Kakadu Habitats in
Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory Australia

The name Kakadu:

Ancestors:

It is respected that kakadu is a cultural landscape. Being shaped by the spiritual ancestors of the Aboriginal peoples during the Creation Time. The ancestors (first people) were said to have journeyed across the country creating the landforms, animals, plants and the Aboriginal people (Bininj/Mungguy).

They came with laws to live by: language, kinship, ceremony and ecological catetakership. They taught these peoples how to live and look after the lands.

Kakadu National Park approximatley 230klm from Darwin in Northern Territory, Australia is one of the few World Heritage Areas that has been designated for it's natural and historical heritage. This National Park protects one of the world's best examples of rock art. Kakadu also protects the entire catchment of a large tropical river, the South Alligator, creating one of the most remarkable collections of flora and fauna anywhere in the world.

Kakadu Habitats

Savanna Woodlands: Woodlands makeup nearly 80% of this park. Mostly eucalypts and tall grasses. Here the woodland support a large range of wildlife and a greater variety of plants than else where in the park.

Monsoon Forests: These forests occur in small pockets. Birds and Flyying Foxes link the plants by dispersing it's pollen.

Stone Coountry: At the east of the park's highway a large dominating escarpment of standstone "Arnhem Land Plateau" exists. From 30m to 300 m it covers the historical spiritual drawings of Ubirr and Nourlangie.

Tidal Flats and Coast:Kakadu protects around 500 sq km of estuarine and costal areas. Most of which are mangrove lined forests forming an excellent nursury for fish. kakadu's wetlands include billabongs, floodplains, rivers, estuarine and coastal areas. These areas are significantly imortant and recognised as areas ofr mirgratory birds.

Floodplains and Billabongs: These floodplains tend to undergo dramatic seasonal changes. This can be viewed from the Arnhem Highway when passing the South Alligator floodplain. After the wet season rainfalls, a sea flows over the plains for hundreds of ksquare kilometres in patches. When these plains start to dry out the waterbirds and crocodiles seek refuge in remainingareas such as the renowned Yellow Water Billabong.

Southern Hills and Ridges: In the south of Kakadu National Park, hill sand broken ridge lines are a result off millions of years of erosion.the unusaul geology of this area is reflected int he diversity of habitats and the presence of plants and animals that do not occur anywhere else in the world.

Fire

Fire is a major influence in the Australian environment. Fire has been a very important factor in Aboriginal life over the previous generations and 1000's of years. it was used for cooking, signalling, making hunting easier, to attract animals,to p[rotetc foods like Yams and finally to "clean" the country. before the long hot dry season approaches.

Parks & Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory

Kakadu National Park - Seasons

But Australia's Kakadu sees seasons of varied extremes -- so varied, in fact, that the park's longtime aboriginal inhabitants have divided the year into six distinct seasons.
• Kakadu Seasons - Gunumeleng Pre-Monsoon Storm Season - Gunumeleng, from mid-October to late December, may in fact last from a few weeks to several months.
• Kakadu Seasons - Gudjewg - Monsoon Season - Gudjewg, from January to March, can be described as the 'true' wet season.
• Kakadu Seasons - Banggereng - Knock 'em down storm Season - Banggerreng, in April, is the season when the rain clouds have dispersed and clear skies prevail.
• Kakadu Seasons - Yegge - Cooler but still humid Season - Yegge, from May to mid-June, is relatively cool with low humidity.
• Kakadu Seasons - Wurrgeng - Cold Weather Season - Wurrgeng, from mid-June to mid-August, is the 'cold weather' time; humidity is low, daytime temperatures are around 30°C and night-time temperatures are around 17°C.
• Kakadu Seasons - Gurrung - Hot Dry Weather - Gurrung, from mid-August to mid-October, is hot and dry.

Opening hours of Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park is open 365 days per year. Given the large size of Kakadu there are a number of key attractions that have different operating hours these are:

* Bowali Visitor Centre - is open from 8am to 5pm.
* Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre - is open from 9am to 5pm.
* Ubirr Rock - is open from 8:30am until sunset from 1 April until 30 November
* Ubirr Rock - is also open from 2pm until sunset from 1 December until 31 March.
* Nourlangie Rock - is open from dawn until dusk.

All of the attractions are open every day of the year and all times are Central Standard Time. These are based on the season 2006/7.

Goholi Pty Ltd
Postal: GPO Box 380, Darwin, NT 0801
Email: goholi@bigpond.com

www.kakadunationalaprkaustralia.com has affliation with the following links
• http://www.australia4tours.com
• http://www.kakadu-tours.com
• http://www.australia4wheeldriverentals.com
• http://www.australia4wdrentals.com

Please note some of these links are supplied only as a link for information our company has no affliation some of these links. Important; This site is for the beneift of those researching for their next vacation to Kakadu National Park in Northern Territory Australia also know as the 'Top End'.

Australian Kakadu National Park travel guide and information is not the offical site - the offical government site is http://www.kakadu.com.au. This search site offering links to Kakadu, Litchfield, Uluru, Darwin and Northern Territory accommodations, tours, safaris, activities, nature parks, nature reserves and adventure activities.