Kakadu National Park
Jim Jim Falls
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of 19,804 square kilometres, extending 100 kilometres from west to east and nearly 200 kilometres from south to north. In total it is nearly half the size of Switzerland.
Kakadu is renowned for the richness of its Aboriginal culture. There are more than 5000 art site recorded in the park illustrating Aboriginal culture over thousands of years and the archaeological sites provide proof of Aboriginal occupation for at least 20 000 and possibly up to 40 000 years.
The name Kakadu comes from the word ‘Gagudju’ which is the name of one of the many Aboriginal languages spoken in the Park.
In 1992 Kakadu National Park was recognised internationally when it obtained World Heritage listing with UNESCO. This is an international register of places which are recognised as having outstanding natural or cultural values of international significance. Kakadu is one of the few World Heritage Listed places listed for both Cultural and Natural values.
About 500 Aboriginal people live in Kakadu; many of them are traditional owners. The traditional owners of Kakadu are descendants of various groups from the Kakadu area and have longstanding affiliations with this country. The lifestyle of the Aboriginal people has changed in recent years, but their traditional beliefs and customs remain very important.
Climate
Kakadu Storm
Kakadu is located in the tropics and the climate is monsoonal, characterised by two main seasons: the wet season and the dry season. During the dry season (from April to September), humidity is relatively low and rain is unusual. The average maximum temperature for July is 32°C.
During the 'build up' (October to December) conditions can be extremely uncomfortable with high temperatures and high humidity. However 'build up' storms are impressive and lightning strikes are frequent. In fact the Top End of Australia records more lighting strikes per year than any other place on earth. The average maximum temperature for October is 37.5°C.
The wet season (January to March) is characterised by warm temperatures and rain. The average maximum temperature for January is 33°C and annual rainfall in Kakadu is approximately 1,500 mm
Aboriginal people identify as many as six seasons in the Kakadu region:
- Gunumeleng. Oct - Dec, pre-monsoon storm season with hot weather.
- Gudjewg. Jan - Mar, monsoon season with heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding.
- Banggerreng. Apr, the "knock 'em down storm" season where windy, violent storms knock down grasses.
- Yegge. May - Jun, relatively cool with low humidity.
- Wurrgeng. Jul - Aug, the cold weather arrives with low humidity; creeks stop flowing and the floodplains dry out
- Gurrung. Sep, hot dry weather with periods of torrential rain.
Flora
Water Lilly
Kakadu contains more than 1700 plant species and is considered to be one of the most weed free national parks in the world.
Kakadu contain 7 distinctly different geographical areas and each has their own specialised flora.
The Stone Country features grasses that are able to cope with extreme heat and long dry period, followed by spells of torrential rain. Monsoon forests often develop in the cool moist gorges within the stone country.
The southern hills and basins hold several endemic plants that are only found in Kakadu National Park, including the "Eucalyptus koolpinensis" found only near Koolpin Gorge. (Koolpin Gorge is a permit only area and visited on the 5 day Kakadu Tour)
Lowland areas form a large part of Kakadu and are covered in open woodland with a large range of grasses and wildflowers.
The floodplains, flooded for several months each year, feature varieties of waterlily, such as the yellow, blue and white snowflake, sedges such as spike rush as well patches of freshwater mangroves, pandanus and paper bark trees.
Estuaries are populated with varieties of mangroves which serve as feeding and breeding grounds for many fish species including the barramundi.
On the tidal flats hardy succulents, grasses and sedges grow.
Fauna
Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
The diverse environments of Kakadu National Park support an astonishing array of animals. Some animals in the Park are rare, endangered, vulnerable or endemic. Responding to the extreme weather conditions experienced in the Park, many animals are active only at particular times of the day or night or at particular times of the year.
Kakadu supports about 60 mammal species, 117 species of reptiles, more than 280 species of birds (about one-third of Australia’s bird species), 25 species of frog, 10 000 species of incect, 53 species of freshwater fish
Crocodiles. Two species of crocodile occur in Kakadu National Park, the Freshwater Crocodile and the Saltwater Crocodile. Freshwater crocodiles are identified by their single row of four large boney lumps immediately behind the head and narrow snout. Salt Water Crocodiles have a broader snout and they do not have these lumps behind their head. The maximum size for a freshwater Crocodile is 3 metres and a Saltwater Crocodile can exceed 6 metres.
More
Much of the information on this page has come from Kakadu on Wikipedia. Addional information is available from the official Kakadu National Park website produced by the Australian government
