Adventure paradise

What's the best way to appreciate a natural wonder like Kakadu National Park? The hardest part is deciding. You may find that the weather and time of year makes the decision for you.

Only around 250 kilometres from Darwin, Kakadu can be reached by road during the dry season. It's harder to reach parts of Kakadu during the wet season, the tropical summer.

But that's where planes, helicopters, boats and four-wheel drive vehicles come in, making it possible to absorb the spirit of Kakadu all year around.

You can reach the park using the sealed Arnhem Highway from Darwin, the Kakadu Highway from the south, or by air to Jabiru.

Once you're there, there are a multitude of ways to enjoy Kakadu. You could self-drive it: take a group of friends and a few maps in a four-wheel drive and make your own discoveries.

Or do it with guidance: take a half-day boat cruise on the Yellow Waters, a day's flight from Darwin, an overnight walking and camping visit to Koolpin Gorge, try idle luxury at a hotel, take an adventure safari from Darwin that takes you through Kakadu and Arnhem Land.

Some tours will take you barramundi fishing, and show you hidden nooks of Aboriginal art. Try gliding down a river in the sunset while you sip champagne and savour barramundi; cook a delicious campfire-cooked meal at the base of the magnificent Arnhem Land escarpment, plunge into - crocodile-free - crystal-clear waterholes.

There is a range of accommodation within the park, from comfortable hotel lodgings to good camping sites.

Ecological wonder

It's hard to believe that the stunning Kakadu National Park was added to the world's list of World Heritage areas only in 1984.

It is beyond beautiful - it is a delicate landscape of natural and cultural treasures, all in the land area the size of a small country.

It reaches more than 100 kilometres from north to south and 100 kilometres from east to west, altogether encompassing almost 20,000 square kilometres.

The land itself is believed to be more than two billion years old, and is a jigsaw of wetlands, gorges, waterfalls, floodplains, rainforest pockets and escarpments. It shelters an amazing collection of flora and fauna, from sinister crocodiles to beautiful waterlillies.

Kakadu houses more than 1,600 species of plant, 60 species of mammal, 290 species of birds, 120 species of reptile, 25 of frog and 55 of fish. Many fish species are rare and occur only in Kakadu.

Aboriginal rock art shows this land has been important to indigenous Australians for more than 50,000 years. In fact, Kakadu - the name comes from Gagadju, the main indigenous language once spoken in the northern portion of the area - would be cherished as a treasure for its Aboriginal artefacts alone.

As many as 5,000 Aboriginal sites have been identified here, yielding shelters, stone tools, grindstones, rock art, and ochre for the ceremonial paint. Kakadu's rock art shows sprayed hand prints, images of hunters carrying weapons, and Dreamtime figures: Namarrgon the Lightning Man and Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent.

Natural treasure-trove

How many National Parks have had a symphony written about them? Kakadu National Park can claim this, and it's easy to see why. This World Heritage listed area is a natural wonderland, where brutish crocodiles dwell alongside brightly-hued bird life and waterfalls plunge to sparkling pools.

This ancient land is more than two billion years old and at around 20,000 square kilometres, is bigger than some small countries. It is home to more than 60 species of mammal, 290 birds, 120 reptiles, 25 species of frog and 55 of fish.

The land is entwined with its Aboriginal heritage and shelters rock art that is more than 50,000 years old. Some 5,000 Aboriginal sites are in Kakadu. Aboriginal people still dwell there and three distinct languages are spoken: Gundjehimi, Kunwinjku and Jawoyn. The name Kakadu itself comes from Gagadju, once the dominant Aboriginal language in the north.

You can explore this wilderness in many ways. Take a bushwalk or take a boat cruise through the wetlands. Or, guided tours with knowledgeable guides can take you to tucked-away pockets hiding ancient examples of Aboriginal rock art.

It's not hard to self-drive to Kakadu during the dry season. It lies just 257 kilometres, or around three hours' drive, from Darwin along the sealed Arnhem Highway. The wet season can block off some roadways but you can still enjoy Kakadu using four-wheel drives, boats and even plane and helicopter trips. Accommodation available within the park ranges from rustic camping areas to hotels.