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More than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA, Kakadu is truly enormous. It’s home to around a third of Australia’s bird species and over 10,000 saltwater crocodiles (yup, the bitey ones).

It’s also where the longest living culture still exists after 65,000 years and the incredible rock art and history that goes with it still going strong.

Kakadu is a place of abundance and intrigue, of extremes and superlatives, and it’s one of the most fascinating places you could ever hope to visit.

Here are our top tips for where to stay, where to go and what to do in this unique landscape.

Essential Guide to Kakadu National Park

Clicking on each chapter will jump straight to that section.

• How to get to Kakadu
• Where to stay in Kakadu
• Where to eat in Kakadu
• Things to do in Kakadu – this is the long one!

— The best rock art sites

— Culture hubs – Kakadu visitor centres

— Getting back to nature – seeing Kakadu’s wildlife

• What’s the best time of year to visit Kakadu?
• Let’s sum it all up for you

How to Get to Kakadu

Kakadu is right at the Top End, a few hours’ drive east from Darwin. The best way to get to Darwin — of course — is to fly.

From Sydney, it’s a 4-hour 20-minute flight, and all the other east-coast Aussie state capitals are about the same .Adelaide and Perth are around 3h35m, and Hobart is a sickly seven-odd hours with a stop along the way.

Other options are to sail in. Darwin Harbour is lovely and has regular cruises and other ships pull in. We docked at Darwin years ago after a National Geographic voyage around the Kimberley Coast.

The other option is driving to Darwin. Driving the Top End is an awesome experience and highly recommended if you have the time.

Either way, once in Darwin, you will need a car to get to Kakadu. You can find great prices on car rentals from Darwin Airport here. We recommend a 4WD capable car.

If you don’t want to drive yourself, there are lots of tours going from Darwin to Kakadu that are excellent too. This one goes from Darwin City right into the park, to infamous Cahill’s Crossing to see huge estuarine crocodiles, then to Ubirr for the most astounding rock art and back to Darwin in a day!

Where to Stay in Kakadu

There aren’t many places to stay in Kakadu. In fact, unless you want to camp, you’re limited to just a couple of hotels.

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in the little town of Jabiru is wonderfully kitsch and comfortable. Built in the shape of a massive crocodile, the Croc has been renovated from its previous motel status.

You can find our full review of this interesting hotel here.

The other option is Cooinda Lodge, which has a range of accommodation, from a campsite and hardstandings for motorhomes to motel-style rooms to full-blown luxury safari lodge style cabins.

We stayed in the cabins — the Yellow Water Villas — and it was wonderful. Here’s our review.

Where to Eat in Kakadu

Apart from snacks at some of the visitor centres and a pretty expensive supermarket in Jabiru, you’re limited to the restaurants at the hotels.

Fortunately, these restaurants are excellent.

Manjmukmuk Restaurant in the Croc Hotel has an affordable buffet option and also a lovely a la carte full-service section that offers some really quite impressive dishes. Our review is here.

Mimi’s at Cooinda is excellent and the chef — Phillip Foote — creates special menus that showcase local bush ingredients that are seasonally available.

Also at Cooinda Lodge is the Barra Bar, serving pub style classics, and a fish and chip van that is actually superb.

Check out our write-up of all the food options in Cooinda here.

Things to Do in Kakadu

Ancient Galleries — Kakadu’s Rock Art Sites

There are plenty of sites around Kakadu where you can find some of the best examples of Indigenous rock art in Australia.

Ubirr

One of the largest collections of ancient rock painting is at Ubirr, where there are paths leading throughout this significant gallery. There’s even evidence here of thylacines — Tasmanian Tigers — through the art.

High up on what would once have been the rocky floor of the site is a painting of the now-extinct carnivorous marsupial. There are also depictions of megafauna — gigantic kangaroos and wombats the size of cars.

This all illustrates not only that humans were around when these ancestors of dinosaurs walked the earth, but also just how old these artworks are.

There’s plenty of parking right at the Ubirr site, and watching the sunset here is also very popular.

Nourlangie

At the base of a magnificent limestone outcrop of the escarpment, Nourlangie Rock, thousands of paintings tell the millennia of history of the Bininj and Mungguy culture.

You can also see where artists and elders of the current generation have come to update and maintain the gallery that has been here for so many thousands of years.

We were lucky to have brilliant young local guide James Morgan show us around Nourlangie and tell us some of the stories around the art.

Between late May and late September, you can book a local guide to take you round different cultural places like Ubirr and Nourlangie for free! Keep an eye on the Kakadu Tourism site for details.

Culture Hubs – Kakadu’s Visitor Centres

Kakadu has some truly excellent visitor centres that not only offer information on places to go and things to do, but also insights into the park’s culture and history.

Bowali Visitor Centre

This centre is the best visitor centre for speaking to a guide about where to go in the park and what to see.

There’s also an excellent display on the plants, animals and landscapes you’ll experience in Kakadu.

Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre

Through the doors of this impressive centre, you’ll find a winding path that takes you around a clever exhibit on the cultural history and network of the local peoples of the region.

You’ll find examples of tools, messaging systems and artworks of the area, as well as real-life stories from people growing up in Kakadu and a simplified explanation of the complex kinship rules governing marriage and families here.

Marrawuddi Art Gallery

This gallery has an impressive collection of artworks of a range of media by Kakadu artists and from the wider region you can buy. It also sells a range of bags, clothing and souvenirs.

Just as important, Marrawuddi Art Gallery makes the best takeaway coffee in the park. We highly recommend enjoying your well-made flat white as you wander around the racks of art in the lovely air conditioning!

Getting Back to Nature — Kakadu’s Wild Side

Kakadu Bird Week with Luke Paterson from NT Bird Specialists

One of the highlights of Kakadu’s tourist calendar is Kakadu Bird Week, which runs at the end of September. It champions not only the enormous depth and wealth of birdlife in Kakadu, which is home to over a third of all Australia’s bird species, it’s also timed with one of nature’s great spectacles.

This time of year, when the dry season is at its end, the waterways are at their lowest. This concentrates the waterbirds’ habitat. It also coincides with the flocking of thousands upon thousands of magpie geese.

You can see this for yourself quite easily by making your way to any of the large billabongs of the park.

But if you want to do it properly (and actually understand what you’re looking at), booking a tour with NT Bird Specialists is a must. Luke ‘Hawkeye’ Paterson is one of Australia’s if not the world’s great ornithologists. And his moniker is not unfounded.

The couple of morning hours we spend with Luke, we spotted 64 different bird species and learnt about a lot more. You can read our full review of our time birding with Luke in Kakadu here.

Cahill’s Crossing — the most dangerous road in the world

On the eastern edge of Kakadu, where the park ends and Arnhem Land begins, runs the East Alligator River. It’s a poor name for the waterway as there are no alligators in it at all. No, instead you’ll find hundreds of enormous saltwater crocodiles.

The road to Arnhem Land fords this river, and in the dry season, the water’s low enough to drive across. I wouldn’t recommend it — you also need the appropriate permits to cross the river — but the viewing platform on the western bank gives you the perfect (and safely elevated) perspective on the hunting crocs.

Check out our review on Cahill’s Crossing here, as well as our viral video on this dangerous roadway.

Ngurrungurrudjba — Yellow Water Sunset Cruise

Easily the most beautiful and nature-filled activity in Kakadu, the Yellow Water Cruise is special. From Cooinda Lodge (you can book your cruise here), a bus transfers you to the little jetty where everyone boards small, flat-bottom launches that allow access to shallow waters.

You cruise along this magnificent stretch of water, spotting everything from jacana birds and water buffalo to brolgas and massive saltwater crocs. There are so many of these modern dinosaurs in Yellow Water, you almost become complacent with them.

Why is it called Yellow Water you may ask. The name (no, it’s not because of that) becomes apparent as the sun sets and lights the surface of this billabong a dazzling gold colour that turns to bronze and red as the sun gets lower.

Check out our review and video of this spectacular experience here.

Maguk Waterfall

One of the few waterfalls that runs all year round in Kakadu, Maguk and its sparkling plunge pool are tucked away into the stony cliffs of the escarpment.

To get to the waterfall, you’re looking at unsealed roads and a bush walk that’s challenging at times as it follows the rocky riverside of Barramundi Gorge.

The hot hike is worth it though. You emerge from the steaming rainforest to the idyllic sight of the falls and its pool that have carved themselves into the sandstone over the millennia. It’s safe to swim here in the dry season, and the cool water is the perfect salve to the sweltering heat.

Check out our write-up and video on Maguk here.

Angabang Billabong

On the drive to Nourlangie and its amazing rock art galleries, Angabang Billabong is a small wetlands that’s worth a quick stop to see.

The shallow water spreads glittering across the plain and attracts a host of birdlife. At its back, the sculpted near horizon of Nawurlandja looms, creating an atmospheric vista.

Nawurlandja at sunset

The steady incline of Nawurlandja takes you to a vast viewpoint that has Angabang Billabong at its feet, the stern bluff of Nourlangie behind and the ranging escarpment filling in the background.

Nawurlandja — like Nourlangie — has some excellent rock art, but as the sun hits the western limits, it’s this vista you come for. Turning the sky a boiling red and the rocks around gold and crimson, sunset at Nawurlandja is startlingly beautiful.

Also, as this part of the park closes at nightfall, you’ll find a Bininj park ranger monitoring visitors. They’re happy to answer questions about the area and often have excellent tips for your time here.

Mirray Lookout

About halfway between Cooinda and Jabiru, Mirray Lookout is a reasonably tough 1,000m uphill scramble up loose rocks and red dirt to a lofty timber viewing platform.

The platform’s roof and the breeze at this elevation is lovely, and once you’ve cooled down, you can take in the views.

From here, the sea of trees seems to go on forever, hiding wetlands, rivers and its abundance of wildlife from view.

The trees are punctuated by ridges of the Arnhem Land escarpment — Stone Country to the Bininj and Mungguy. It’s here that evidence exists of humans’ longest continuing culture in the world.

What’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Kakadu

We’ve had the fortune to visit Kakadu a number of times — in the Wet Season in March and April, at the end of the Dry in September and on the brink of summer in December, the surreal super-humid moment when the Dry has finished but the storms of the Wet haven’t yet come.

Dry Season — May-October

It’s easy to see why the Dry Season is popular for tourists. The humidity is low, the flies aren’t too bad and a lot of the waterways are navigable. In fact the low water levels often mean that wildlife is more concentrated.

However, it is the busy season for the park.

Wet Season — November-April

Also known as the Green Season or the Tropical Summer, the Wet is exactly as it sounds. The rains are heavy and regular, and the temperatures and humidity are high. Some of the attractions will be unreachable or dangerous with water inundation and the crocodiles expanding their territories.

However, the abundance of life in the park is amazing at this time of year. Everything is green and lush, and the swollen rivers and billabongs add that extra bit of drama to everything. Scenic flights at this time of year reveal the true wealth of nature of Kakadu.

It’s also much quieter in the Wet Season, which means you pretty much have the run of the place.

A Quick Summary

Getting there

Direct flights from all Aussie capitals (apart from Hobart) to Darwin, then hire a car from Darwin to drive about 3.5 hours to Kakadu.

Where to stay

The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru is a quirky motel-style hotel in the shape of a crocodile.

Cooinda Lodge has everything from a camping ground to motel style cabins to high-end luxury glamping retreats that are amazing.

Where to eat

Manjmukmuk Restaurant in the Croc Hotel is good. Mimi’s at Cooinda is excellent. Also at Cooinda Lodge is the Barra Bar, serving pub style classics, and a fish and chip van that is actually superb.

Marrawuddi Art Gallery has the best coffee in the area.

Things to do

Must-dos are Ubirr and Nourlangie for the best rock art, Cahill’s Crossing for crocodiles and the Yellow Water cruise at sunset for the scenery.

If Maguk is open, then it’s worth the hike.

Experience the profound birdlife in Kakadu. You can do this on your own, but booking a tour with people like NT Bird Specialists puts it in a whole other league.

What’s the best time of year to visit?

The Dry Season (May-October) is the most popular because the park is so much easier to get around, but it is a lot busier. The Wet (November-April) is the most dramatic, though humidity is tough.

The thing to remember with Kakadu is it’s beautiful and utterly unforgettable all year round.

The post Essential Guide to Kakadu National Park, Australia appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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We’ve been lucky enough to visit Uluru more than once in our lives. For me, this is my third time in fact. Coming back here — to see this amazing place and to walk in the shadow of the world’s largest monolith — never loses its magic.

Not only is it iconic as Australia’s heart stone, Uluru also represents a vital part of the Anangu’s creation story.

And you can feel the energy of this place seeping up into you from the ground.

However, in the past, we’ve only ever camped here in the Red Centre. And while setting up your swag in the middle of the desert with the brilliant constellations of the galaxy shining down on you may sound romantic, air conditioning, an ensuite and pillow tops trump the hand.

Check out our video walkthrough of Sails in the Desert here:

– Here are our other stories from Uluru and the things you can do in the Red Centre.

– For tours and activities to enjoy while you’re in the Uluru Kata Tju?a National Park, click here.

– And for the best deals on stays near Uluru, click here.

Where is the Sails in the Desert Hotel?

Not far from Uluru is the little township of Yulara. Most of the town is made up of the Voyages Ayres Rock Resort* and its numerous hotels, of which Sails in the Desert is the biggest.

There are a couple of shops here too and an excellent gallery where you can buy art by local artists.

Yulara is only about 10km from the base of Uluru as the crow flies and it’s a 15-20min drive from Sails in the Desert to the car park at the Rock.

But thanks to the flatness of the desert and the impressive 350m height of Uluru, you can easily see it from town — from certain points of Sails in the Desert in fact. You can also clearly see Kata Tju?a to the west.

* The Indigenous people here — Anangu — were asked if the name should change to Uluru Resort, but they said no as the resort is nothing to do with their culture. The same goes for Ayres Rock Airport.

What’s it like at Sails in the Desert?

Sails in the Desert is an oasis in this tough remote red landscape. Its lagoon pool, surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees and lush gardens, belies the harshness of its environment.

Peering through the foliage is the two-storey terraces of the hotel’s accommodation. Ground-level rooms have private courtyards while first floor ones have balconies.

Our first floor Superior Room is comfortable, with a well-appointed bathroom sporting Wiru amenities, an Indigenous owned and run cosmetics company that uses native bush botanicals like wattle seed and quandong.

Superior Rooms come with two queen beds or one king — ours has two queens, which is a bit confusing initially, but it does show just how big this room is. The balcony is quite small, though there’s enough space for a couple of chairs and a table. Mind you, it’s usually too hot to spend too long out here in the day!

There are some lovely touches to the room. Lighting is well considered and there’s a large piece of original Indigenous artwork, sourced from the Maruku Arts Market Place and the Gallery of Central Australia down the road.

Where to eat at Sails in the Desert

There are a number of places to dine here. You’ll find the Pira Pool Bar and the Walpa Lobby Bar inside Sails, as well as the dining area for breakfast each morning.

But as you’re staying in part of the Ayres Rock Resort, the other venues of the resort are open to you too.

Casual dining like Ayres Wok Noodle Bar and Kulata Academy Cafe all the way up to Ilkari Restaurant and the Mangata Bistro and Bar are available to you. And that’s just the beginning!

Things to do nearby that Sails in the Desert can help with

The best part of staying with the Voyages Ayres Rock Resort is that these guys are involved with the very best things to do around Uluru.

Voyages communicates very closely with the elders of the Anangu and have made sure these attractions are in everyone’s best interests. Not only are they fascinating things to do, they also benefit Anangu and the local community.

Guided sunrise walks around Uluru are a must. Each walk is lead by an Anangu elder and the stories they can tell bring so many more layers of meaning to brilliance to this magical place.

Beyond that, Wintjiri Wiru, the biggest permanent drone show, tells part of the origin story for Anangu and is absolutely breath-taking. I think I swore almost the whole way through!

You can see our full story and video about Wintjiri Wiru here.

For the ultimate dining experience, Tali Wiru takes you up into the dunes of the desert for the single-most unique meal you’ll ever have. As the sun sets and lights up Uluru on the horizon, you’re treated to a superlative set of dishes using fine-dining techniques on bush tucker with matching wines.

Check out our full write-up on Tali Wiru here.

Staying at Sails in the Desert is a great option for accommodation near Uluru, but your hotel room here really is just the beginning of a much bigger experience.

We stayed as media guests of Voyages and Ayres Rock Resort, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Where to Stay Near Uluru — Sails in the Desert appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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There are a few indelible rules to travel writing. One, of course, is never turn down a lounge pass. Another is that you never call a place ‘breath-taking’.

That is unless you visit Maguk Waterfall in Kakadu National Park.

The moment you emerge from the steaming forest to see the sparkling plunge pool in the rugged hug of the ruddy sandstone cliffs and the spectacle of the cascading waterfall, nothing but that much-maligned cliche will do.

Check out our video of Maguk to see exactly what I mean:

– Here’s a link to our Kakadu library. for more of our stories on this amazing national park.

– We stayed at Cooinda Lodge, the closest accommodation to Maguk. You can find the best deals on Cooinda Lodge here.

– And to book amazing activities and tours in Kakadu, click here.

Maguk Waterfall, Kakadu National Park

We leave our beautiful safari-style Yellow Water Retreat at Cooinda Lodge as the sun peeps above the horizon.

It’s an important trick to travelling in the Northern Territory: get as much done as you can before it gets too hot.

The drive to our turn-off takes just 35 minutes. The road is well-maintained and there’s no traffic this time of day. After that, things take a little longer.

From the turn-off, it’s 10km of unsealed road, which is easy-going for the most part, but there are sections that a two-wheel-drive car might struggle.

The Walk To Maguk

Part of the adventure of this place is the hike to get there. It’s only a 1km walk to the waterfall, but there are parts that are quite rugged where you need to clamber over rocks and tread carefully down to the bottom of the gorge.

And as the heat of the day builds, the call of the waterfall and a swim in its pool gets ever louder.

The path takes you through dramatic monsoon forests of peeling paperbark trees, broad sprawling palms and gigantic anbinik trees, which are only found here in Kakadu and in Arnhem Land.

The hike also runs along a dark stream that a local Bininj guide warned us about.

“We don’t swim in black water,” he told us, and when we see this creek, we understand his point.

The water creeps along slowly, its dark depths unknowable. But if there was ever a spot for a crocodile to hide in wait, it’s here. We stay well clear of the bank.

We carry on to the stony shoals of Barramundi Gorge and its shallow river. Here, we spot all kinds of wildlife like diving birds and bitterns, butterflies and tiny frogs.

We even spy barramundi in some of the deeper pools along the way. In the dry season, this part of the river is safe to walk along, cross and even swim in if you feel the need. Crocodiles can’t travel this far over the rocky terrain.

This is also why Maguk Waterfall and its plunge pool is safe to swim in.

During the wet season, however, roads become impassable, the waterways full of salties and the gentle waterfall a torrent.

Maguk Waterfall

We finally arrive at Maguk. There are already a couple of other visitors here, but that doesn’t take anything alway from the beauty.

Surrounding the pool are high cliffs of the escarpment—part of the plateau that runs for 500km from Nitmiluk (once called Katherine Gorge), through Kakadu to its coast and up to the Coburg Peninsula and Arnhem Land.

The cliffs create a ‘hidden paradise’ feel to the pool and it’s easy to understand why it’s sacred to the Bininj and Mungguy. And although they do not swim here, they allow visitors to do so, respectfully of course.

The cool water washes the dust and heat from our bodies and the sing of the waterfall clears our minds. It’s hard to leave this special place.

Back in the car, we drive the unsealed road until we come to a set of cathedral termite mounds that we spotted on the way in.

These enormous structures are always so impressive, and well worth a photo.

The drive back to Cooinda is relaxing, and we’re quiet as we reflect on what a magical place Maguk is.

We travelled to Kakadu National Park as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and Tourism NT, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Things To Do In Kakadu—Maguk Waterfall and Plunge Pool appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Crown of the Top End, Kakadu National Park is a wonderland of spectacular landscapes, ancient culture and natural history. But at the centre of this national park lies the jewel in that crown.

Yellow Water—Ngurrungurrudjba in the Bininj language—is a tributary billabong of the South Alligator River.

Check out our video of this incredible waterway at sunset:

This broad waterway, contained in the dry season by sloping banks, leaning pandanus and towering speargrass, is a wildlife paradise.

From the huge saltwater crocodiles that slip silently through the shimmer of the still water to the tiny azure kingfishers poised on overhanging branches, there’s so much life here it’s almost too much to take in.

Beyond the glittering surface of Yellow Water, flood plains that stretch out to distant trees and escarpments offer hunting grounds to wading birds and water buffalo. Black necked storks (formerly jabiru) and brolgas, ibis and egrets pace the flats.

And when you think you’ve seen Yellow Water at its best, the reason for the name comes to light as the sun starts its run for the western horizon. The water turns to gold and you’re breath catches at the sight of the sky reflecting in the burnished mirror of the billabong.

Find the best Kakadu accommodation at the best prices here.

Yellow Water Cruise

From our safari-style Yellow Water Villa at Cooinda Lodge, we meet our cruise guides at reception. It’s a short five-minute bus transfer to the jetty at Yellow Water, where we board our boat.

These flat-bottomed launches are perfect for exploring the billabong and the covered roof keeps the hot sun off us, though it’s still sweltering in the still air of the tropical afternoon.

But we’re soon on the move and the breeze brings us back to life.

Our guide talks about Yellow River and its incredible array of wildlife. It’s not long before we see our first crocodile—in fact, even before we boarded, we saw one hanging around the boats. There are hundreds of them here.

Enormous, prehistoric, awe-inspiring.

Some glide along effortlessly, eyeing us from the meniscus of the water. Others, basking on muddy banks, gape their savage jaws, showing the terror of their teeth.

Our guide explains there’s no known reason for the crocodiles to do this; she suggests it’s purely a posturing behaviour. It doesn’t bring us any comfort and we shift in our seats as the guide brings the boat closer to one of these fascinating, voracious reptiles.

Aside from the salties, the birdlife here is extraordinary.

Jacanas, with their unfathomable feet, scuttle across lily pads, night herons hide their heads in search of fish, forest kingfishers flash blue and white in the light, spoonbills and ibis forage from their stilts, and sea eagles do battle for their catch with the harrying and ubiquitous whistling kites.

Every minute feels like an Attenborough moment, but as we watch, we realise this is all quite normal for Yellow Water.

Sunset’s Midas Touch Turns Everything To Gold At Yellow Water

Without warning, the sun had decided to make its way to the horizon. It’s either happened that quickly or—more likely—we’ve been so absorbed by watching the nature around us that we haven’t noticed the sky transform.

Bronzing the horizon, the great orb of the sun cooks its last dish of the day, toasting the clouds and brûléeing the water until it seems to crackle under our bow.

Closer the sun comes to the brink, and brighter orange and gold go the heavens and the water. Islands of pandanus and lotus lilies turn to black silhouettes on the water’s gleaming rink-like surface until, with a final goodbye, the sun burns red.

The sky turns purple, then that impossible twilight blue as our boat moves into position at our harbour. We make our way back to the coach as evening draws in still astounded by the magic of Yellow Water and Kakadu.

When’s The Best Time To Visit Yellow Water?

We visited Kakadu near the end of the Dry Season in the last week of September, which is also Kakadu Bird Week.

This is the time of year when the water levels are at their lowest and the wildlife is concentrated into a much smaller area. This means you’re more likely to see things.

It’s also the best time of year to see the incredible spectacle of migrating magpie geese that fill the waterways and floodplains in their tens of thousands.

Check out our birdwatching experience with the remarkable Luke Paterson of NT Bird Specialists here.

However, you’re sure to have an incredible experience at Yellow Water no matter what time of year you’re here.

As for times of day, the sunset cruise was unbelievable, though there is also a sunrise cruise too, which would mean a nice and cool ride before the day gets too hot.

We highly recommend booking your seat on this cruise as early as possible—especially for the sunset ride—as these experiences fill up fast. And quite rightly so.

We travelled to Kakadu as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and Tourism NT, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Must-Do in Kakadu: Yellow Water Cruise at Sunset appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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It’s no exaggeration to say Kakadu, three hours east of Darwin, is magnificent. The twice the size of Lebanon, this national park in the Northern Territory has everything.

Kakadu’s landscapes are incredibly diverse, with savanna woodlands, monsoon vine forests, hills and sandstone escarpments, tidal flats, mangroves, rivers and billabongs—even 100km of rugged estuarine coastline within its borders.

Home to the Bininj/Mungguy, the longest living culture on earth, Kakadu has one of the largest collections of ancient rock art in the country. It’s also full of dramatic landscapes and waterfalls, packed with wildlife—almost a third of all Australia’s bird species live here.

There are also an awful lot of crocodiles.

In the Northern Territory, there are over 100,000 adult saltwater crocodiles. Around 10% of them live in Kakadu National Park alone. There are also freshwater crocs here too, but they’re usually shy and rarely seen. The salties, however, are bold, aggressive and voracious.

Find more of our stories on Kakadu here.

Cahill’s Crossing—the crocodile crossroads

Running straight across one of the major roads that cleave the border between Kakadu and Arnhem Land’s Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, the East Alligator River is a favourite hunting ground for hundreds of crocodiles.

Check out our video of Cahill’s Crossing:

In the dry season, between May to October, the water levels of the East Alligator are low enough to allow 4×4 vehicles capable of water crossings to ford the river.

However, it’s still risky.

Along with the river currents and debris like rocks and branches, the road is also the shallowest point of a common white mullet swim. These large fish are forced down the brackish water by tide flows and fill the waterway, enticing many large crocodiles into the area.

And that’s all part of the spectacle.

From the (very safe) viewing platforms a few metres above the banks of the river, with whistling kites circling overhead, you can watch these living dinosaurs snap fish up as they swim past, crunching down on them with their powerful jaws.

And the longer you gaze at the river, the more crocodiles you see.

At first they look like floating logs, but then you notice these ‘logs’ hold their position in the stream of the river. Then one turns, its sharply crenelated tail turning. You see eyes and a long snout, the glint of long teeth.

Sometimes you see little front feet poking out of the water.

When they’re hunting on the surface, salties—and only ones in this area—have developed what’s called the ‘cross posture technique’. They’re feel for fish that swim by them that they can reach round and chomp up, trebling their chances of catching a meal.

What’s The Best Time To Go To Cahill’s Crossing?

The best time of year to see crocodiles at Cahill’s Crossing is in the dry season, but especially between July-October, when the movement of fish upstream is at its greatest.

During this time, low tide is prime viewing. Seeing the tide change and the crocodiles all turn to face the water flow, and therefore oncoming fish, is fascinating.

It’s also the most dramatic time to see cars crossing, water surging above their headlights, each bump and bounce of the uneven road surface surely sending sickening jolts through the stomachs of the driver and their passengers.

Low tide also means you’ll be able to see the crocs as they swim and climb onto the inundated road, poised waiting for fish—or anything else—that might float into their fatal jaws.

What About The Cars?

It’s amazing to watch vehicles* driving through the river—already a precarious manoeuvre—and then have to avoid a large crocodile that’s decided to set up camp on the submerged road.

By law, drivers have to give way to the animals, who tend not to take much notice of big four-wheel-drives or service vehicles bearing down on them. Eventually the crocodile will move out of the way, a surging splash signalling its retreat to deeper water.

Vehicles must have four-wheel-drive capabilities, high clearance and preferably a snorkel for this kind of water crossing.

*Because this road leads across the border from Kakadu National Park to Arnhem Land and Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, you need a separate permit to cross the East Alligator River here.

Where Else Can You See Crocodiles In Kakadu?

With so many salties in the park, there’s a good chance you’ll see one in most large water sources. Needless to say, unless you’re with a guide or a parks official has told you expressly, don’t swim at Kakadu. There are places that are safe, but you still need to check.

Also, never be the first one in!

The Yellow Water Billabong (Ngurrungurrudjba), which is part of the South Alligator River, and also nearby Jim Jim Creek is packed with crocs.

You can do amazing cruises along Yellow Water—highly recommended.

There are also river cruises you can take up to the southern edge of Cahill’s Crossing. The boats move between these giant apex predators as they hunt.

As you can imagine, it is not a good idea to try and go over Cahill’s Crossing on foot.

The Traditional Owners ask you to stay away from the water’s edge, to not cross the causeway on foot and to observe these impressive creatures from the safety of the viewing platform.

Couldn’t agree more!

We travelled to Kakadu National Park as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and Tourism NT, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Crossing The World’s Most Dangerous Road—Cahill’s Crossing, NT appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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The big Land Cruiser rolls down the hotel driveway. The sun isn’t up yet, and as the car’s headlights flicker through the bushes, catching the early birds in its spotlight. For a moment, it highlights the singers of a noisy dawn chorus that’s barely past its first verse.

Even here, outside the unusual frontage of the Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru, the area is rich in birdlife.

The driver’s door of the four-wheel-drive opens. From under the rim of a battered Akubra, the shining eyes and boyish smile of Luke Paterson greet us and welcome us aboard.

Check out our video of our tour with Luke around Kakadu National Park here:

Christina and I are lucky to be in the NT for Kakadu Bird Week—eight days in late September that celebrate the incredible wealth of birds here. It coincides with the coming of the Bamarru—the mass migration of magpie geese that fill the depleted waterways of Kakadu towards the end of the Dry Season.

Luke Paterson and NT Bird Specialists

As we make the 20-minute drive to our first spot—Mamukala Wetlands, Luke chats to us about the NT and Kakadu, about birds, and a bit about his background.

From camping trips as a boy growing up in regional Victoria to working as warden of the Broome Bird Observatory WA to finally moving to Darwin and starting his own nature tours company NT Bird Specialists, Luke has always immersed himself in nature.

Luke’s personal accolades for wildlife tourism and his multi-award-winning company speak of an illustrious career. And his name in the birding world brings ubiquitous nods of approval.

His is a rare and enviable mix of talent and passion, coupled to a humble outlook that allows you to relax in his company and ask any question. We don’t bring up his ‘Hawkeye’ moniker though. And I somehow resist the temptation to point out how much he looks like Paul Rudd.

He does though, right?

But Luke’s openness and easy laugh, the generosity with which he shares his profound knowledge and his general enthusiasm does him credit. He has an uncanny ability of putting you at ease.

Birding With Luke Paterson

We arrive at Mamukala Wetlands and troop through the greying dawn light to the edge of the receding water.

As we walk, a sound like an enormous swarm of bees fills the air. We realise it’s not the drone of insects, but the reverberating honk of thousands upon thousands of magpie geese.

This mass migration is one of nature’s true spectacles. It feels like we’re watching something by Attenborough. The air is thick with these great birds as they arrive in strings and arrows by the dozen.

But it’s not until we look through Luke’s impressive monoscope that we get a true scale of the scene.

Geese fill the 20km² of water. At the near shoreline, we see herds of geese grazing. But then we gaze 10 metres further. And another 10 and another.

Soon our focus draws out to the horizon until the morning mists and the shimmer of the day’s coming heat, together with geese too distant and many to see, turn the view into a homogenous moving mass.

But then, mixed in with the geese, Luke points out other birds. Comb-crested jacanas, black necked storks, radjah shelducks, grebes, cormorants, sandpipers… the sheer amount of life here is overwhelming.

We look over at Luke, whose face is alight with joy. He’s probably been here and seen this a million times, but it’s like this is his first.

Mamukala Bird Hide

Soon, it’s time to move on and we trek to the bird hide. We peep out over the water at the birds from a new angle and much closer than we were before.

The spectacle of the migrating geese is still striking, but it creates a backdrop to the other waterfowl here rather than being the main event.

Around 30m long and timber decked, the hide is a comfortable way to see the local wildlife up close. Also, the path up to the hide connects to the carpark, making this part of the wetlands very accessible.

Away From The Water

After some time in the hide, we take a walk back through the thick trees and bushes of the wetlands area. Away from the water’s edge, the landscape attracts a completely different type of birdlife.

Diamond doves, tawny frogmouths, a pheasant coucal, and a host of finches, honeyeaters and flycatchers—even the odd agile wallaby—make their presence known. Though, without Luke with us, there’s no chance we’d know what we’re looking at.

At the same time, by the end the walk, we get back into the car feeling far too confident that we can identify so many more birds now thanks to Luke sharing his knowledge.

Of course, it’s a confidence that’s somewhat unfounded and we quickly realise a lot more practice is needed. But Luke’s infectious enthusiasm spurs us.

Breakfast

A short drive up the road leads us to a picnic site next to the banks of the East Alligator River, the main waterway that runs through Kakadu from the Van Diemen Gulf.

Luke spreads a tablecloth out over the picnic bench, where we sit and enjoy breakfast of fruit, pastries and coffee together. But that’s not the end of the bird-spotting.

We see a whistling kite above us, a common bird of prey in Kakadu, but nonetheless captivating. Higher in the sky a white bellied sea eagle soars, and even the tree by our table has a host of small birds living in it.

As the clock strikes 10am, the heat of the day is now upon us. We climb back into Luke’s 4×4, glad of the air conditioning.

We arrive back at our hotel feeling invigorated, which is surprising considering the time we were up. We say our farewells to Luke and, as we relax in our room, we reflect that time seemed to disappear with him. We were out with Luke for five hours, but it had felt more like five minutes.

Let’s hope we have the chance of birding with him again.

The next time you’re in the Northern Territory, be sure to book a birding tour with Luke Paterson at NT Bird Specialists. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Bird Species Spotted at Mamukala Wetlands and picnic spot next to East Alligator River

We visited Kakadu and travelled with Luke Paterson as media guests of Kakadu Tourism, NT Tourism and NT Bird Specialists, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Hunting With The Birdman Of Kakadu appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Let’s face it, ‘going bush’ doesn’t mean what it used to. I mean, you can still grab a swag and a full water bottle, and trek into the big green yonder if you want, but you don’t have to.

As we travel through Kakadu National Park, one of the most magnificent natural treasures of Australia and a place we’ve been lucky enough to visit more than once, Christina and I are struck by how easy it is to get around.

We find immaculate roads, clear and relevant signage, and—as we pull into Cooinda Lodge—the realisation that ‘roughing it’ no longer needs to be part of your travel vocabulary in Kakadu.

That’s not to say this isn’t wild country or that you won’t experience the Australian Outback as it should be.

It’s just easier.

Book your accommodation in Cooinda here.

What is Cooinda?

Historically a central hub for explorers visiting Kakadu, Cooinda started out as a ’tent store’ in 1964. When crocodile hunter and self-proclaimed ‘bushy’ Tom Opitz, and his Londoner wife Judy set up shop, Cooinda was little more than a supply stop for adventurers to this remote part of the Top End.

Slowly, the site, whose name means ‘happy meeting place’ in Bininj Kunwok, developed into a motel of sorts, though most travellers stuck with their tents.

These days visitors can (and do) still camp here, but exploring the grounds of Cooinda, it’s clear that things have changed beyond anything that Tom or Judy would recognise as their pioneer whistle stop.

Everything—from basic camping to high-end luxury retreat-style safari lodge glamping—is available here. And with that, so the food offerings are just as wide-reaching.

From coin-op self-catering barbecues and a food truck (actually, the fish and chips from the Too Deadly Takeaway is superb) to Mimi’s Restaurant, serving a range of bush-tucker inspired dishes, there’s something for everyone, which is kind of the point of Cooinda.

Mimi’s Restaurant, Cooinda Lodge Kakadu

As we take our seats at our pretty table, which is laid with native flowers, a locally-made scented candle and an Aboriginal artwork tablecloth, restaurant manager Chon comes to show us some gins from Willing Distillery in Darwin.

The G&Ts he serves us go down a treat, cooling our blood and awakening our palates. The Desert Lime Gin is bright, sharp and herbal though with a drive of anise flavour that I’m not so keen on, but the Kakadu Plum and Quandong Gin is sweeter with more juniper and a floral finish that is excellent.

Willing Distillery is the most northerly distillery in Australia, just round he corner from Darwin Airport. But unless you’re in Darwin or Cooinda, you’re not likely to find this stuff. In fact Chon had to go to Darwin in person to pick up these bottles.

For dinner, we’re being treated to the tasting plate, which showcases the best of the bush tucker offerings here at Mimi’s.

It’s a wonderful medley of local meat: buffalo, kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi.

Mimi’s Tasting Plate at Cooinda Lodge

Rum Jungle Buffalo Fillet and Bush Tomato Chutney
This is the first time we’ve tasted buffalo, and it comes as a thick-cut steak. It’s juicy and beefy, but with a slightly gamey finish. It’s the robust, satisfying meat I was hoping it would be

Kangaroo Fillet and Mango Quandong Chutney
The kangaroo, sliced into thin minute steaks, is delicate, surprisingly tender and has no gaminess at all. This really shows the talent of the kitchen

Salt and Pepper Crocodile and Lemon Myrtle Aioli
Fried in a tempura batter, the crocodile goujons are wonderful. Deliciously chewy with a crisp coating and a light, delicate flavour

Paperbark Barramundi with Mixed Marinated Olives
Smoked in locally sourced paperbark, the barramundi is incredible. The smoking has enhanced the light flavour of the fish rather than overtaking it, which you’d expect

This all comes with a bowl of very satisfying fries and spiced slaw.

As for dessert, we’re presented with exquisite domes of panna cotta, decorate with sweet fermented native bush apple and a sharp dusting of powdered Kakadu plum.

What’s the rest of the food like at Cooinda?

While we’re here, Christina and I get a chance to try all of the food outlets, including the special menu that Head Chef Phillip Foote creates every now and again. It’s well worth having if there’s one of these menus available when you’re here.

For us, it’s the Taste of Full Moon menu, which is a riff on our tasting plates and with full servings rather than the small portions we had.

As we mentioned earlier, the fish and chips (and the crocodile tacos Christina orders) from the Too Deadly Takeaway food truck is to die for, but the absolute standout for me is my dinner from the Barra Bar and Bistro.

The diner side of Mimi’s (you order from the kiosk outside rather than a la carte table service inside), the Barra Bistro has many of the pub classics on its menu.

My chicken parmie burger is quite possibly the best chicken burger I’ve had. Crisp crumbed tender chicken, perfectly melted oozy cheese, a generous serve of pickles, creamy tasty slaw and a bun that can somehow hold it all, plus a huge pile of fries—I’m in heaven.

Of all the things we were expecting to be impressed with on this trip of a lifetime to Kakadu, the food has surprised us.

I’m not saying only come to Kakadu for the food, but when you do come here, you might as well leave your billy tea and your damper kit at home!

We dined at Cooinda Lodge as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and NT Tourism, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Fine-Dine On The Wild Side—where to eat in Kakadu appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

One of the last few roads in Australia where you can legally drive over 110km/h, the Arnhem Highway zooms us east out of Darwin into Kakadu National Park, 250km to its very end.

As we roll through the dusty streets of Jabiru, the only town within an Australian national park, we get an uneasy sense that we’re being watched.

Through low trees and bushes, the head and body of a gigantic crocodile looms, it’s eyes glowing red in the failing light of the day, its great teeth gleaming.

This is the entrance to what surely must be the most Australian hotel—the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel—which has been built in the shape of a giant 270-metre long two-storey tall croc.

Check out our video walkthrough of the Croc Hotel here:

This hotel, designed and built in the 1980s, is an interpretation of the spirit ancestor, Ginga, of the Gagudju, who have called this place home over 60,000 years. Indeed, the name Kakadu is a derivation of their name.

The Croc Hotel was built to the plans submitted by the representing Gagudju Association and has, as you’ll appreciate, created quite a lot of conversation over the years.

Now part of the Accor portfolio, the Croc Hotel has a lot of the elegant touches and details that you’d expect from this hotel group as well as some clever inclusions of local culture, art and history.

Inside The Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

But as well as showing cultural sensitivity, it’s clear the building designers had some fun with the Croc Hotel, and, rather than trying to avoid the kitsch, they’ve embraced it.

Entering via the gaping jaws of this huge beast, we’re greeted by a cavernous lobby and reception based in the croc’s head. After all, this is the brains of the operation. To the left, next to the long check-in desk and—by no coincidence I’m sure—under one of the eyes, is the start of the Ochre Art Gallery.

We browse the beautifully made artefacts, objects and paintings around the room, then follow it down the corridor. The gallery fills the side of the head with an astounding collection of art.

As we explore further, down the ‘throat’, we appropriately come to the dining area. This is split into three sections.

To the left is the bar area, next is the buffet section that doubles as breakfast each morning. But the main room to the right is the Manjmukmuk (née Escarpment) Restaurant. Here you can still take advantage of the buffet, but there’s also a surprisingly good a la carte option too. More on that later.

Through the back doors of the dining area, we’re outside and back in the already baking morning air.

We’re in the pool and garden, surrounded by the two levels of rooms that line the sides (read ‘ribs’) of the mighty croc.

Cool and limpid beneath its broad shade, the oval pool beckons to us; a delicious respite from the heat of the day.

From the pool, a little brook winds and curves down through the garden, and we realise that the pool and stream are the heart and innards of the crocodile. It reminds us of the X-ray art that Kakadu is known for; ancient rock art showing not just the animal, but its internal physiology too.

What Are The Rooms Like At The Croc Hotel?

It’s important to remember that this hotel was built in the ‘80s and didn’t expect the luxury travel community to show so much interest in somewhere as remote as Kakadu. To that end, the rooms have a fun retro feel.

Although this is in line with the kitschy vibe of The Croc, it hasn’t given Accor as much to play with as they’re used to. The bathroom’s quite small, the front door opens onto the carpark and the room is quite boxy.

Having said that, there’s still a level of quality here that elevates the rooms at the Croc way beyond your regular motel. Think Bannisters in Mollymook or the Saguaro in Palm Springs.

And the carpark, by the way, is a series of circles, which represent the crocodile’s eggs.

Our room is on the ground floor, which means we also have a little fenced-in courtyard veranda looking out over the pool.

Inside, the decor takes advantage of its location, harnessing Indigenous links with lovely artwork on the walls and soft furnishings, and stocking locally-made amenities in the bathroom from an Aboriginal company. In fact, Kakadu Organics is owned by the sister of the chef at the other Accor hotel in Kakadu, Cooinda Lodge.

As well as the king-size bed, there’s enough space for a comfy recliner and architectural reading lamp, a work station, and a minibar with a Nespresso machine.

The bathroom won’t win awards, but it’s clean and everything works. And if you’re jonesing for a bath, you’re in luck here. Not a bad way to recover from a hot day’s hiking around the national park.

Dining At The Manjmukmuk Restaurant

Manjmukmuk Restaurant (meaning ‘excellent taste’ in the local Kundeyhmi language) offers an a la carte experience featuring four delicious courses of bush-tucker-based dishes.

When you book this dinner (and you do need to book), they really pull out the stops for you; from white linen and flowers on the table to beautiful place settings and the best spot in the restaurant.

Our dinner begins with a petit eye fillet sourced from Gunbalanya Meats, based in Arnhem Land. This succulent cut comes with a rich saltbush béarnaise, a crunchy potato croquet and blistered cherry tomatoes.

Next is a kangaroo fillet smoked in native paperbark. The meat is tender and tasty, and the zing from the accompanying chilli Kakadu plum dressing over fresh mango and avocado balances the dish well.

The last of the savoury dishes is a thick slab of wild-caught barramundi, an icon of the Northern Territory. Perfectly sautéd on its skin side and delicate and sweet on the other, the barra is wonderful. Served with purple heirloom potatoes, charred broccoli and salsa verde, the kitchen has saved the best for last.

To finish, we’re given deconstructed panna cotta with cointreau berries and a macadamia crumb, and a ball of mango sorbet alongside.

It’s a hearty, satisfying meal that really shows not only what the kitchen is capable of, but also the wealth of ingredients that are available in this part of Australia.

Of course, there’s no surprise that they haven’t served us crocodile.

We stayed at the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel as media guests of Kakadu Tourism and Tourism NT, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.

The post Is This The Most Australian Hotel? Crocodile Hotel, Kakadu appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

We peer out from under the wing of our four-seater Cessna 210 as our pilot Simon concentrates on his landing approach.

The last 45 minutes have ‘flown by’ as we watch the landscape below us swap busy streets of Darwin City for the glistening waters of the Arafura Sea. Glancing off the edge of the Tiwi Islands, our flightpath leads inevitably to the remote Cobourg Peninsula.

Soon, the dense eucalypt scrub and deep red dirt of this distant realm of Arnhem Land gives way to a natural clearing: the shelf of an ancient coral reef where the seas once lapped long ago. It now serves as the perfect landing strip that Simon now aims for.

This is one of two scenic flights in and out of the Cobourg Peninsula we get with this Seven Spirit Bay & Darwin Short Break. We later head back to Darwin in a slightly bigger 14-seater plane—an SA-226 Merlin III.

Check out our video wrap of the things you can see and do with Outback Spirit in Seven Sprit Bay.

We leave Simon taxiing back up the dusty runway and hop in the waiting Landcruiser bound for Seven Spirit Bay Lodge; home for the next four days.

The dust from the unsealed road billows behind us, mixing with the smoke from an encroaching bushfire. Its slow-moving low burn kindles fascination more than fear in us.

The fire also pushes wildlife out into the open, and we’re lucky to see two young Banteng—endangered wild ox brought over from Indonesia over the eons. It’s a worthy introduction to what will be one of those indelible travel experiences that punctuate our memories.

Experiences At Seven Spirit Bay, Northern Arnhem Land

We’ve made it. We’re on the Cobourg Peninsula, the second most northerly point of mainland Australia. But now what?

Seven Spirit Bay Lodge and Outback Spirit have a range of options for you while you’re here—even if you just want to sit, relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of this elegant safari-style resort.

You can check out our full review and video walkthrough of Seven Spirit Bay Lodge here.

Victoria Settlement Historical Expedition

Hidden in a sheltered bay a couple of promontories from Seven Spirit Bay Lodge, the 19th Century ruins of Victoria Settlement (aka ‘VicSet’) hide in the coastal jungle of Arnhem Land.

The ghostly rocks and tumble-down walls of this British outpost tell tales of what life must have been like for the 11 years that white people resided here from 1838.

The two hours it takes to walk the loop around the settlement, hearing our guide describe the hardships the community faced, tells a fascinating story of the residents’ tough lives here. Click here for a fact sheet on VicSet from the NT Government.

Fishing Trip in the Arafura Sea

It’s a rare treat to fish in the Northern Territory. We go out on a half-day fishing trip around the various headlands of the peninsula. Sadly, it’s not barramundi season, but golden trevally and mackerel are always here.

Christina pulls in the first catch of a day: an angry, sharp-toothed barracuda. Next it’s my turn to snag one. It’s a mystery fish that we later ID as a giant herring, but our haul is almost secondary to just being on the water here, admiring the unique coastline.

Birdlife here is also fascinating. At one point, we even see a pair of white bellied sea eagles paddling in the shallows of a deserted beach.

Safari

Seven Spirit Bay Lodge already sets the scene with its game lodge vibes, but going out into the bush in an open-sided ATV spotting all kinds of birds, beasts and flora brings that safari feel into even sharper focus.

Watching water buffalo and banteng seep like shadows into the brush is one thing, but then exploring on foot along pebbly shores strewn with shells and driftwood is another.

It feels like the watchful eye of our guide is the only thing protecting us from the saurian gaze of crocodiles that surely must be lurking everywhere. At one point, Christina spots a fin in the water. We think it’s a shark at first, but it turns out to be a sawtooth—a highly endangered kind of ray with a long beak like a hedge trimmer.

The safari ends with a delightful long-table lunch by the beach at Vashon Head in the shade of a great tree.

Guided Bushwalks

Of course, hiking in this part of the world can be dangerous. Apart from the various and sundry animals able to bring about your demise, it’s easy to get lost in the bush. However, guides are always on hand to take us round the area.

We learn about how the indigenous people of the region, the Yolngu and Bininj, use the plants and landscape. We also keep an eye out for agile wallabies and eagles, snakes and crocodiles as we roam this stunning coastal wilderness.

Darwin Sunset Cruise

The last night of our trip with Outback Spirit is back in Darwin. The coach from our hotel drops us off at the busy Stokes Wharf. We board the Charles Darwin pleasure boat and sail out along the coast while the sun flames crimson and gold into the far watery horizon.

And as night falls, the lights of the city take over the sun’s mantle and sparkle across the water. Soon, the turning lights of the ferris wheel on Stokes Wharf—part of the temporary Skyline Precinct dry-season installation—welcome us back to dry land and the end of our Arnhem Land adventure.

We visited Arnhem Land and Seven Spirit Bay Lodge as media guests of Journey Beyond, but our opinions and experiences remain our own.

The post Things To Do In Arnhem Land—the wilderness of Australia’s far north appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

As we hurtle down the highway from Darwin at a satisfying 130km/h, Christina and I ponder what our digs in Cooinda will be like.

Once, Cooinda Lodge was nothing more than a humble roadstop and campsite. Now, it’s grown into a village.

There’s a store and tour office here, a gas station, swimming pools, restaurants, a motel and most recently the impressive Yellow Water Villas, named after the beautiful nature-filled billabong close to the lodge.

Check out our video walkthrough of our Yellow Water Villa—Bamurru—here:

Cooinda Lodge is an indigenous-owned property, but French hotel group Accor now manage it, giving the best of two worlds; both in touch with the country it’s on, yet running as an international hotel.

Where To Stay In Kakadu—Cooinda Lodge’s luxury Yellow Water Villas

From the moment we pull into our parking space in front of our Yellow Water Villa—Bamurru, meaning ‘magpie goose’ in local Bininj Kunwok language, we realise this is about as far from glamping as you can get.

Raised up on a two-metre-high steal frame (Jim Jim Creek, no more than 150m away, can flood in the rainy season) our Yellow Water Villa is closer to the ‘stately home’ end of the accommodation scale than it is toward being a tent.

At the top of the steps is what is effectively a mud room with a little seat.

Through the tall front door, we’re presented with a luxuriously finished and appointed kitchenette, complete with brass taps on a gun-metal grey sink, a knife block and fridge. There’s even an electric hob and dishwasher in the slick grey stone-finish countertop, and hidden drawers full of utensils.

The kitchenette backs onto the huge bed, which sits in the middle of the main room and is angled towards the deck.

Yes, there’s a deck.

The enormous timber balcony stretches the width of the villa and looks out into the beautiful dense bushland of Kakadu.

On the balcony is a full five-burner gas barbecue, a dining table for four and—most opulently of all—a deep-full bath.

Back inside the Yellow Water Villa, we check out the other rooms. Plural.

To one side is the dayroom. This has another four-seater table and two daybeds big enough for us to relax on or—if you’re travelling as a family—for two kids to sleep on at night.

Although the dayroom is open to the rest of the villa now, we notice that you can close this section off with the zip-down canvas wall at night. In fact, it’s at this point that we realise the ‘tentness’ of our villa.

All the external walls are canvas. You can even zip down whole sections if you want to let more light (or for whatever reason, more heat) in the villa.

Talking of heat, the aircon in here is brilliant. It’s almost too cold, though it’s a welcome respite from the boiling afternoon air. But in the evenings, leaving the doors open (though fly screens closed) is lovely, especially in late September-early Oct.

In the far corner of the villa is another door. This leads to easily the most lavish bathroom a tent has ever had.

Entirely clad in chic grey tiles and accented with brass fittings, this ensuite is full of details. Nooks with hand towels, reed room diffusers, locally-made amenities and a shower room that wouldn’t be out of place in a high-end hotel room in a capital city.

Such Attention To Detail

This Yellow Water Villa is like one of those paintings that gives up more details the longer you look.

Shelves are decked with books representative of where we are, with artworks by local artists and cute lamps that add warmth and homeliness.

There are mod cons we’re really not expecting to see: Bluetooth speakers, cleverly designed reading lights, USB ports next to the bed, lovely crockery and cutlery, and even a temperature-controllable kettle to go with the selection of teas in the little wooden tea chest on the counter.

And because these villas are set back from the rest of the lodge facilities, so everything feels so private, but at the same time, you’re only a short walk from it all.

What Else Is At Cooinda Lodge?

Apart from these five luxurious villas, Cooinda has a host of other accommodation options. From the campsite to motel-style rooms to stand-alones called ‘Outback Retreats’ that are like the little brother of our villa. They’re not as big and don’t have their own en-suites—though this may be remedied down the line.

The network of paths that thread through the property all eventually lead you to the main building, which has the bar and its indoor restaurant Mimi’s. Here you can enjoy some brilliantly crafted menu items that work on local produce and bush-tucker ingredients.

Outside, you’ll find Barra Bar, which is more casual and has generously portioned pub classics on offer. Also out here is the Too Deadly Takeaway. This food truck not only does superb fish and chips, it also has things like crocodile on the menu, which is a must while you’re in Kakadu.

There’s also an outdoor cinema here showing family-friendly films each night.

Other facilities here include three different pools—though the main lagoon pool with its rock cascade and shade sail is the best of them—and a shop. This convenience store also quadruples up as the petrol station register, and accommodation and tour check-ins. When it’s busy here, expect a bit of a wait.

But an absolute must is the Yellow Water Cruise tour, which you can book at reception.

This beautiful billabong that backs onto the Cooinda site is teeming with wildlife—especially saltwater crocodiles—and so many different birds. Try and get a sunset trip as the sky over the billabong is simply magnificent as the sun goes down.

There’s also a boardwalk that goes along the edge of the water—just make sure to stay on the raised pathway. There are crocs literally everywhere here!

We stayed at Cooinda Lodge as media guests of Visit Kakadu but our experiences and opinions remain our own. You can find more of our Northern Territory stories here.

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