Ubirr in Kakadu National Park; a hike well worth doing
If you’ve done any research into Kakadu National Park, chances are you’ve stumbled across photos of Ubirr; a sacred aboriginal location in the northern part of the park that will take your breath away.
Where is Ubirr and how do you get there?
You’ find Ubirr in the Northern Part of Kakadu National Park, about 40km from Jabiru, and not far from Cahills Crossing. It’s a bitumen road all the way in, that’s 110km/h most of the way, except for a big S through a pretty billabong.
Slow down, or you’ll end up in the drink! The signs will lead you the right way, but stay on the main road and it will take you right into Ubirr.
It’s a bit of a drive from the Sandy Billabong and Koolpin Gorge that we stayed at, but you need to put it on your list!
When’s the best time to visit Ubirr?
It’s a bit of a climb to get to the top, so visiting early in the morning, or late in the afternoon (sunset is the best, apparently) is the ideal time to head off.
There are a couple of ranger tours that are free, and several art sites to stop and look at. The sign suggests 1.5 hours to comfortably see everything.
Aboriginal art work
The aboriginal culture is considered to be the oldest in the world, and there is a lot of art work done many years ago that is available to see.
These are pretty amazing, and were done many years ago. Respect the fact that you have access to them; stay behind the barriers and appreciate them from a distance.
The view from Ubirr
For many, the view to Ubirr is truly breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere in Australia; its almost like a scene taken out of Africa.
The walk isn’t actually that difficult, you arrive at a set of ‘steps’ that might look a bit daunting, but make it up them, and a couple more and you already have an amazing view, without going any further.
If you’ve got the energy, and most people do – its not that hard, press on along the flat section and right to the top. You’ll be rewarded with views of a flood plain that is truly unbelievable.
As our neighbours at Free Spirit Caravan Park in Darwin said ‘you’d expect to see giraffes and lions running around, like in Africa’.
We climbed up (Sarah stopped half way!) at about 3PM, and it was quite warm, but a breeze made it relatively pleasant at the top. I was gobsmacked, to say the least, and really impressed.
