Kakadu National Park and Darwin

Downtown Darwin:

Although the center of the city is missing really big sights, it is nice to take a walk through the inner city of Darwin. One of the most striking buildings is the Parliament building built in 1994.

You can take a look at the Aquascene, the Botanical Gardens, the port (including the Indo-Pacific Navy and the tunnels where the oil was kept resistant to Japanese attacks), the art museum and/or the Fannie Bay prison museum. Further located is the "East Point Reserve" where, among other things, the military museum is located and some guns from WW2. 

>> Australian Heritage Avian center: see museum (below)

Kakadu National Park:

Kakadu is best known for his wetlands, although tree savannas cover about eighty percent of the park's surface. The wetlands are located around the three Alligator Rivers. In the rainy season, the rivers are increasing in size and the surrounding areas are flooded, making large parts of the park inaccessible during this period. In season, Kakadu is best visited because the animals retreat to the permanent water areas such as the "Yellow Waters Billabong" and the "Mamukala" Wetlands and are more visible.

In addition to the wetlands and tree savannas, in the south and east of Kakadu there are still rock areas that are part of the Arnhemland plateau. Kakadu is an archaeologically and ethnologically important area that has been inhabited for over 40,000 years. The cave paintings, rock inscriptions and archaeological sites show the skills and way of life of the former inhabitants, from the hunting- to the prehistoric times to the Aboriginals who still live here. Famous places where rock paintings of Aboriginals can be found are Ubirr and Nourlangie. 

Arnhem-land

In Kakadu there are various animal species that only occur in the Kakadu-Arnhemland region, such as the black wallaroo. Kakadu is also known for the sea crocodiles and the many water birds, including the great egret, the black stork and the white-bellied sea eagle. In total about 276 bird species, 60 species of mammals and 120 type reptiles live in the park. Water buffaloes were very common in Kakadu for a long time after these animals were introduced into the “top end” in the 1930s.

But the number of water buffaloes has fallen sharply due to large-scale shootings due to the major damage the animals have made to the vegetation and to combat the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The best, cheapest and more adventureous is to visit the "Kakadu National Park" with your own 4WD or by an organized trip (among others from Darwin).

There was a long doubt about whether Darwin should and or should not serve as a city for the regional center and if so, where exactly. Even when the decision was taken, the growth of the city was painfully slow and was accompanied by many problems.

The first settlements of a city on the north side of Australia were made on the basis of fear of a possible French and Dutch attack. Between 1824 and 1829, some 200 kilometers northeast of Darwin today, the Cobourg peninsula was first used to built fort Dundas and Fort Wellington but was abandoned years later. Fort "Victoria" was then built, but it was also abandoned in 1839. 

It was not until 1863 that the north came under the control of the government of southern Australia. In 1869 the actual Darwin was founded. Thirty years earlier, the port of Darwin was visited by the world-famous Beagle with John Lort Stoker who named it to the earlier shipmaster Charles Darwin. It would otherwise have been called Palmerston and officially called Darwin in 1911. When gold was found in Pine's Creek in 1871, the city really began to grow. In WW2, the city would be hit hard by Japanese air-attacks when it was bombed. The city was attacked no less than 64 times by the Japanese.

On 19 February 1942 the biggest attack would be carried out; some 150 Japanese aircraft would sink 10 Allied ships and damage another 25 heavily. That day 251 people lost their lives because of this attack. An important Allied base was built and the road between Alice Springs and Darwin was asphalted so that the city was finally easily accessible. During the Christmas days of 1974 the cyclone Tracy crossed the city. This killed 49 people while about 70% of the buildings were destroyed.