Page 26 - Southern Exposure - March '22

Page 26, Southern Exposure

Travel from page 25 in an overland river, as the
dry season begins when the
Contained within Kakadu National Park are six water is not replenished. As
habitats, each with its own unique characteristics. Most the flood plain begins to
dominant are the savanna woodlands, which consist dry, large areas of water are
mostly of tall grasses and eucalyptus. Appearing lifeless trapped, forming ponds and
and monotonous, these areas actually support a greater lakes that the Australians
variety of plants and animals than anywhere else in the call “billabongs.” Yellow
park. At the opposite end of the size scale are the monsoon River billabong is the
forests, which are only found in small isolated patches. largest in the park. Here
Fruit-eating birds and flying foxes keep these areas’ plants is where the crocs and
linked together by dispersing pollen and seeds as they waterbirds gather as the
move about. dry season continues to
Plants and animals not found anywhere else in the world evaporate the water from
are located in Kakadu’s unique southern hills and ridges. the billabongs.
The unusual diversity of this area’s habitat is created Almost 500 square
by hills with broken ridgelines that have resulted from kilometers are tied up
millions of years of erosion. Stone country is still another in the tidal and coastal
diverse area of the park’s east side. The Arnhem Land flats on the northern tip of
plateau, which adjoins the park and Arnhem Land, is made the peninsula. Mangrove
of sandstone escarpments that range in height from 100 to forests that run through
1,000 feet. These formations and outcroppings form the this area are ideal for fish
caves that have provided shelter to the Aboriginal peoples breeding, especially the Twin Falls in Kakadu National Park
and canvas for their artwork over the millennia. barramundi, which is the
Billabongs and floodplains occupy the South Alligator staple fish of the Aborigine.
floodplain. The wet season leaves the areas 8 to 12 feet This water-intensive
underwater. This fresh water makes its way to the ocean habitat is internationally
recognized as being
significant for migratory
birds.
Arnhem Land, named
after the Dutch ship
Arnhem that explored the
territory in 1623, is today
the northern homeland of
the Aborigine. Its borders
have been established
and a permit, issued by
the Aboriginal clan, is
required to visit and travel
over the land. Joint tribal
authorities manage the
land, attempting to keep
it in its natural condition.
Even when the Gagudju
Crocodile Hotel was built Tourists stand next to giant termite mounds in Kakadu National Park.
on the border of Arnhem
Land, the tribal council dictated its design. The first order expect, the hotel’s services entrance is at the other end
was that it be no higher than the surrounding trees; this of the croc.
was no problem. However the floor plan generated unique Jabiru is “the” major town in Kakadu Park. Located at
requirements. What better place to enter the building than the border of Arnhem Land, it was constructed to supply
through the mouth of the crocodile? This leads into the housing to the foreign workers who came to work the
croc’s head (lobby). Large exhaust fans have become the Ranger uranium mine. This facility has greatly slowed its
eyes, and as you may suspect, the rooms are in the belly production because of the cost to extract and supply the
of the beast, looking onto a center courtyard with a pool ore from this location and the plunging price for uranium
A jabiru, one of the wetlands birds of Kakadu National Park, the shape of a croc’s heart. This pool is the only one the ore. Long before the mine work was even started, the
Australia park service has considered safe for swimming in all of
Kakadu and Arnhem Land. By the way, as you might Travel on page 27

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