Kakadu National Park - Maguk Falls

Why was Kakadu my least favorite destination?

Leaving Nitmiluk National Park – Edith Falls my heart sunk. The area was so calming and the waters so beautiful to swim in. I hadn't had a good night sleep since I left the Gold Coast and the temperatures continued to be in the mid to high thirties. My insides were cooking I was sure of it. This mixed with a craving for a NORMAL Iced Coffee and Princess still complaining on every single walk we did, I was ready for a hotel. Kakadu was in between me and Darwin, therefore everything was a little less spectacular.

The information we picked up about the area in Katherine was a little sketchy, some waterfalls, aboriginal art tours and that was about it, therefore the Visitor Center was our first destination when we arrived in Kakadu National Park however the old petrol station where the Visitor Center used to be stood desolate. A ghost town. Heading further up the road, we saw another sign for it heading into the scrub. We looked at each other, turned off and saw a car park, nothing else. On our second loop around after admiring the new bush houses with their tin roofs and stilts that towered over everything on the land we decided to have lunch in the empty car park. It was then that we saw, tucked into the end of the car park, a sign for the visitors center, an old car and some trinkets left from the mining era.

The Visitor Center was unmanned, so a quick look at the information boards gave us no more information than what we had. Bored, and tired, I winced at making lunch, ham and cheese wraps....again. I looked at Princess and decided we could all have a Nutella wrap instead, happiness spread across her face and the sugar hit was what I needed to fill the Iced Coffee void.

On the road again, the sign to Maguk Falls arrived and the Patrol powered down the corrugated, dirt, long, boring 14km road. We laughed as people in their Hyundai's and vans crawled over the corrugations and I secretly felt sorry for them. It would have taken them over an hour to get to the falls carpark!

Kakadu had a slightly Jurrasic Park feel about it as everything was magnified. The termite mounds stood taller than the Patrol, the escarpments towered over everything creating shade which I was thankful for, the roads were wider, the dried rivers were common and the waterfalls higher.

Shaken not stirred, we reached the Falls walk carpark. Looming before the walk the Crocodile Danger sign and swim at your own risk companion had come for the ride again! Watching the tour group leaving and seeing they obviously had a swim, I wasn't so worried, however walking along the sandy path directly next to the waterway, knowing it was Crocodile nesting season, and that they bury their eggs in the sand, I kept my eyes open. The tall reedy areas next to the path also looked like a haven for snakes, leaving me no more impressed.

Signage on the path was minimal and luckily another tour guide popped out of nowhere. He told us of the secret path tour groups use which reduce the need to keep clambering over the rocks. We didn't hesitate and took it! We reached the falls pool and it was beautiful.

The crystal waters illuminated the fish beneath the surface and fully clothed, we all jumped in (knowing by the time we got back to the car we would be dry again!) It would have been a nice place to explore but we had decided to stay at Kakadu National Park – Jim Jam Falls campground which was further up the road. It was time to go.

Would I come back, probably not, but I'm thankful we didn't miss it.

If you would like to ask a question, or write for our blog with your own experience, please enter your details below and we will get back to you.