Ningaloo Australia

Follow the tropical-style party at Ningaloo Marine Park, a habitat for 200 species of hard corals, 50 soft corals and over 500 species of fish.

Ningaloo is one of the largest circular coral reef in the world, which stretches 260 kilometers off the coast of north central Western Australia. In addition, the closest point located 100 meters from the beach so you can follow the party just by walking from the beach.

Five things you can do at Ningaloo

1. Witnessing the amazing marine life

Swim with docile whale shark, the world's largest fish, which appeared between April and June. See humpback whales between June and November and see a rare turtle species hatch in an interactive eco-tour with guide in January and February. Kayaking in the ocean from Exmouth and watch migrating whales and visit remote locations full of dugongs and turtles. Or follow the tour boat to watch the hordes of fish spawn on the reef in March and April. You only need to walk from the beach at Exmouth or Coral Bay to see the fish giru play between tentacles anemones, fish and moray eels lepu predators as well as hundreds of other tropical fish species.


2. Wearing a snorkel and diving suit

Snorkeling along the lagoon and coral gardens in Coral Bay is calm and protected and watched a charming fish manta rays, dolphins and colorful fish. If you want deeper waters, take a glass-floored boat snorkeling or tour from Exmouth. Go to the Lighthouse Bay or the classic desert island Muiron Islands for diving in the coral reefs are amazing. Look at the sea creatures from the smallest to the large coral reef reserves Bundegi Bombies, the shallow waters and is perfect for beginner divers and snorkel divers. More experienced divers can see the diverse collection of large sponges, gorgonians and whip corals sea sponges in the park at the entrance to Exmouth Gulf. Whatever your level of diving proficiency, Ningaloo provide underwater paradise for you.

3. Overnight in the beautiful seaside town

Overnight at the beautiful Exmouth, where you can rent a car, join a safari or tour the beach environment, coral reefs and great fishing. Learning to surf on the waves gently in Wobiri, surfing on the waves left-handed at The Bombie or surf on the waves of coral reefs in the Dunes Beach and Island Murion and Montebello. Back to the city, you will get the accommodation that suits your budget, ranging from furnished apartments to tourists beransel lodging and camping. Yacht harbor cruise ship and visit the many cafes, restaurants, boutiques and wine bars in this city. Then get acquainted with the local community or other tourists while drinking beer at the local tavern. In the seaside town of Coral Bay are peaceful, you can stroll anywhere. Snorkeling, swimming and feeding fish off the beach, go diving or join your tour enjoy a scenic flight over the reef.

4. Adventure on land and on the sand

Double axle vehicle ride along Shothole Canyon Road or Charles Knife Canyon to Cape Range National Park, just 35 kilometers from downtown Exmouth. Here you can camp at the location where the canyons are amazing, the carvings of ancient rivers, together with the Ningaloo reef, crystal clear blue sea and sandy beaches. Yardie Creek walk to the river crossing animals and wild flowers, see the rare black-footed wallaby who huddled in the steep walls. Mangrove forest area is a habitat for many species of birds and marine animals. Or follow your tour walk two miles through the guiding guiding Gorge to see the beautiful sea view. When it was time to dry off, explore further areas of this beach ride double axle vehicle or four-wheeled motorcycle

5. Ventured far

Take a day tour to the Islands Muiron quiet, classic desert island with tropical waters filled with marine life and coral reefs are complex. Scuba diving or snorkeling at Turtle Bay, a wildlife sanctuary which became a nest of sea turtles. You will find many other amazing dive sites not far from the beach, with gardens of multicolored coral at a depth of 3 to 20 meters. Relax on a quiet beach or throw your hook in the shallow waters for giant trevally fishing. To enjoy the atmosphere of a truly quiet and romantic, ask permission to camp overnight..

Kimberley Australia

Camel riding along the beach when the sun goes down Cable Beach in Broome and a plane ride across the mountain peaks Bungle Bungle Ranges. Explore the vast Lake Argyle and see the waves higher than houses on the islands of Buccaneer Archipelago. Double axle vehicle ride along the Gibb River Road through the canyon and river, or browse the red dirt road from Broome to the remote Dampier Peninsula. Welcome to the Kimberley - a world with wide horizons, ancient gorges, weird rock formations, rock pools are comfortable and beautiful golden beaches.

Five magic that can be seen in Kimberley

1. Broome: beach, pearl and dinosaur tracks
Camel ride along the coast of Cable Beach is white sand, a place to watch the bright sun sank in the Indian Ocean. Looking directly dinosaur footprints 130 million years old are printed on a stone in Gantheaume Point. Enjoy a picnic-style dinner at the Town Beach and witness 'Staircase to the Moon' (Ladder to the Moon), shadows that formed by spectacular silvery full moon light that reflects off the plains tide in Roebuck Bay. This shadow can be seen for three nights in a month from March to October. As the night wore on in this natural tourist destination, continue the trip to the Outdoor Picture Garden in Broome to watch movies under the starlight. Formerly Broome is the center of the world pearl industry, and now you can buy pearls, explore the place of cultivation of pearl, pearl museum visit or view tombstone dedicated to about 900 Asian pearl divers.

2. Kununurra : wide expanse of water, honeycomb and diamond mines Follow the tourist flights over the rocks a striped orange and black mountains towering in the Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, listed as World Heritage. Or camping and explore this national park with a double axle vehicle or on foot. This amazing geological landmark towering up to 578 meters above sea level, shaded canyons, clear pond water, fan palm trees, various species of wildlife and history of Aboriginal community life. Kununurra means 'big water' in traditional Aboriginal owners, and here you can also explore the vast Lake Argyle across freshwater crocodiles, wallabies, birds of wetlands and dramatic cliffs. Or see the beauty of an area of ​​1000 square kilometers over the air. Canoeing on Lake Kununurra and swim in the pool beneath the waterfall in the Black Rock Falls. Then visit the Argyle Diamond Mine and see a rare pink diamond that was taken from this ancient rock every year.

3. Dampier Peninsula: the beauty of the beaches and the history of AboriginalDouble axle vehicle ride down a red dirt road from Broome to Cape Leveque, where you can spend the night in the jungle camp in Kooljaman Aborigines. Safari-style bed or in a room made ​​of wood bark paper, then snorkeling, walking along the coral reef and explore the ruins of the old mission with a local Aboriginal family as your guide. Camping in Middle Lagoon and hire a boat or catch mud crabs with a local guide from Lombadina. Overnight in remote villages in Mudnunn, Chile Creek and La Djardarr Ba and visit the Beagle Bay. Sacred Heart Church here was built by the priest Pallotine and Aboriginal communities in 1917, up to the altar which is made from pearl oyster shell.

4. Derby and the Buccaneer Archipelago: the islands, history and great tidal waves
Watch the sun seton the the King Sound of Derby Wharf and fishing in the tidal waves as high as 12 meters . Get information about Aboriginal leader and fugitive Jandamurra in Pigeon Heritage Trail tour and see the works of art at the Aboriginal Village Mowanjum. Do not forget to see the Boab Prison Tree tree 1,500 years old, the circumference of the tree over 14 meters. From Derby, you can climb aboard or get on a plane to the Buccaneer Archipelago, where the cultivation of pearl South Sea Pearl and waterfalls of the famous Horizontal Waterfalls. Follow the tourist flights and watch the movement of huge tidal waves which push sea water 'falls' through a narrow slit in the cliff wall.

5. Gibb River Road and Mitchell Plateau: gorges and stunning cross-country adventure
Double axle vehicle ride along the Gibb River Road along the 660 miles from Derby in the west to Kununurra in the east, looking Windjana Gorge, Tunnel Creek and big rivers and the Ord River Pentecost. Walking into remote Aboriginal settlements in Kalumburu, where you can stay, fishing in coral reefs and rivers and camping on the beach at Honeymoon Bay and McGowan Island. For the adventure truly thrilling, see Aboriginal rock art and native vegetation in the Mitchell River National Park. Explore the highlands of Mitchell Plateau and Mitchell Falls waterfall seen amazing - the ranks of four waterfalls - which flows through the layers of rocks into a deep pond.

Sydney

Enjoy the picturesque port of Sydney, outdoor lifestyle that challenges and enchanting natural beauty. Kayaking under the bridge Sydney Harbour Bridge or waved to the Opera House when you climb aboard the ferry to cross the harbor to Manly. Learning to surf in Bondi Beach or swim beach in the middle of the quiet waters of Coogee. Browse stone dead-end street in The Rocks or the market, boutiques, cafes and pubs in Paddington. In addition to the famous port in the world and more than 70 sparkling beaches, Sydney provides a delicious meal, festivals and endless excitement.

Five of experience in Sydney that are not to be missed

1. Explore the historic The Rocks

Find an attractive prisoner of history in Sydney around the edge of the harbor where it all began. Only five minutes from Circular Quay, you can listen to the stories and the story hanging in the haunted ghost tour, browse through the weekend markets or climbing the Harbour Bridge. Among the sand and stone streets winding yard, you'll find historic workers cottage and lovely terrace, art gallery, hotel overlooking the harbor, as well as the oldest pub in Sydney. Look at the people who poured for partying in the streets of stone at The Rocks to celebrate Australia Day on January 26, Anzac Day on April 25 and New Year's Eve.

2. Trace his foot in the famous port in the world

Sail across the Opera House on top of the chartered boat or paddle from Rose Bay on top kayak. Cruise while enjoying the beautiful view from Circular Quay or Darling Harbour crossing large houses on the beach, national parks, as well as Shark Island, Clark, Rodd and Goat. Take a tour to the historic fortress Fort Denison or learn about the life of the first inhabitants of Sydney, Gadigal people, in a unique Aboriginal cultural cruise. Watch the sparkling harbor of green gardens Royal Botanic Garden, which surrounds its banks. Or enjoy the scenery from a seaside restaurant in Mosman, on the north side of the bridge, or from Watsons Bay on South Head. Walk from Rose Bay to Vaucluse or Cremorne Point to Mosman Bay, through most of the 16 routes that flank a spectacular harbor.

3. Visit Manly by ferry

Explore Sydney Harbour by ferry to Manly, which lies between the coast choppy and calm inner harbor. Explore the natural bush fields located on the picturesque Manly to the Spit Bridge, learn to dive at Cabbage Tree Bay or ride my bike to Fairy Bower. Banc in Shelly Beach on the shores of the ocean and sailing or kayaking from Manly Wharf to around the harbor. Rent a scooter and picnicking on the beaches in the north like Narrabeen and Palm Beach. Explore the shops, bars and cafes along the crowded streets of Corso decorated with pine trees and enjoy a meal in the restaurant world-class scenic sea.

4. Enjoy the cafe culture and fun atmosphere to shop in Paddington

Down the markets open on Saturday, exploring the fashion boutiques on Oxford Street, a busy or find antiques shops and art galleries classy in Woollahra. Visiting the Victoria Barracks Army base that stood around in the 1840s, and opened to the public once a week, and see first hand the style of Victorian terraces that have been restored along the wide and shady streets. Cycling or roller-blade in the Centennial Park area, then paused to enjoy lunch at a cafe on Oxford St or in the Five Ways are beautiful. Watch a movie at the cinema or art house flipping the pages novel at midnight in one of the major bookstores. Singgahi historic pubs are always busy. Increasingly crowded pub after the match at the stadium in the vicinity or on race day, when the young people arrived dressed as a typical race.

5. Walk from Bondi to Coogee

Enjoy spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean while you walk on sandstone cliffs carved by the wind and waves between Bondi and Coogee. Swim at Bondi Icebergs pool reefs are famous or just watch the swimmers while enjoying a cocktail at sunset ahead of the restaurants in the immediate atasnya.Lihat wild waves in Tamarama, dubbed Glamarama because beautiful people are lying on the golden sands. Starting mid-October to November, a stretch from here down to the Bondi will turn into an open art gallery for the exhibition Sculptures by the Sea. You can surf, picnic on the grass or stop by for a moment to enjoy a coffee in a nuanced Bronte family. Or swim, snorkel or dive at Clovelly and Gordon's Bay is calm. Looking at the tomb of poet Henry Lawson, Dorothea Mackellar, aviator Lawrence Hargrave at Waverley Cemetery, on the edge of the cliff. End your tour at Coogee, the paradise of the tourists beransel is so gorgeous.

Tourist Destinations in Australia

Australian Capital Territory is the city where the national capital Canberra is located. Explore the diversity of national tourist destination, the park that stretches and restaurants and stylish bars. Only 45 minutes drive from town, you'll find wildlife, trails and Aboriginal rock art at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park in the northern mountains of the Australian Alps. Browse Poacher's Trail to wineries, farms and rural areas surrounding galleries beautiful. Strolling through the wildflowers and the frozen lake in the area of ​​the Snowy Mountains and see the dolphins from a natural beach in the South Coast region.

Canberra

enjoy history, culture and character of Australia in various museums and galleries. Compare Australia's political past with today's modern democratic government in the Old Parliament House and Parliament House. Look at Australia through the eyes of our artists at the National Gallery of Australia and Australia witnessed a proud sporting achievements at the Australian Institute of Sport. When you've finished enjoying the national tourist destination, check out the amazing scenery. Walking or biking around the lake, parks and natural bush in the vicinity. This sleek, modern city lies between green open space and show the beauty of four distinct seasons, from the leaves of autumn until golden colored flowers that bloom in the spring. Under the leaves there are famous restaurants and nightlife and a schedule of festivals and activities without interruption.

Snowy

Mountains View the frozen lake, snow gum forests and mountain meadows, colorful in climbing Mt Kosciuszko, the highest mountain peak in Australia. At the top of the mountain, you will find the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with 20 species of plants found nowhere else on earth. In winter, enjoy Australia's highest ski slope in Charlotte Pass or play snow at Thredbo and Perisher Blue. In the summer, hiking, biking or horseback riding through the expanse of wild flowers or enjoy the scenery by searching the cave, berarung rafting, kayaking and riding double axle. Fishing for trout from the rivers around Cooma clear historic or throw your hook in Lake Jindabyne. Do not miss the view of autumn leaves around Tumut, who is also a great place to explore stalactites and hot tubs in Yarrangobilly Caves.

South Coast

Walk white sandy beach bath pearls and see dolphins frolicking in the sparkling water in Jervis Bay. See whales of Eden in the Sapphire Coast, see native and exotic animals in Zoo MoGo and explore the wildlife paradise of Montague Island near Narooma. Kayaking through Kangaroo Valley and along the River Clyde is still natural in Bateman's Bay. Enjoy oysters in Merimbula and cheese are very tasty in Bega. Crossing the desert shrubs through freshwater lakes and stunning beaches in Bournda National Park and across the natural wilderness in the National Park Wadbilliga. On the South Coast there are 30 national parks, marine parks and reserves, as well as a very beautiful beaches and rich history of Aboriginal people that you can explore.

Capital Country

Walk across the church, old pubs, galleries and antique shops in the historic Braidwood and Bungendore is very beautiful. Walk across the waterfalls, wild flowers, rain forest ditch and sandstone cliffs in the area of ​​Fitzroy Falls and National Park Moreton, near Bundadoon. Explore the gardens of England-style village of shops and arts and crafts in the highland tourist areas Bowral and Georgian architecture-England in the 1830s in Berrima. Overnight at the farm at Yass, visited winery in the

Kakadu National Park Australia

Prologue

The name Kakadu comes from the mispronunciation of ‘Gagadju’ which is the name of an Aboriginal language spoken in the northern part of the Park. Kakadu is ecologically and biologically diverse. The main natural features protected within the National Park include:

* four major river systems:
o the East Alligator River,
o the West Alligator River,
o the Wildman River; and
o the entire South Alligator River;
* six major landforms
o estuaries and tidal flats,
o floodplains,
o lowlands,
o the stone country,
o the outliers; and
o the southern hills and basins;

* a remarkable variety and concentration of wildlife;
o over 280 bird species
o roughly 60 mammal species
o over 50 freshwater species
o over 10 000 insects species
o over 1600 plant species.

Aboriginal people have occupied the Kakadu area continuously for at least 40 000 years. Kakadu National Park is renowned for the richness of its Aboriginal cultural sites. There are more than 5000 recorded art sites illustrating Aboriginal culture over thousands of years. The archaeological sites demonstrate Aboriginal occupation for at least 20 000 and possibly up to 40 000 years.
Kakadu wetlands

The cultural and natural values of Kakadu National Park were recognised internationally when the Park was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is an international register of properties that are recognised as having outstanding cultural or natural values of international significance. Kakadu was listed in three stages: Stage 1 in 1981, Stage 2 in 1987, and the entire Park in 1992.

Approximately half of the land in Kakadu is aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and most of the remaining land is currently under claim by Aboriginal people. The areas of the Park that are owned by Aboriginal people are leased by the traditional owners to the Director of National Parks to be managed as a national park. The remaining area is Commonwealth land vested under the Director of National Parks. All of Kakadu is declared a national park under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Aboriginal traditional owners of the Park are descendants of various clan groups from the Kakadu area and have longstanding affiliations with this country. Their lifestyle has changed in recent years, but their traditional customs and beliefs remain very important. About 500 Aboriginal people live in the Park; many of them are traditional owners. All of Kakadu is jointly managed by Aboriginal traditional owners and the Australian Government’s Department of the Environment and Water Resources through a division known as Parks Australia. Park Management is directed by the Kakadu Board of Management.

Establishment

Kakadu Escarpment

Kakadu was established at a time when the Australian community was becoming more interested in the declaration of national parks for conservation and in recognising the land interests of Aboriginal people. A national park in the Alligator River region was proposed as early as 1965, but took until 1978 for the Australian Government to make arrangements to acquire the titles over various tracts of land that now constitute Kakadu National Park.

Kakadu National Park was declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (NPWC Act) in three stages between 1979 and 1991. The NPWC Act was replaced by the EPBC Act in 2000. The declaration of the Park continues under the EPBC Act. Each stage of the Park includes Aboriginal land under the Land Rights Act that is leased to the Director of National Parks or land that is subject to a claim to traditional ownership under the Land Rights Act. Most of the land that was to become part of Stage One of Kakadu was granted to the Kakadu Aboriginal land Trust under the Land Rights Act in August 1978 and, in November 1978, the Land Trust and the Director signed a lease for the land to be managed as a national park. Stage One of the Park was declared on 5 April 1979.
Nourlangie Rock

Stage Two was declared on 28 February 1984. In March 1978, a claim was lodged under the Land Rights Act for the land included in Stage Two of Kakadu. The land claim was partly successful and, in 1986, three areas in the eastern part of Stage Two were granted to the Jabiluka Aboriginal Land Trust. A lease between the Land Trust and the Director of National parks was signed in March 1991.

In 1987, a land claim was lodged for the land in the former Goodparla and Gimbat pastoral that that were to be included in Stage Three of Kakadu. The other area to be included in Stage Three – the area known as the Gimbat Resumption and the Waterfall Creek Reserve were later added to this land claim. The progressive declaration was due to the debate over whether mining should be allowed at Guratba (Coronation Hill) which is located in the middle of the area referred to as Sickness Country. The traditional owners’ wishes were ultimately respected and the Australian National Government decided that there would be no mining at Guratba.

In 1996, the land in Stage Three, apart from the former Goodparla pastoral leases, was granted to the Gunlom Aboriginal Land Trust and leased to the Director of National Parks to continue being managed as part of Kakadu.

The arrival of non Aboriginal people

Explorers

The Chinese, Malays and Portuguese all claim to have been the first non-Aboriginal explorers of Australia’s north coast. The first surviving written account comes from the Dutch. In 1623 Jan Carstenz made his way west across the Gulf of Carpentaria to what is believed to be Groote Eylandt. Abel Tasman is the next documented explorer to visit this part of the coast in 1644. He was the first person to record European contact with Aboriginal people. Almost a century later Matthew Flinders surveyed the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1802 and 1803.
The Ubirr Aboriginal Rock Art site

Phillip Parker King, an English navigator entered the Gulf of Carpentaria between 1818 and 1822. During this time he named the three Alligator Rivers after the large numbers of crocodiles, which he mistook for alligators.

Ludwig Leichhardt was the first land-based European explorer to visit the Kakadu region, in 1845 on his route from Moreton Bay in Queensland to Port Essington in the Northern Territory. He followed Jim Jim Creek down from the Arnhem Land escarpment, then went down the South Alligator before crossing to the East Alligator and proceeding north. A more plausible, if prosaic, explanation for the origin of the name of the park is that Leichardt applied the colloquial German term for a cockatoo, although this is unlikely to sit well with the indigenous historians.
Rock art painting at Ubirr

In 1862 John McDouall Stuart travelled along the south-western boundary of Kakadu but did not see any people.

The first non-Aboriginal people to visit and have sustained contact with Aboriginal people in northern Australia were the Macassans from Sulawesi and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago. They travelled to northern Australia every wet season, probably from the last quarter of the seventeenth century, in sailing boats called praus. Their main aim was to harvest trepang (sea cucumber), turtle shell, pearls and other prized items to trade in their homeland. Aboriginal people were involved in harvesting and processing the trepang, and in collecting and exchanging the other goods.

There is no evidence that the Macassans spent time on the coast of Kakadu but there is evidence of some contact between Macassan culture and Aboriginal people of the Kakadu area. Among the artefacts from archaeological digs in the Park are glass and metal fragments that probably came from the Macassans, either directly or through trade with the Coburg Peninsula people.

The British attempted a number of settlements on the northern Australian coast in the early part of the nineteenth century: Fort Dundas on Melville Island in 1824; Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay in 1829; and Victoria Settlement (Port Essington) on the Coburg Peninsula in 1838. They were anxious to secure the north of Australia before the French or Dutch, who had colonised islands further north. The British settlements were all subsequently abandoned for a variety of reasons, such as lack of water and fresh food, sickness and isolation. It is difficult to assess the impact of these settlements on the local Aboriginal people and the type of relationship that developed between them and the British. Certainly, some Aboriginal labour was used at the settlements. Exposure to new sickness was an ever-present danger. As in other parts of Australia, disease and the disruption it caused to society devastated the local Aboriginal population.

Buffalo hunters

Water buffalo in the wetlands
Water Buffalo had a big influence on the Kakadu region as well. By the 1880s the number of buffaloes released from early settlements had increased to such an extent that commercial harvesting of hides and horns was economically viable.

The industry began on the Adelaide River, close to Darwin, and moved east to the Mary River and Alligator Rivers regions.

Most of the buffalo hunting and skin curing was done in the dry season, between June and September, when buffaloes congregated around the remaining billabongs.

During the wet season hunting ceased because the ground was too muddy to pursue buffalo and the harvested hides would rot. The buffalo-hunting industry became an important employer of Aboriginal people during the dry-season months.

Missionaries

Missionaries also had a big influence on the Aboriginal people of the Alligator Rivers region, many of whom lived and were schooled at missions in their youth. Two missions were set up in the region in the early part of the century. Kapalga Native Industrial Mission was established near the South Alligator River in 1899, but lasted only four years. The Oenpelli Mission began in 1925, when the Church of England Missionary Society accepted an offer from the Northern Territory Administration to take over the area, which had been operated as a dairy farm. The Oenpelli Mission operated for 50 years.

The extent to which missions have influenced Aboriginal society is the subject of debate. Some writers and anthropologists argue that missionaries, in seeking to ‘civilise and institutionalise’ Aboriginal people, forced them to abandon their lifestyle, language, religion and ceremonies—indeed, the whole fabric of their lives. Others argue that, although criticism can be levelled at the methods used to achieve their goal, the missionaries did care about the welfare of Aboriginal people at a time when wider Australian society did not.
Salt water crocodile in Kakadu.
[edit] Pastoralists

The pastoral industry made a cautious start in the Top End. Pastoral leases in the Kakadu area were progressively abandoned from 1889, because the Victoria River and the Barkly Tablelands proved to be better pastoral regions.

In southern Kakadu much of Goodparla and Gimbat was claimed in the mid-1870s by three pastoralists, Roderick, Travers and Sergison. The leases were subsequently passed on to a series of owners, all of whom were unable for one reason or another to make a go of it. In 1987 both stations were acquired by the Commonwealth and incorporated in Kakadu National Park.

A sawmill at Nourlangie Camp was begun by Chinese operators, probably before World War I, to mill stands of cypress pine in the area. After World War II a number of small-scale ventures, including dingo shooting and trapping, brumby shooting, crocodile shooting, tourism and forestry, began.

Nourlangie Camp was again the site of a sawmill in the 1950s, until the local stands of cypress pine were exhausted. In 1958 it was converted into a safari camp for tourists. Soon after, a similar camp was started at Patonga and at Muirella Park. Clients were flown in for recreational buffalo and crocodile hunting and fishing.

Crocodile hunters often made use of the bush skills of Aboriginal people. By imitating a wallaby’s tail hitting the ground, Aboriginal hunters could attract crocodiles, making it easier to shoot the animals. Using paperbark rafts, they would track the movement of a wounded crocodile and retrieve the carcass for skinning. The skins were then sold to make leather goods. Aboriginal people became less involved in commercial hunting of crocodiles once the technique of spotlight shooting at night developed. Freshwater Crocodiles have been protected by law since 1964 and Saltwater Crocodiles since 1971.

Mining

Main article: Uranium mining in Kakadu National Park
The Ranger Uranium Mine.

The first mineral discoveries in the Top End were associated with the construction of the Overland Telegraph line between 1870 and 1872, in the Pine Creek – Adelaide River area. A series of short mining booms followed.

The construction of the North Australia Railway line gave more permanency to the mining camps, and places such as Burrundie and Pine Creek became permanent settlements. The mining camps and new settlements drew many Aboriginal people away from Kakadu. No Aboriginal people are known to have worked in the mines but their exposure to alcohol and other drugs had a huge impact.

Small-scale gold mining began at Imarlkba, near Barramundi Creek, and Mundogie Hill in the 1920s and at Moline (previously called Eureka and Northern Hercules mine), south of the Park, in the 1930s. The mines employed a few local Aboriginal people.

In 1953 uranium was discovered along the headwaters of the South Alligator River valley. Thirteen small but rich uranium mines operated in the following decade, at their peak in 1957 employing over 150 workers. No Aboriginal people were employed at any of these mines.

Early in the 1970s large uranium deposits were discovered at Ranger, Jabiluka and Koongarra. Following receipt of a formal proposal to develop the Ranger site, the Commonwealth Government initiated an inquiry into land use in the Alligator Rivers region. The Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry (known as the Fox inquiry) recommended, among other things, that mining begin at the Ranger site, that consideration be given to the future development of the Jabiluka and Koongarra sites, and that a service town be built (Fox et al. 1976, 1977). The Ranger mine and the service town (Jabiru) have had many and considerable impacts on Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people express varying opinions about mining.