem Land. It's one of the most significant regional festivals, a celebration of Yolngu culture that includes ceremonial performances, bushcraft lessons, a yidaki (didgeridoo) master class and an academic forum. Serious planning is required to attend, so start early.

Overland travel through Arnhem Land from Katherine requires a permit (free) from the Northern Land Council. The Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation (%08-8987 3992; www.dhimurru.com.au; Arnhem Rd, Nhulunbuy) issues recreation permits ($35/45 for seven days/two months) for visits to particular recreational areas in Eastern Arnhem Land − check the website for details.