How do you Kakadu? Crocodile cruises and safari glamping in Australia's Northern Territory
In true
Aussie fashion , he is only half joking. We are, after all, cruising the Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu National Park, home to around 10,000 crocodiles – or 10 per cent of all the crocs in the Northern Territory. In the dry season from May to October, they sun themselves on the sandy banks. But now, in early April, as the last rains of the wet season linger, they slide silently beneath the surface, practically invisible and certainly deadly to any creature unlucky enough to cross their path.
The Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu's most famous wetland, is home to some 10,000 crocodiles. Photo: Handout
Advertisement
As our boat slices through the flooded wetland, we scan the billabong for ripples and reptilian eyes, while Dennis brings the landscape to life with tales of its seasonal rhythms.
'Big wets [periods of high rainfall] rejuvenate the land,' he says. 'More fish, more birds, more for everyone to eat.' We spot magpie geese, the sacred kingfisher and a white-bellied sea eagle scanning the water from above. Finally, a keen-eyed passenger spots a lone saltwater crocodile perched motionless on an exposed tree root, its knobbled back barely distinguishable from the bark.
Encompassing nearly 20,000 square kilometres, Kakadu National Park enjoys Unesco World Heritage status for its blend of rich Aboriginal heritage and diverse, pristine wilderness. Photo: Tourism NT/Hello Emily
Finally laying eyes on the fearsome predator is the ideal finale to our river cruise, but in truth, our adventure has just begun. The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, a tropical frontier at the very northern edge of the continent, is brimming with untamed beauty.
With epic waterfalls, ancient rock escarpments and lush, wildlife-rich wetlands, the region is fast emerging as Australia's version of a safari getaway, offering close encounters not only with crocodiles, but also wallabies, dingoes, wild horses and a staggering array of birdlife. At the heart of it all lies Kakadu National Park, a vast 20,000 square kilometre expanse that is not only Australia's largest national park, but also a living cultural landscape.
Who's watching who? Wallabies in Kakadu National Park study the visitors. Photo: Karen Tee
Kakadu has been shaped in part by the
local Aboriginal people , whose ancestors have cared for this land for 65,000 years. Today, these custodians continue practices such as cold fire burning – carefully timed, low-intensity fires that clear areas of underbrush, so reducing the chance of catastrophic wildfires – and share their deep knowledge when guiding tourists.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
How Macau's rich history shaped its fusion flavours
Long before Portuguese merchants arrived in China, spices were among the world's most coveted treasures – traded in bustling markets and desired by empires centuries before they came to be simmering in the coconut-infused depths of galinha à Africana – African chicken – in kitchens across Macau. During the Age of Discovery, pepper was so sought after that 'no amount of imperial prohibitions could lessen the demand in China', according to historian John Villiers. And when Manuel I of Portugal authorised Vasco da Gama's voyage to establish a sea route to India in 1497, the explorer set sail 'in search of Christians and spices'. By 1570, Europe was importing around six million pounds of black pepper each year, in addition to large quantities of many other spices. Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea. The city may not have been a producer of spices, but historically Macau served as a vital hub for trade, linking China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India with Europe. Its culinary scene is a living tapestry of tradition and innovation, and Macanese cuisine was officially celebrated by Unesco in 2023 as the world's first fusion cuisine. But this blending of flavours was never deliberate. It was born out of conquest and trade, and the simple human desire to make a foreign land taste like home. Herbs and spices didn't just travel – they transformed, weaving new culinary identities along the way. The spice trade's strategic heart Macau's modern history begins with this trade in spices. Shortly after Portuguese traders arrived in East Asia in the 16th century they learned, according to Villiers, that there was 'as great a profit in taking spices to China as in taking them to Portugal'. This was because trading in spices allowed the Portuguese to establish control over the Maritime Silk Road, an oceanic trading network stretching from the Mediterranean as far as Japan.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
How do you Kakadu? Crocodile cruises and safari glamping in Australia's Northern Territory
'If you get eaten by a croc,' our guide Dennis Miller says with a grin, 'I'll try to bring back what's left of you.' In true Aussie fashion , he is only half joking. We are, after all, cruising the Yellow Water Billabong in Kakadu National Park, home to around 10,000 crocodiles – or 10 per cent of all the crocs in the Northern Territory. In the dry season from May to October, they sun themselves on the sandy banks. But now, in early April, as the last rains of the wet season linger, they slide silently beneath the surface, practically invisible and certainly deadly to any creature unlucky enough to cross their path. The Yellow Water Billabong, Kakadu's most famous wetland, is home to some 10,000 crocodiles. Photo: Handout Advertisement As our boat slices through the flooded wetland, we scan the billabong for ripples and reptilian eyes, while Dennis brings the landscape to life with tales of its seasonal rhythms. 'Big wets [periods of high rainfall] rejuvenate the land,' he says. 'More fish, more birds, more for everyone to eat.' We spot magpie geese, the sacred kingfisher and a white-bellied sea eagle scanning the water from above. Finally, a keen-eyed passenger spots a lone saltwater crocodile perched motionless on an exposed tree root, its knobbled back barely distinguishable from the bark. Encompassing nearly 20,000 square kilometres, Kakadu National Park enjoys Unesco World Heritage status for its blend of rich Aboriginal heritage and diverse, pristine wilderness. Photo: Tourism NT/Hello Emily Finally laying eyes on the fearsome predator is the ideal finale to our river cruise, but in truth, our adventure has just begun. The Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, a tropical frontier at the very northern edge of the continent, is brimming with untamed beauty. With epic waterfalls, ancient rock escarpments and lush, wildlife-rich wetlands, the region is fast emerging as Australia's version of a safari getaway, offering close encounters not only with crocodiles, but also wallabies, dingoes, wild horses and a staggering array of birdlife. At the heart of it all lies Kakadu National Park, a vast 20,000 square kilometre expanse that is not only Australia's largest national park, but also a living cultural landscape. Who's watching who? Wallabies in Kakadu National Park study the visitors. Photo: Karen Tee Kakadu has been shaped in part by the local Aboriginal people , whose ancestors have cared for this land for 65,000 years. Today, these custodians continue practices such as cold fire burning – carefully timed, low-intensity fires that clear areas of underbrush, so reducing the chance of catastrophic wildfires – and share their deep knowledge when guiding tourists.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
After 11 years in Indonesian limbo, Afghan refugee finds a home in Australia
It was a day Bibi Rahima Farhangdost feared might never come. Advertisement After 11 years living in limbo in Indonesia as an Afghan refugee, she was finally on her way to a new life in Australia , boarding a flight to Tasmania at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on July 23. 'Finally, it happened. I love Tasmania. The weather is a bit cold, but the air is fresh, and the people are nice in Australia,' she told This Week in Asia from her new home. Farhangdost is among a limited number of refugees in Indonesia who have been able to move to Australia through a programme called 'Talent Beyond Boundaries'. The initiative allows refugees with applicable skills to resettle in third countries, and will be working as a nursing assistant caring for the elderly. Her case stands out not only for its happy ending, but also because so few in her situation ever get that far. Indonesia hosts thousands of refugees , but as a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it does not offer permanent resettlement, and asylum seekers are banned from working or studying. Many wait years in uncertainty, with no path forward and no right to build a life. Advertisement According to the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2025 report, there are some 12,000 refugees registered in Indonesia, around 5,000 of whom are from Afghanistan.
