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within Kakadu, as well as a nice
walk up a monolith to a view over-
looking the Arnhem Land floodplain.
While you’re up there, if you are
patient and willing to sit and take in
the sights and sounds, you might just
spot a Black-palmed Rock Goanna
(V. glebopalma) chasing a small
skink or grasshopper, or see Agile
Rock-wallabies darting through the
rocks with ease.
without a boat tour on the Yellow
Water Billabong. Located in the
southern end of Kakadu, this billa-
bong is home to so much wildlife it
would take an entire article to list all
the species. I would recommend
doing the morning or afternoon tour
that lasts for about an hour. A high-
light animal for this trip is the
Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus
porosus) and if you are very lucky
enjoying the swimming hole with
you. My favourite part of
Litchfield is the Wangi Falls area.
No herp trip to Darwin would be
complete without stopping off at
Fogg Dam. This is actually a
manmade structure which was once
used to irrigate rice crops in the
Humpty Doo area, however the rice
farming failed for a variety of
‘Don’t venture near the water’s edge,
as you may end up becoming lunch!’
Cahill’s Crossing (the river crossing
famous for its Saltwater Crocodiles
that features regularly in the news) is
located near Ubirr. Don’t venture
near the water’s edge, as you may
end up becoming lunch and finding
fame on the next news coverage
about a silly person who got too
close to a crocodile.
When I travel to Kakadu I also make
a visit to Nourlangie and Noarlunga
Rock, as both of these popular tourist
sites are home to some amazing
indigenous rock art and wildlife as
well.
A trip out to Kakadu is not complete
you might see Pig-nosed Turtles
(Carettochelys insculpta), which are
a major target species of mine.
Much closer to Darwin, if you want
to see a pretty waterfall and ‘realign
your chakras’, then your destination
is irrefutably Litchfield National
Park. It’s only an hour away from
town, and there’s mobile coverage
most of the way. If you can find a
quiet spot away from the rowdy
backpackers, you might get lucky
and spy a Mertens’ Water Monitor
(V. mertensi), Yellow-faced Turtle
(Emydura tanybaraga), or poten-
tially even the occasional Freshwater
Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) all
reasons. The dam itself provides the
basis for a perfect ecosystem for
plants and animals including reptiles,
amphibians, fish and birds.
With the highest abundance of Water
Pythons (Liasis mackloti) on the
planet it’s certainly no secret that
Fogg Dam is herp heaven. There
may be copious numbers of Water
Pythons in the area, but they aren’t
the only reptiles that call Fogg Dam
home. You can also see Northern
Death Adders (Acanthophis
praelongus), Slaty-grey Snakes
(Stegonotus cucullatus), Keelbacks
(Tropidonophis mairii) and occa-
sionally file snakes (Acrochordus