If you can’t see all the treasures of Kakadu National Park, open your eyes wider
WHAT a sad day it is when someone uses the words “Kakadu is done” to describe the incredible World Heritage site on our doorstep
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WHAT a sad day it is when someone uses the words “Kakadu is done” to describe the incredible World Heritage site on our doorstep.
In response to an NT News article about Traditional Owners of the park being at loggerheads with Parks Australia, a commenter went on to say: “There is nothing out there of any interest to the normal person. Over the last ten years or so the government has been propping it up and I expect there will not be any increase in numbers going out there in the next ten years as not a popular destination.”
There is so much to see, do, experience and absorb throughout the park.
Hiking, swimming, sunrises, sunsets, crocodiles … how can even one person have the opinion that there’s “nothing out there of any interest”.
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The feud between Traditional Owners and Parks Australia must be resolved in the best interests of the Aboriginal people and those who visit and love the vast and incredible sites within the iconic location.
And furthermore, the federal government needs to push ahead with the multi-million dollar upgrades it promised two years ago.
ABC’s Four Corners reported last week that Traditional Owners of Kakadu would close popular tourist sites if the dispute wasn’t resolved.
The famous lookout and rock art of Ubirr and the popular Gunlom Falls are among sites returning and new visitors could miss out if the Traditional Owners follow through on their threat to close popular attractions.
A Parks Australia spokesman said they acknowledged the issues raised by Traditional Owners and agreed that “significant change” was required going forward.
“Over the past six months, we’ve made changes to park management and operations to address the concerns raised,” he said.
A Northern Territory without Kakadu National Park loses tourism and locals will cross the border to WA and get their natural landscape fix in the Kimberley.
It will also mean the end for many tourism operators who make a living housing, feeding and being tour guides for visitors to the national park.
These are people with great knowledge of their surroundings, valuable people to the Northern Territory.
Top End Tourism general manager Glen Hingley said the operators couldn’t afford the park to close in the current climate.
“We can’t allow the mistrust that’s built up to continue,” Mr Hingley said.
“Hundreds of jobs depend on Kakadu; there’s so much riding on it staying open.
“If it did close, the outcomes from the tourism industry and the broader economy would be catastrophic.”
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Kakadu Tourism chairman Rick Allert, who oversees the Crocodile Hotel and Cooinda Lodge, was confident issues would be resolved between the park’s management and the Traditional Owners.
“With the federal government’s $276 million investment in Kakadu’s upgrade beginning this year, we are optimistic that many of the major issues will not only be resolved, but that access to key attractions for visitors will be enhanced,” he said.
Absolutely nothing compares to scaling red rocks to reach a height that provides a 360-degree view of the greatest landscape in Australia.
Or hiking to a fresh water hole for a swim.
Kakadu National Park has a tonne of hidden and not-so-hidden treasures during the wet and the dry seasons.
If you can’t see them, maybe you need to open your eyes wider.
Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News
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