Kakadu in the monsoon? You don’t have to be crazy

Not many tourists would brave Kakadu in the monsoon. But even in low season, there are plenty of highs.

Jaw-dropping: flying over the escarpment. Picture: Antje Sonntag

We’re flying over an ancient sea bed, skirting the massive 140m-year-old sandstone cliffs that rise up to 330m above the plain and stretch unbroken for hundreds of kilometres towards the horizon. The escarpment glows orange as shafts of light penetrate the clouds and patches of rain sprinkle the lush savanna below. On cue, a rainbow shimmers into view as our eight-seater aircraft banks over Jim Jim Falls, gushing in wet-season glory.

Spectacular: Jim Jim Falls. Picture: Antje Sonntag

It’s a relief to be up in the air and finally see Kakadu in all its splendour. We’d slipped out of Sydney a week before Christmas, keen to fulfil a long-held wish to visit the World Heritage-listed national park and reassured that the Northern Territory has managed to remain remarkably Covid-free. In Darwin we’d collected our 4WD rental car and settled into our hotel room, hitting the road next morning for the 2.5-hour drive to Kakadu. At Jabiru we made an obligatory first stop at the excellent and informative Bowali Visitor Centre before checking into the renowned Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel. But no sooner had we hopped back into the car for our first outing than we received the call – visiting residents of greater Sydney had to take a test and self-isolate until receiving the results.

Quirky: the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel from the air. Picture: Tourism NT/Salty Wings

Two days confined to a room in a reptile-shaped hotel may not be a dream start to a holiday but it’s a small price to pay; soon enough we’re back on the road and the first stop is Burrungkuy (Nourlangie), a jaw-dropping rock art site dating back about 20,000 years. A 1.5km circuit leads us up stairs and along boardwalks past shady rock shelters etched with animals and fish and depictions of creation beings including Namarrkon, who wears a band of lightning and carries stone axes to make thunder. He’s the father of lightning and his children take the form of alyurr (Leichhardt’s grasshoppers), the bright orange and blue critters whose appearance heralds the rainy season.

Drawcard: Kakadu rock art. Picture: Antje Sonntag

Half an hour down the road at Cooinda Lodge we check in to our comfortable room among the palms beside the Yellow Water Billabong. We’re booked for a cruise there next day but not before we take our scenic flight over the majestic escarpment, returning via vistas of the Ranger Uranium Mine – which ceased production only last month after 40 years of operation – and the vast floodplains below.

We’ve opted for a sunset billabong cruise so in the late afternoon we’re welcomed aboard by our guide, a weathered Crocodile Dundee type who takes us past a raucous colony of flying foxes squabbling among the paperbarks and negotiates tricky sections choked with salvinia weed. As we’re here in the early monsoon season – more specifically Kunumeleng, one of the six seasons recognised by Kakadu’s traditional owners – the water has risen halfway up the trees and we drift quietly by, observing the birdlife in the gentle fading light. There are no feral water buffalo to be seen and as for crocs, we spot only a couple cruising a safe distance away.

Tranquil: sunset cruise. Picture: David Hancock / SkyScans

We spend our last day in Kakadu driving past towering termite mounds, startling agile wallabies grazing by the roadside and climbing to lookouts with panoramic views. Along the way, we take stock of our decision to travel to Kakadu in the Wet. The rain itself is no deterrent but the options at this time of year are more limited. Indigenous ranger-guided cultural tours aren’t available over Christmas and access to some sites is restricted. We’d hoped to see another famous rock art site at Ubirr but a flooded road put paid to that. On the other hand, the park is lush from the afternoon thunderstorms, the billabongs are bursting and having fewer tourists around is a bonus. It’s the best time of year to see it all from the air and the water. So there are no regrets – only a desire to return to this special place.

Back in Darwin, we check into a waterfront hotel and at Stokes Hill Wharf enjoy a final night’s feast on spicy Asian food amid a thunderous monsoonal downpour. Even the Lightning Man sends us his farewell greetings.

Perfect for: Families; anyone interested in indigenous history and spectacular ancient landscapes.

Must do: See the rock art; cruise Yellow Water Billabong.

Dining: At Cooinda Lodge in Kakadu, Barra Bar and Bistro is a welcoming family restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner offering craft beers, native cuisine (think croc satays), the signature barramundi dish and the usual favourites. In Darwin, Little Miss Korea serves up tasty meals in a laneway venue; for well-priced Asian in a dramatic location, try Siam Thai at Stokes Hill Wharf.

Getting there: Qantas has regular flights to Darwin from around the country; it’s a 2.5-hour drive to Jabiru in Kakadu National Park.

Bottom line: Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel from $179; Cooinda Lodge from $149; Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront from $183.

kakadutourism.com