We left Darwin’s lucky Leprechaun and headed back south on what was technically the start of our return leg however we don’t really want to look at it that way for obvious reasons. On the way, we stopped in at Fog Dam (a wetlands area of international repute) which was something we meant to do when we went to the croc jumping tour on the Adelaide River the day before but we forgot!! After spending so much time in the arid regions of Central Australia it was quite a spectacle to see these vast wetlands and the abundance of birdlife – and this was the dry season!! We had to drive along the dam wall instead of the usual walk as there were signs out warning us of a Large Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodile in the area. Driving along the wall we saw the croc trap in the water so we thought we better not take any chances!! Fog Dam is a short stop well worth making if you are ever in the area. 
Our next camp was Kakadu Resort, Jabiru in the Kakadu National Park. For those of you astute enough (or of the right musical vintage), I got the title of this blog from Black Lace's 1984 one hit wonder Agadoo. When I started singing my version of the song in the car on the way into the park, the play on words flew miles over all the kids heads – and Leanne just looked at me in that “sad Dad joke” way. I laughed!! Unlike the Kings Canyon “resort”, Kakadu Resort was a truly luxurious campsite (as far as luxury can go in a campsite anyway!!) It had proper grass (this is a big deal after so many weeks of red dust), a large covered pool, and plenty of clean amenities!! This place got two thumbs up from all of us. Jabiru is a good place to base yourself in Kakadu as just about all the main attractions are readily accessible from here. The town of Jabiru itself is there to support the Ranger Uranium Mine (more of that later).
We were keen to see the famous Aboriginal rock art galleries and we were not disappointed at the two sites we went to during our two day stay – Nourlangi and Ubirr. The rock art in the north is very different to the dot art of Central Australia. The style used here is known as x-ray painting where the figures are very long and slender and the animals are shown in a kind of see-through fashion, with depictions of bones and internal (and some quite obvious external) organs being shown. The galleries were sights to behold and were another tick on our must see list. As well as the rock art galleries, these sites provided spectacular vantage points for the Kakadu Escarpment (Nourlangi) and the Arnhem Escarpment and Nardab Floodplains (Ubirr). This is truly special country. 
Other than in the Resort’s pool, we didn’t swim in the park. Every waterway, big or small, has signs warning of crocodiles, even in those deemed “safe for swimming”!!
I mentioned the Ranger Uranium Mine before and I had heard on our travels that the tour offered for the mine was very good. Naturally, I had to go on it for professional development reasons (another tax deduction possibly??) so I left Lea and the kids to enjoy the pool for a few hours. The tour was excellent and professional bias aside, I would recommend it to anyone. Travelling on a minibus, you get unprecedented access to a working mine. First stop is an awe inspiring view of the open cut pit from a fenced off area directly adjacent to it. The pit was been worked for just on 10 years and is over 200m deep! Back on the bus, you are then driven around the various processing areas of the plant. Short movies are also shown on the bus for the areas you are not taken to. On our last day we took a drive down to the Yellow Water region which is on the South Alligator River. It is because of this river that the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park exists. South Alligator river (not sure why it’s not called South Crocodile River but anyway) is the only river system in the world together with its tributaries and catchments, that is unspoilt by industry, agriculture and population masses. To be honest I thought there would be more to do here other than going on a $170 boat trip, which was an expense we hadn’t budgeted for so we took the short board walk that ran parallel to the river, had morning tea, then decided to be a bit adventurous and head off to an area called Jim Jim Falls. All the maps and advisory boards said 4WD access only so I spoke to a park ranger and he assured me that we would be able to make it no “worries” in our AWD Territory. The 60km drive along the dirt road to the camp site was corrugated but fine, however it was the last few kilometres that proved more problematic. After the campsite, the road changed to a true 4WD track which I was navigating with cautious optimism until we got bogged in some very soft and very deep sand!! No matter what mode I put the car’s @#&! electronic traction control system into, we were stuck fast. We didn’t have to wait long however until an off road adventure tour bus drove past full of keen European backpackers. With much pushing and shoving (on their behalf) we were free again. I had to admit defeat after that so I turn around and head back home for a swim and a beer. It turned out that Jim Jim Falls weren’t falling anyway so we weren’t too bothered in the end!
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