Kakadu National Park news
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Site chosen to build the disabled walking track and viewing area at Gunlom
Disabled access and a new viewing platform planned for Gunlom
6 November 2009
Planning is underway for a custom designed track, bridge and viewing platform at the base of Gunlom Falls. The existing sand track washes away every wet season as the area floods. Each year rangers rebuild the sand track so visitors can access the area.
The planned infrastructure is designed to withstand wet season flooding. A unique feature of the design is that the handrails can be removed to allow the flood waters to flow freely over the walkway.
The new path will meet Australian wheelchair access standards giving disabled people the opportunity to access the view at the base of Gunlom Falls.
Tourism Industry Update 15
6 November 2009 | Download the update (PDF - 120 KB)
Forecasted opening times for key visitor sites as well as latest news from Kakadu
A bird in the hand
10-15 October 2009
The first-ever Kakadu Bird Week proved a hit, with around 16 people heading out on the adventure as well as 10 Cooinda staff and trainees.
More than 135 bird species were spotted - from the little kingfishers and great-billed herons at Yellow Waters, to savanna species around Ubirr, including the black-breasted buzzard and grey-crowned babbler.
Guided By Nature tour operators Guy Dutson and Andy Mortimer thanked all those involved - including Kakadu park staff, Birds Australia, Tourism NT, Gagadju Lodge Cooinda and the traditional owners.
Fire in Gunlom campground
A fire swept through Kakadu's Gunlom campground on Sunday 18 October. No-one was camping in the area at the time and there were no injuries.
Seven tents and beds erected for the dry season by Odyssey Tours and Safaris and four belonging to Lord's Kakadu and Arnhemland Safaris were destroyed. Solar panels were unharmed.
Gunlom campground after the fire
Park infrastructure was undamaged, with the exception of several rubbish bins and signs which melted in the fire.
More information
Kakadu stone country burning program
September 2009
Traditional owners and Kakadu park staff have completed the third year of the stone country burning program on the Arnhem Land Plateau.
The stone country is remote and uninhabited and hot, late season fires mean that the sandstone heath and rainforest communities are some of the most threatened habitats in Kakadu.
The burning program combines modern methods, including the use of helicopters, with traditional burning practices. Many young traditional owners have been reconnecting with the stone country and looking after it by bushwalking and lighting fires early in the dry season.
$700,000 Funding for Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks
5 June 2009
More than $700,000 will be provided for three heritage projects at two of Australia's most treasured World Heritage Sites – Uluru- Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks. Funding was announced today by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, and the Member for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon, as part of the Australian Government's $650 million Jobs Fund initiative.
Jenny Hunter named 2009 national Indigenous tour guide of the year
April 2009
Kakadu's Jenny Hunter has been named "Gnunkai" Tour Guide of the Year at the prestigious 2009 Australian Indigenous Tourism Awards. It is Jenny's second award this year. After returning from a whirlwind trip promoting Indigenous tourism as part of G'Day USA, Jenny found she had been rated in the top 20 tourism innovators in Australia and New Zealand by Travel and Leisure magazine.
In the dry, Jenny, brothers Fred and Doug and partner Andy run Kakadu Culture Camp - a safari camp with billabong nightime tours, bush tucker around a campfire, storytelling and didgeridoo - a close-up experience of Kakadu's living Aboriginal culture. And in the wet, Jenny and Fred are back working as park rangers.
Kakadu National Park news archive