NT Visit. Suggestions?

[PetsDen_Aus]

HI guys

Heading up to Darwin in a few weeks for a week visit.
Never been before but really want to get out to Kakadu and a few other places and see some wildlife.
Just wondering what the best way to see it would be are there any good tours or am I better off hiring a car / 4wd for a day or two?

thanks in advance,

Mark

 

[WomaBoy]

Hey, i have never been before, but i really want to go, just thought i would ask if you could post some photos of the wildlife you see
Thanks
WomaBoy

 

[Nephrurus]

Go to Fogg Dam in the afternoon- plenty of wildlife there. The forest walks are good for Rainbow Pitta. Good chance of seeing some snakes crossing the road as it gets into the evening. Excellent spot for Barking Owls as well. Barn Owls along the road on the way in.
Do the dawn Yellow Waters tour at Cooinda. Plenty of wildlife there too and as close as you'd want to get to big salt water crocs. It starts at 6am so you'll have to camp/stay at the Cooinda resort. Well worth doing.
Check out the stunning rock art at Nourlangie Rock, right by the car park.
Litchfield NP is also very nice- good chance for critters there as well. More importantly- good swimming holes.

I think all of these places are accessible with 2WD hire cars. They're touristy but easy. If you've only got a week...

 

[corky]

Just got back a couple of days ago.

We did a self drive tour. There are alot of km's to cover, the majority of our time was driving between places.
I would go for the earliest cruise you can at yellow water, so much wildlife! Well worth the outlay.
Crocosaurus cove had an impressive display of reptiles and crocs if your in the city.

Kakadu needs to be seen over a minimum of 3 days in my opinion.

Awesome place, loved it!!!

 

[-Peter]

Dont kick any pollies for a dare.

 

[abnrmal91]

Don't know if you know or not but car & 4wd hire companies are very restrictive with hiring. 4wd are only allowed to be taken to certain areas & vehicles can only be driven between dawn to dusk, after dark insurance is void if driven outside of Darwin CBD or any towns CBD.

A drive along Fogg dam at night is always great for herps, even just the drive from Darwin to Fogg dam can pay off with water pythons at night.

Crocosaurus Cove is a must do whilst in Darwin, it is the best collection of Australian herps by far that I have seen for any reptile park or zoo.

 

[tropicbreeze]

You won't need a 4WD to get around although having your own wheels would definitely be a lot better than going on a guided tour. But "a day or two" won't let you see much. If the whole visit is only a week you'll need to hit the ground running. Get things lined up before you arrive so there's no time wasted. In Kakadu it's cheaper to use the national parks campgrounds than the commercial ones like Cooinda or South Alligator.

As others have said, Fogg Dam is a must. The Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs is also great. Litchfield has easily accessible landscapes, Kakadu has the accessible cultural stuff (rock art, cultural centre) and floodplain systems.

At least in a week you'll probably get a good idea of what you want to come back to see on a longer visit. You'll find it very hot now, and remember to always be croc wise.

 

[PetsDen_Aus]

awesome thanks for the advice guys will start planning!

Mark

 

[Womagaunt]

Hey,
I went there not to long ago and it was fantastic had lots of fun, if your going there you cant miss the wetland Cruises Tour you can either go in the morning or in the afternoon i went in the morning and would sugget doing it you go into a boat like thing and you are driven around the wetlands by a tour giude who takes you up close to see crocs and birds (the tour guides know alot about the wetlands), and you could go on a croc jumping tour thing i forget what its called but just do a bit or research before you go they take you up river in this boat and get the crocs to jump out of the water using meat on a stick its great! hope this helped and hope you have a good holiday!!!

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wish i went to this fogg dam that everyone is talking about, i didnt see one snake and i was there for 2 weeks searching 24/7 no joke,i only saw cane toads and a whole lot of diffrent frogs and tonnes of crocs, almost saw a water python but missed out on seeing it before in slithered away