The Federal Government announced just a couple of days ago that the non-sniffable fuel Opal will be rolled out across the Kakadu region in the very near future.

Opal contains very low levels of aromatic chemicals and it was first introduced by BP in 2005 as a way to stop young people from sniffing petrol. It is specifically designed to assist remote communities and in particular Aboriginal communities fight petrol sniffing.

Petrol sniffing is a highly dangerous form of substance abuse. It destroys lives and has debilitating effects on the whole community. “The impact of petrol sniffing goes much wider than its immediate effects on the health and wellbeing of the sniffer. Vandalism, thefts and domestic violence are all part of the economic and social devastation it causes on communities,” Snowdon said.

At current it is sold at 106 sites across Australia. Now the Minister says Opal will be available in the Top End from early December and communities in western Arnhemland will benefit from this move first.

Blair McFarland from the Central Australian Youth Link Up Service (CAYLUS), based in Alice Springs, has welcomed the expansion. His service runs programs targeting petrol sniffers and has been heavily involved in the campaign to limit the availability of sniffable fuel.
According to Farland the roll-out of Opal fuel through central Australia has resulted in a reduction in petrol sniffing of more than 90% in this region, a figure backed up by an independent study conducted in 2008.

Several information days will be held in Jabiru and surrounds later this month, which will include a mix of technical information from BP on how Opal is safe to use in car and boat engines, as well as information on the social benefits of Opal and how it is helping to keep communities safer.

Jabiru:Tuesday, 23nd November 2010
Cooinda: Wednesday, 24th November 2010
Jabiru: Thursday, 25th November 2010

From 10:00AM there will be people to talk to, demonstrations and videos to watch, and a free sausage sizzle.

For more facts visit BP’s website on Opal fuel.

So, if you’re in Kakadu National Park later this month come along and learn more about Opal. I’ll meet you there!

Boh boh!
Anja

Tomorrow morning our trucks will cross the Jim Jim Creek and head over to Twin Falls for the first time this season!

By this afternoon the shuttle boats will be operational and the floating pontoon boardwalk that keeps visitors out of the water (hence safe from Estuarine crocodiles) will be re-assembled and safely anchored in the gorge.

Contractors are finally in the water to put this important piece of infrastructure in place.
I can only imagine that they’re quite anxious to get the job done quickly and spend as little time as possible in the creek – even after Jim Jim district rangers have completed their final crocodile surveys a few days ago!

More Estuarine crocodiles have moved into the gorge during the wet season than in previous years. The late rain in April and May with subsequently high water levels in the rivers, creeks and gorges allowed the crocs to remain on the move and enter the gorge.

The last “Saltie” removed from the gorge less than two weeks ago was over 4m long. According to the Jim Jim district rangers it was quite a cunning animal. Appearing out of the blue after another large crocodile had been removed, this guy avoided his capture and caused the rangers a few sleepless nights.

So, as of tomorrow our tours will be conducted as per “normal”, visiting the two sites that so many people come to visit each year.

At this point I would like to thank everybody who has travelled with us so far this dry season, all those travellers who came with an open mind, who accepted our alternative itinerary and left Kakadu with beautiful memories of morning tea at Budjmi (pronounce: Bood-me), the cold water of Jim Jim plunge pool and the hot sand on the beach!

Jim Jim Falls in July 2010

“Maguk is open.
Jim Jim Falls will be opening very shortly.”

These are the news we received from Kakadu National Park HQ this morning. Short and sweet.

The families travelling with us yesterday visited Gunlom in the morning, tackling the escarpment walk to enjoy splashing and swimming in the rock pools above the falls. Naturally, everyone was really looking forward to more swimming in the afternoon!

And after the gate on the track to Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) had only been unlocked by park rangers a couple of hours earlier, our party was one of the first to walk along the creek all the way up to the plunge pool around lunchtime!

I love Maguk – and I’m glad I had the opportunity to join our guides Jeanne and John and the lovely bunch of people they were travelling with for the afternoon!

Maguk looks stunning this year!
Crossing the creek, the huge Silver-leafed Parperbark trees (Melaleuca argentae), give a good indication of the wet season water levels. Layers of the soft, papery-thin bark have been torn off the trees up to several metres high by raging currents and floating debris in many places. However, the wet season 2009/10 is now definitely a thing of the past and the creek is back to its dry season level, crystal clear, flowing peacefully. The vegetation along the creek has recovered nicely – it’s lush and green and bears a lot of interesting surprises!

Anyway, there was so much to see and to talk about, I forgot to take any pictures on our walk through the monsoonal rainforest! I did remember to take a few shots at the plunge pool though, where the kids (big and small) hopped in the water while Jeanne and John prepared a yummy picnic lunch.

Taking the Plunge at Maguk

Now to the other big news:
Park rangers have wrapped up their crocodile surveys at Jim Jim Falls. The rangers are now satisfied that all Estuarine crocodiles have been removed from the gorge. All that’s left to do now is some last-minute housekeeping now. We hope we’ll be heading in there within the next few days!

For the next couple of days we will visit Gunlom and Maguk, but later this week our itinerary will read “Budjmi and Jim Jim Falls”.

There’s still a question mark behind the opening of the Twin Falls precinct at this point. After the last rain another couple of Estuarine crocodiles found their way into the area, creating some headache for the Kakadu’s crocodile management team who basically had to start over with their survey work. We’ve been told that two Salties have taken up residence in the Jim Jim Creek near the day use area and the crossing. Unfortunately, for as long as these haven’t been removed the gate at the Jim Jim Creek crossing will remain locked for the general public.

But I’m sure I’ll have more good news for you soon!

Boh boh
Anja

Now, this particular piece has been a long time coming…
I had been planning to collate a list of worthwhile literature on Kakadu National Park, an introduction to its Aboriginal Culture, commendable field guides to the local flora and fauna, resources for school kids, interesting web links and exciting recounts of early European settlers for a while.

I’ll make an effort to keep it as structured as possible and hope you’ll find this list of resources (available in print as well as electronic media formats) useful when you prepare for your stay in the Top End.
Some of the publications also make really nice (as well as meaningful) souvenirs and gifts.

By no means will this list be complete – but it will be a good starting point. Please feel free to leave your feedback or add to the list!

Kakadu National Park

A fabulous introduction to the diversity of Kakadu National Park is this book by Ian Morris. It’s got a large number of excellent photographs and describes how life changes over the course of a year in Kakadu’s different habitats:

• Morris, Ian: Natural History Guide to Kakadu National Park, Steve Parish Publishing (1996), ISBN: 1875932402

• This Kakadu Podtour produced by the ABC has only been online for a few weeks, download it onto your computer or your MP3 player and listen to Kakadu National Park rangers, Traditional Owners and Tour Guides on this virtual ‘Tour de Kakadu’: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/03/16/2847217.htm

• And, of course, there’s the official website of the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts with lots of useful information, including downloadable visitor guides and fact sheets on different topics: http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/index.html

Aboriginal Culture of Kakadu and Arnhemland

All of these titles are truly inspirational and a good way to get a feel for this amazing place and its people and to reconnect with your environs:

• Neidji, B: Story About Feeling, Magabala Books, 1989, ISBN: 0-9588101-0-9

• Neidjie, B, Davis, S & Fox, A: Gagudju Man, Bill Neidji, JB Books, 2002, ISBN: 1876622385

• Spencer, Baldwin, Sir & Welch, David: Kakadu People, Australian Aboriginal culture series ; no. 3, 2008, ISBN: 9780977503537

• Breeden, S and Wright, B: Kakadu: Looking After the Country the Gagudju Way , Simon & Schuster, 1991, ISBN: 0-7318022-6-8
  (Out of print but still available in second hand bookstores and public libraries)

Written in plain language by Richard Trudgen who has lived and worked with Aboriginal people in Arnhemland for many years and who is working towards a better understanding of cross-cultural issues:

• Trudgen, Richard, Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, ARDS, Darwin, 1996, ISBN 0-646-39587-4

Aboriginal art and craft

The most comprehensive book on Aboriginal rock art in the region of Kakadu and West Arnhemland is written by Emeritus Curator Dr. George Chaloupka of Darwin’s Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT):

• George Chaloupka: Journey in Time, Reed Natural History Australia, 2000, ISBN: 1876334444

More than a coffee table book with 600 coloured images, contributions from experts in various fields, the book provides details of the works, the artists, their processes and techniques as well as their historical context:

• Louise Hamby (Ed.): Twined together: kunmadj njalehnjaleken, Injalak Arts and Crafts, 2005, ISBN: 0646446088

Field guides and reference books on Kakadu’s flora and fauna

• Brock, John: Native Plants of Northern Australia, Reed Book (1997), ISBN: 0-07301-0407-9

• Wightman, G & Andrews, M: Plants of Northern Territory Monsoon Vine Forests, Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory (1989), ISBN: 0-7245-0687-X

• Simpson, K & Day, N: Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 7th edition, Penguin Group Australia, 2007, ISBN: 9780670041800

• Swan, G: A Photographic Guide to Snakes & Other Reptiles of Australia, New Holland Publishers (1995), ISBN: 978-1853-685-859

• Swanson, Stephen: Field Guide to Australian Reptiles, Steve Parish Publishing, 2007, ISBN: 9781740217446

• Tyler, M J, Knight F: Field Guide to the Frogs of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, 2009, ISBN: 9780643092440

• There are also a number of identikits and field guides available from Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, check out their list of saleable items, contact details can also be found on their website: http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/publications/nreta/index.html

It’s a real shame that the publication of the Tropical Savannas CRC’s “Tropical Topics” has ceased – but the ones that were published by Stella Martin were an excellent source of interesting facts. These Tropical Topics are still available for download on the organisation’s website: http://savanna.cdu.edu.au/publications/tropical_topics.html

Children’s books

Beautifully illustrated and highly informative these books have received the seal of approval by the Children’s Book Council of Australia:

• Christophersen, Jane: My Home in Kakadu, Magabala Books, 2005, ISBN: 1-875641-93-9

• Christophersen, Jane: Kakadu Calling, Magabala Books, 2007, ISBN: 9781921248009

• Lucas, Diane: Walking with the Seasons of Kakadu, Allen & Unwin, 2005, ISBN: 9781741144710

• Lucas, Diane: Waterlilies, Waterlily Publications, 2007, ISBN: 978064646474816

Explorers and Pioneers

• Cole, T: Hell West and Crooked, Angus & Robertson (1994), HarperCollins, ISBN: 0-207-16692-7

• Lunney, Bob: Gone Bush: growing up fast in the Top End, HarperCollins, 2000, ISBN: 0-207-19937-X

• Warburton, Carl: Buffaloes: Adventures in Arnhem Land, Gecko Books, 200?, ISBN: 0977511413

The amazingly accurate and detailed diary of Ludwig Leichhardt’s expedition to the Top End of Australia can be studied online:

• Leichhardt, L: Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia (1847), http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5005/5005-h/5005-h.htm

Further readings

• Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts: Kakadu National Park: Kakadu National Park Management Plan 2007 – 2014: http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/kakadu/management-plan.html

• EnviroNorth, Living Sustainably in Australias Savannas: http://www.environorth.org.au/windows/dk/index.html

Happy reading!

Boh boh!
Anja

Dear travellers and friends of Kakadu,

I sincerely wish I didn’t have to write this particular post today as I know quite a few people will be disappointed when they find out what this is about.

Every year in the early dry season we’re responding to the same anxious questions when people enquire about our day tours in the dry season:

Will Jim Jim Falls be open? Will we be visiting Twin Falls?

If you’ve enquired about availability on our tours in June you would have received a reply stating that Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls might not be accessible to the public in the early dry season:

“Every year, right at the start of the dry season, the waterfalls, creeks and surrounding areas have to be checked by national park rangers for any saltwater crocodiles that might have moved into areas visited by travellers.

These crocodile surveys are an absolute necessity and usually take several weeks to complete.
Work can only commence once the 4WD track into the area has been repaired after the heavy rains and floods of the wet season and once water levels in the creeks have dropped to a safe level!

Alternatively, we visit the sites of Gunlom, Motor Car Falls, and/ or Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) in the southern region of Kakadu National Park – all of them absolutely gorgeous!

Please check the information on our itinerary ‘Kakadu’s Early Dry’ ”

When we started out this little family business in 2006, Steve and I were thrown in the deep end when Cyclone Monica ripped through Kakadu National Park in late April, resulting in the delayed opening of Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls in mid July. We were facing a whole range of issues and a great many cancellations.

This year we’re facing a very similar situation.
After a very slow start to the wet season we finally received some much needed rain in March… and then again in April… and then even more on the last weekend in May!

While this last episode of localised heavy storms seemed to have impacted mainly on the southern parts of Kakadu National Park, we were able to continue our ‘Kakadu’s Early Dry’ day tours, visiting the beautiful Yurmikmik area and Gunlom, where the annual mandatory crocodile surveys had already been completed.

Mandatory crocodile surveys started in the Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls area around mid May but had to be put on hold again towards the end of the month due to rising water levels, the late rain had struck here as well.

This fact has only been brought to our attention late yesterday afternoon. Some frantic phone calls followed today to get clarity rather than more mixed messages from Kakadu National Park officials. Up until yesterday it was expected that Jim Jim Falls would open to the public in mid June at the latest. Since the site preparation at Twin Falls is more laborious, it didn’t seem unreasonable to have to wait until late June, as stated in the official access report.

Jim Jim Falls After a Storm (2005)

Steve just saw a few aerial pictures of the Jim Jim Falls area taken earlier today, the amount of water coming over the edge not looking much more than on the image heading this page. But apparently the “long pool”, a part of the Jim Jim Creek which we walk alongside on our way into the gorge, has gone under again – and at least one more Estuarine crocodile has taken the opportunity to get comfortable in there. We are in full agreement with park rangers on the necessity of running thorough crocodile survey, visitor safety is paramount!

Anyhow, both sites are now expected to open to the public as late as early July. I sincerely hope you understand the situation is beyond our control.

This might be a blow for quite a few return visitors who have missed out on a visit to Jim Jim Falls and/ or Twin Falls before.
We are sufficiently frustrated that we haven’t been able to pass on this crucial information sooner, fully understanding that your travel plans might have looked a bit different otherwise. Of course, if you would like to cancel your booking on this background and make other arrangements, we will oblige without charging any fees.

However, if you haven’t been to Kakadu National Park before, we hope that you’ll stick with your original plans and come for the drive with us to a couple of the other beautiful waterfalls the park has to offer.
Yes, we are operating!  We will be touring to equally beautiful places when you get here!

It looks like Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) might open in the near future (I’m being cautiously optimistic here) and, yes, I am really looking forward to this beautiful walk through lush monsoonal rainforest and a swim in one of Kakadu’s most gorgeous plunge pools.

And this year I’ll be carrying a pair of goggles to check out how many of Kakadu’s over 55 freshwater fish species I can come face to face with!

Boh boh
Anja

Initially I had planned to compile a list of books worthwhile reading while preparing for a trip to Kakadu National Park, featuring Kakadu’s Aboriginal culture and the Top End’s flora, fauna, and geology.
But this will have to wait now as I’ve got news on Gunlom I’d like to share first.

Gunlom only opened to the public on the 7th of May this year, later than usual and due to heavy rain in the region during March and April which delayed work in the camping and day use area as well as the start of the mandatory crocodile surveys.

I’ve mentioned these crocodile surveys in a previous post. During late April and early May Kakadu National Park rangers checked the picturesque plunge pool under the falls for Estuarine crocodiles that may have moved in during the wet season. On top of this time-consuming job some frantic repair work on a new board walk (that will eventually grant wheelchair access to one of the viewing points) had to be carried out for safe access to the pool.

Gunlom at its Beautiful Best

On Saturday afternoon we received a call via satellite phone from our guides Jeanne and John who’d spent the day in the Yurmikmik area and at Gunlom with their passengers.
They had arrived at the single-lane bridge across the South Alligator River on their way back from Gunlom where they were forced to stop.
In disbelief they watched the water rising over the bridge. Flash flooding!
At one point the water reached a depth 0.75m over the bridge — and it was flowing fast! Over the course of the evening the waterfall at Gunlom and some smaller creeks in the area picked up and started flooding as well.

Thanks to the park rangers of the Mary River district who closed the road immediately when the danger became apparent, nobody came to grief at the crossing.

Most visitors who had made the day trip in a 2WD (mind you, this road is always classed as ’4WD recommended’) settled for a night in a makeshift camp on the ‘wrong side of the river’. A handful of travellers preferred a night in budget accommodation at nearby Goymarr Tourist Park instead of sleeping in their cars. These guys got a lift in one of our OKAs, once the water level had dropped to a point where our 4WDs with high clearance could cross over safely.
By Sunday morning the road bridge was passable again for all traffic.

Anyway, flash flooding in late May is quite a bizarre occurrence.
We’re very much aware of the danger of flash flooding at the start and towards the end of the wet season when the tropical downpours are less frequent then in the midst of the monsoon season — but for the South Alligator River to flood to such an extent and without any warning and this far into May, it must have rained really hard in the river’s catchment on the Arnhemland plateau. Unfortunately, there aren’t many weather stations in this remote and largely unpopulated area that could have indicated what was coming…

Today is the last day of May — and we have been advised by the management of Kakadu National Park that the plunge pool at Gunlom will remain closed for a few days so the rangers can repeat the crocodile surveys. However, the walk to the top of the escarpment above Gunlom is open, the beautiful early dry season weather is back and the danger of flash flooding is over! So, that’s where we’ll be heading again tomorrow!

And hopefully I’ll have some news on the opening of Jim Jim Falls soon…

To check road access to any of the sites in Kakadu National Park check the Kakadu Road and Access Report which is updated daily.

Boh boh
Anja

Welcome to Jabiru, the small township located 250 km south east of Darwin in the heart of World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park!

It’s due to the town’s unique location that the currently 1187 residents of Jabiru are restricted by by-laws as to which pets they’re allowed to keep. Two dogs per household are allowed only. No goldfish permitted but fish indigenous to the area, from Lake Jabiru or the Magela Creek system, may be collected by town folks. No other domestic animals or birds are allowed because of the potential threat to the health of indigenous birds and animals in Kakadu National Park. And cats are a most definite no-no!

Yes, occasionally we do see feral cats around Kakadu National Park. But Kakadu’s park rangers do their best to eradicate them, especially in the wet season when cats can be spotted along floodplains and creek margins.

Jabiru is pretty much a cat free zone and there isn’t really a reason why the local supermarket should stock cat food –- or is there?

Just a few weeks ago the exciting findings of a scientific experiment were published in the Journal of Applied Ecology — involving the use of cat food. And it looks like tinned sea food might just be the weapon of choice in the fight against Australia’s most infamous pest: the Cane toad (Bufo marinus)!

The Unwanted Intruder: Cane Toad

In Kakadu the poisonous Cane toad has wreaked havoc among the populations of many native species. Worst hit are the quolls and goannas, frog-eating carnivores that mistake the toads for native frogs. But these toads are actually poisonous enough to kill a mature Freshwater crocodile – and we’ve seen too many Freshies floating belly-up in the creeks since the toads conquered Kakadu in 2001.

Now, what have the scientists actually done?

There’s actually another player in our cat food experiment that I haven’t introduced yet: the native Meat ant (Iridomyrmex reburrus) our real hero!
This aggressive ant species (they can give you a nasty bite!) as the name suggests, loves anything meat. Tinned sea food spread out along the banks of a billabong would be like the invite to a free all-you-can-eat buffet! And here at the water’s edge they find a welcome side dish: young toads that have just emerged from the water!

Cane toads freeze when attacked (a reflex that our native frogs don’t show), easy prey for our the meat-loving ants. Our little antsy heroes are immune to the toad poison and feed on them regularly, But those areas baited with cat food brought on a real feeding frenzy! The scientists found that by attracting more Meat ants to the edge of the wetland areas up to four times more toads lost their lives.

I reckon the scientists might be onto something!
This new strategy is probably not suited to totally eradicate the pest. But maybe we can identify a few more native species that have the potential to keep introduced pests at bay.

I wonder if we’ll see cat food in the pet food section of our local supermarket any time soon…

Boh boh
Anja

Reference:
Using a native predator (the Meat ant, Iridomyrmex reburrus) to reduce the abundance of an invasive species (the cane toad, Bufo marinus) in tropical Australia.
Georgia Ward-Fear, Gregory P. Brown and Richard Shine
School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia