This is where, come Sunday evening at Darwin\u2019s Mindil Beach Market, vendors sell \u201cSlappas Thongs\u201d and toddlers (little larrikins in the making) paddle at the water\u2019s edge frequented by saltwater crocs. <\/p>\n
Fear not, the locals have a sophisticated system to determine whether the water poses a threat: if it looks \u201ca bit croccy\u201d, you don\u2019t get in. <\/p>\n
Also in the NT is Kakadu National Park, home to more than 15 Aboriginal clan groups and the main set for the 1986 global hit, Crocodile Dundee. <\/p>\n
Kakadu National Park was a major set for the 1986 global hit, Crocodile Dundee. Photo \/ Rimfire Films<\/p>\n
The film, which was released in the US 40 years ago last month, details the fictitious Mick Dundee \u2013 raised in the bush and possessor of an enormous knife. Arguably Australia\u2019s most famous larrikin.<\/p>\n
The Dundee effect<\/p>\n
A three-hour drive southeast of Darwin, we\u2019d barely set foot on Kakadu dust before I was subject to an adage I\u2019ve heard countless times before: <\/p>\n
\u201cCrocodile Dundee put Australia on the map.\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that Paul \u201cHoges\u201d Hogan, the man (the myth, the legend) behind Mick Dundee, also fronted the 1984 Australian Tourism Campaign and famously coined the catchphrase \u201cshrimp on the barbie\u201d. <\/p>\n
However, as a 6-year-old Pommy watching Crocodile Dundee in 90s England \u2013 a rather uppity place even then \u2013 the film didn\u2019t so much put Australia on the map; rather, it put Australians on the map. Seemingly crazy folk who shrug at snakes and roughhouse with kangaroos. In the years since, I\u2019ve realised not all Australians are made this way, but plenty have Dundee\u2019s signature laid-back magnetism. Dundee is a quick-witted charmer \u2013 likeable by default \u2013 but he\u2019s not an enigma. Australia is full of Mick Dundees.<\/p>\n
The film put Indigenous clans in focus, including their land and their culture. Photo \/ Rimfire Films<\/p>\n
Perhaps more remarkable for the time, the film also put First Nations in focus, including their land and their culture and, as the storyline unfolds, it heroes larrikins and traditional landowners alike. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s the beauty of Crocodile Dundee, its success can be credited to two simple components: a great story and even greater characters. Likewise, Kakadu National Park mirrors the movie. This is a place full of memorable stories, people and landscapes.<\/p>\n
Engaging stories, past and present<\/p>\n
Thousands of years before Hogan and his best friend and producer John Cornell wrote Crocodile Dundee, stories flooded the plains of Kakadu lowland, told and retold by native Aboriginal ancestors for millennia. <\/p>\n
In Ubirr, we meet our guide, Natasha Nadji, a Bunitj Traditional Owner whose Country stretches across the northeast of Kakadu National Park. Like generations before her, she\u2019s a natural storyteller, gifted at bringing her mob\u2019s folklore and ancient rock art to life. Here, we\u2019re privy to some of the world\u2019s most profound rock paintings. From sisters disguised as crocodiles to enormous barramundi and ancient handprints, Nadji effortlessly translates the ochre drawings \u2013 their lessons and laws \u2013 for a modern audience. <\/p>\n
In Ubirr we meet our guide Natasha Nadji. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
It\u2019s believed some of the rock art in Kakadu was created up to 65,000 years ago. In Ubirr, the paintings are mostly from the last 1500-2000 years, and although an exact age can\u2019t be determined without disrupting the art, some are likely more than 15,000 years old. A fact that\u2019s not lost on Nadji. While we cool off under a cave awning, she shares an insightful comparison: it costs thousands of dollars to fly to Europe and visit the Eiffel Tower \u2013 built in 1886, completed in 1889 \u2013 and yet visitors pay a pittance to enter Kakadu National Park and sit within an inch of ancient civilisation. <\/p>\n
Visitors pay a pittance to enter Kakadu National Park and see ancient rock art. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
And while we allow our minds to be blown by this truth, Nadji casually mentions a snake attacked her dog this morning. <\/p>\n
The puppy was fatally bitten by the snake, a 2m king brown \u2013 highly venomous \u2013 and a rather large threat to have slinking around your home of a morning. Or as Nadji puts it, \u201cthat\u2019s a big bastard\u201d. <\/p>\n
But not as big as the two buffalo that almost killed her husband the week before. <\/p>\n
Being wild, the bulls darted across the road and collided with the family ute, occupied by her husband and teenage son. Somewhat miraculously, both passengers survived, but neither the truck nor the buffalo fared so well. We\u2019d already seen the remnants of their crumpled vehicle stranded roadside, but the buffalo had been removed \u2013 much to Nadji\u2019s disappointment: buffalo is very tasty. <\/p>\n
Wild animals in Kakadu. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
These extraordinary tales are recounted with signature Australian nonchalance, mentioned in passing, as everyday as commenting on the weather. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s no escaping formidable stories, past and present, in Kakadu. <\/p>\n
A bit croccy<\/p>\n
The next day we\u2019re following Mandy Muir, senior custodian of the Murumburr Country, into open, notably wet pastures. Our group is searching for an iconic Dundee scene where Mick pretends to bare-shave with his (really big) knife to impress Sue \u2013 a \u201csheila\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s move away from the water … Bit croccy,\u201d remarks Muir.<\/p>\n
Yes, let\u2019s. <\/p>\n
Fun fact. Crocodiles will attack you even if they\u2019ve recently eaten. A fat buffalo chop might sustain a saltie for 10 days before he needs to eat again; months if food is scarce, but even a plump-bellied croc won\u2019t think twice about dragging your body into the mud for a death roll. Your carcass will be stored for a later date \u2013 decomposed to perfection like a Michelin-grade marinade. <\/p>\n
Crocodiles will attack you even if they\u2019ve recently eaten. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
Art lessons and sex education<\/p>\n
Rather than dip my toe into anything that resembled \u201ccroccy\u201d water, I dip my toe into the world of Aboriginal artwork instead. While staying at Kakadu Crocodile Hotel, we partake in a painting workshop. <\/p>\n
What you mostly need to know about The Croc is that the entire hotel is shaped like a crocodile. Looking at an aerial photograph, my room was just below the right leg, in the thick of the stomach, and about as close to a croc\u2019s digestive tract as I\u2019d like to get. <\/p>\n
The distinctive Kakadu Crocodile Hotel. Photo \/ Journey Beyond<\/p>\n
Jacqueline Cahill is our teacher for the afternoon, demonstrating traditional Aboriginal design while explaining how to gut and cook a short-necked turtle. The issue is the neck, or lack thereof. A regular turtle can be decapitated \u2013 its innards pulled up and out \u2013 whereas a short-necked turtle needs to be smashed side on, via its shell. <\/p>\n
If we\u2019d wanted another topic to discuss, didgeridoos were \u2013 in hindsight \u2013 not the best choice. Native to the Kakadu and Arnhem regions of the Northern Territory, dear Cahill did try to explain that, because of their phallic shape, women are forbidden from playing. Unfortunately, some of those a little too invested in their art didn\u2019t hear this (or catch the faintest drift), at which point our workshop took an unexpected turn, and anyone passing may have assumed we were attending sex ed. <\/p>\n
Fortunately, Cahill is good-natured and has a giggly, infectious laugh \u2013 and being mature adults, we blushed and suddenly became heavily invested in our drawings. <\/p>\n
The Outback, upgraded<\/p>\n
We wake to yet another 37C day and move on to Cooinda Campground and Caravan Park, which is situated within the grounds of Cooinda Lodge. Mercifully, because it\u2019s the dry season, humidity sits about 5%, but come \u201cThe Build Up\u201d between October and November, humidity climbs upwards of 80% and continues into the wet season. The Binini\/Mungguy calendar recognises six seasons, with September falling into the fourth: kurrung. Its key features are hot and dry. Personally, I\u2019d add the word \u201cvery\u201d. <\/p>\n
Cooinda Lodge offers a welcome oasis in the extremes of Kakadu National Park, with swimming pools, various misted dining areas and a collection of safari-style tents with ensuite facilities and air conditioning. There are also 200 camping spots for real tents \u2013 our glamping abode comes equipped with queen beds and luxury linen, so it\u2019d be a stretch to claim I\u2019ve gone \u201cfull bush\u201d and camped in the Outback. <\/p>\n
That\u2019ll kill ya<\/p>\n
With dusk approaching and the sun setting about 6.40pm, we board an open-air boat for a wildlife cruise with Yellow Water Cruises. So called because we\u2019ll be sailing the Yellow Water Billabong \u2013 home to one-third of Australia\u2019s birdlife, and most thrilling, myriad wild crocodiles. <\/p>\n
To use the local terminology correctly, Yellow Water Billabong is most definitely \u201ca bit croccy\u201d. <\/p>\n
Yellow Water Billabong is home to one third of Australia\u2019s birdlife. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
Our guide, Dennis, ambles on board in true NT fashion \u2013 late and unfussed. <\/p>\n
If ever there was a character to rival Mick Dundee, it might be Dennis. Dennis with two \u201cNs\u201d, which he clarifies from the get-go. A Murumburr Traditional Owner and Kakadu guide for more than 15 years, here is a man who knows everything there is to know about flora, fauna and bone-crunching crocs. Many of which he eloquently summarises with his catchphrase: \u201cYep, that\u2019ll kill ya\u201d. <\/p>\n
I don\u2019t disbelieve it. In Kakadu National Park, I suspect even the water lilies could render you unconscious. <\/p>\n
Dennis also knows John. A hefty-looking buffalo grazing in the distance. Dennis hollers his name from the boat; John, hearing the hollering, looks up and the pair lock eyes. Dennis nods, a silent acknowledgment between two backcountry bros. Then John goes back to eating his grass. <\/p>\n
\u201cJohn with two Ns,\u201d Dennis says. <\/p>\n
And yep, he\u2019ll kill ya. <\/p>\n
Buffalos graze in the distance of a cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
A dip or a death roll <\/p>\n
Our time in Kakadu is coming to an end, but not before a quick dip in a local waterhole. Something I promised my nearest and dearest \u2013 and even the woman at Darwin\u2019s \u201cCroc Wise\u201d information tent \u2013 I absolutely would not do. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven in places deemed croc-free, you can never be 100% sure,\u201d she\u2019d said, before handing me a cheery sticker of a cartoon crocodile holding a fishing rod. <\/p>\n
Taking a quick dip in a Kakadu waterhole. Photo \/ Anna Sarjeant<\/p>\n
What I\u2019ve found in the NT is that no one gives two hoots about being croc-wise; everyone is \u201ccroc-throw-caution-to-the-wind\u201d. One fearless Darwin resident tells me she regularly swims with \u201cfreshies\u201d, AKA freshwater crocs. They\u2019re less likely to kill you, but might take a bite if you disturb them. Chatter erupts while a recent unexpected \u201cfreshy\u201d attack is discussed. <\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t intend to disturb anything \u2013 fresh, salty, or otherwise \u2013 but by the last day, I find myself swimming at Gunlom Falls in trademark gung-ho fashion. Clearly, I\u2019ve adopted the locals\u2019 indifference to danger, which seems linked to proximity; the closer you get to death, the more you\u2019re inclined to dance with it. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s at Gunlom that Mick and Sue swim together in what was referred to as Echo Falls in the film. Forty years on, it\u2019s still a beautiful spot, but a rather large croc has taken up residence in the pool where they frolicked, so we won\u2019t be re-enacting this particular scene. I\u2019m told that if you peer over from the top lagoon, you can often see the enormous, reptilian shape of a monster submerged \u2013 waiting, plotting, scheming \u2013 in the blue. <\/p>\n
And that\u2019s enough crocodile for one day. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s at Gunlom that Mick and Sue swim together in the film Crocodile Dundee. Photo \/ Rimfire Films<\/p>\n
Adventure on the doorstep<\/p>\n
Kakadu National Park, with its terrain, history and thrill of the threat, feels wildly different to life beyond its border. It\u2019s a place I\u2019ve wanted to visit ever since watching Crocodile Dundee, and here it is, on New Zealand\u2019s doorstep: easy, accessible, incredible.<\/p>\n
On my last day, while driving to Darwin Airport for my flight home, I\u2019m chatting about travel and adventure with a Tourism Northern Territory rep, and in true NT fashion she drops an Australianism that not only sums up Kakadu, it could be straight out of the Mick Dundee phrasebook:<\/p>\n
Yeah, she says, you\u2019ve just got to give it \u201ca red-hot crack\u201d. <\/p>\n
Checklist<\/p>\n
KAKADU NATIONAL PARK, NORTHERN TERRITORY<\/p>\n
GETTING THERE<\/p>\n
Fly from Auckland to Darwin with one stopover in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane with Qantas.<\/p>\n
Kakadu National Park covers nearly 20,000sq km. For reference, The Crocodile Hotel is a two-hour, 45-minute drive from Darwin. <\/p>\n
DETAILS<\/p>\n
The journalist travelled courtesy of Australia\u2019s Northern Territory. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is where, come Sunday evening at Darwin\u2019s Mindil Beach Market, vendors sell \u201cSlappas Thongs\u201d and toddlers (little…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[24041,5845,10703,8166,308791,308790,156,593,66018,308792,268351,19720,42899,3556,111,139,7977,69,90,8143,10715,16784,67018,62105,1973,7811,6182,103847,308793,6746,15391,68520,102,9192,1530],"class_list":["post-629247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-24041","tag-anna","tag-characters","tag-crocodile","tag-dundee","tag-dundees","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-forty","tag-gloriously","tag-kakadu","tag-land","tag-landscape","tag-national","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-northern","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-park","tag-remains","tag-room","tag-sarjeant","tag-screens","tag-sets","tag-since","tag-stories","tag-territory","tag-untamed","tag-visiting","tag-wild","tag-wimps","tag-with","tag-writes","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}