An early start & off to Jabiru Airport for our flight over Kakadu. We jumped into a 6 seater fixed wing plane that we later found out is about 35 years old, but we felt safe & I guess the pilot wouldn't seem so confident if it wasn't! We flew out over Jabiru to see the Crocodile Inn (a motel shaped like a crocodile) then over creeks, roads & wetlands on our way to Jim Jim Falls.

 

 

We did several loops over Jim Jim & Twin Falls so both sides could see. Jim Jim Falls are about 150mtrs high, Twin Falls are even higher & it has a lovely looking sandy beach at the bottom. The photos we've seen of the bottom of the gorges are absolutely beautiful; pity we couldn't drive out there.

From there we flew out over the  Arnhem Land escarpment and past some more smaller falls & up Deaf Adder Valley (yes deaf... not death; don't ask me why) which contains sacred Aboriginal sites so you're not allowed in.  We returned to Jabiru over the Ranger Uranium Mine before landing.  How they can allow uranium mining in Kakadu, a World Heritage Listed area, is hard to comprehend. There's been a lot of controversy about it over the years.

We had a lovely hour flying all over Kakadu & it really helps you appreciate the vastness of the area. It was great.

We drove out to Nourlangie Rock after that to see rock art dating back about 60,000 years & it was probably some of the best rock art we've ever seen. Each painting tells a story & it's so much more meaningful when you know what they mean. We came across a ranger telling dreamtime stories about magic siblings who turned into crocodiles, walked the outdoor lounge room 1000's of years old & heard about all the trouble you got into if you did the wrong thing by your tribe. Life was pretty tough back then.
 

We went for a drive down to the Warradjon Aboriginal Cultural Centre for a look & took about an hour to go through; it was so well done. It's amazing to see & hear how the aboriginals lived all those years ago & how some still do. I really think we both have a better appreciation of them now.