EXPERIENCES / KAKADU
Kakadu Highlights No. 7
Overview
- Two separate walks in two very different areas.
- The Graveside-Surprise loop, our only walk to visit part of this area.
- Dinner Creek, where you will visit one of the most amazing geological features in the park.
- A Yellow Waters cruise, a bush tucker and cultural tour with an Aboriginal guide and a night in a campground between sections.
KAKADU
Aug 7-20 2022
1) Graveside - Surprise
This walk combines a portion of our normal Graveside route, part of our Kakadu Circle route and a gorge which we do not visit on any other trip. You see a variety of landscapes, deep gorges, beautiful swimming pools and cascades as well as a number of little known Aboriginal art sites.
The drive from Darwin to the start of the walk takes 5-6 hours. From the parking area, a relatively flat walk brings us to the entrance to a magnificent little gorge. A delightful walk through the gorge brings us to the top of the plateau where we can look out over the plains toward the distant escarpment. We work our way down to Surprise Creek and make our way up to the base of Surprise Falls.
Another climb brings us to our camp site next to the pools at the top of the falls where we enjoy excellent views down the valley.
From Surprise, we continue across the plateau, passing through the largest patch of open country rainforest in the park as we make our way to Graveside Creek, where we find a number of interesting rocky areas.
We make our way down the creek to the top of Graveside Gorge where a double waterfall drops 100 metres into a pool in the gorge below. Depending on how much time we have left, we may simply drop down into the gorge, spend a day exploring and return to the vehicle or we may move over to Cascades Creek and follow that route.
From Graveside, Cascades Creek, is an easy four km walk across the plateau to a small waterfall and the first of many pools and art sites. The walk down the gorge is slow. There are a few places where you have the choice of edging along narrow rock ledges (close to water level, no big drops), floating your pack through the creek or climbing up and around.
(On many trips, some people choose to swim while others choose to climb.)
The pools and art sites are too nice to pass by, so stops are frequent as we make our way down to the cascades for which the creek is named. The last 500 metres often takes two hours or more as the deep pools and a natural water slide are much too inviting to rush past.
A relatively flat walk on the final full day brings us back to the vehicle for the drive to Cooinda where we check into the campground before being met by a guide from the Animal Tracks tour.
Accompanied by an Aboriginal
elder, we get an insight into the local culture as well as getting to sample some bush tucker.
This section finishes with the Yellow Waters cruise the next morning.
2) Dinner Creek
This section includes the Animal Tracks tour, night in the cmpground and the Yellow Waters cruise.
After the early morning cruise, we drive to Dinner Creek. The drive is more than 100 km, about half of which is on a gravel road. Once parked, we have the choice of a five km walk along an old 4WD track or a somewhat longer but shadier walk along the South Alligator River.
Dinner Creek is one of the few areas in Kakadu where it is possible to do interesting one-day loop walks. One of these loops will bring us to a high point from which we get some excellent views. The other brings us to one of the most interesting geological features in Kakadu, for some, a truly special place. No photo can possibly do it justice, which is why we do not publish one, either in our trip notes or on our website.
Details
DATES
7-20 AugustPRICES
Full price: A$2995
Section 1: $2295
Section 2: $1595
*discounts available
GROUP SIZE
4 - 12 guests
CAMP SITE
Mix of sand and rock ledges. Most sites are good to excellent.You are unlikely to see anyone else other than at the beginning and end of the walks.
ART
We visit a variety of art sites
SWIMMING
We will have good pools at almost every campsite and lunch spot.
WILDLIFE
Birds are always present but spread out at this time of year. You are unlikely to see many large animals. The Yellow Waters cruise is excellent for birds, many of which you are unlikely to see on the walk. It also gives you a good chance to see large estaurine crocodiles.
CLIMATE
It will be hot (although not as hot as you might think) and it will be humid. The average daily maximum is 32-34ºC (90-94ºF). If we get a spell of relatively dry weather, the temperature could reach 40ºC (104ºF). The average minimum is 17-19ºC (63-66ºF). It can occasionally drop as low as 10ºC (50ºF) Sleeping bags are essential. Rain is very unlikely but we recommend bringing something just in case.
COOKING
We will have campfires every night and hot water available every morning.
WALK RATING - MODERATE
Terrain
Vegetation
Much of the walking is through relatively flat, open woodland with a grassy understorey. Some short sections of grass may hide a broken rocky surface where you will have to be particularly careful. There may be some slow sections where you will have to pass though thick scrub. The vegetation can vary from year to year depending on when last burnt. At this time of year, the spear grass has finished seeding and dried out.
Distance
4-6 hours per day
Pack Weight
You need to carry 9 days of food on section 1; 3 days food on section 2.
Itinerary
*This itinerary is subject to change
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