A day drive into the area to the south east of Darwin. It includes numerous wildlife encounters, such as the Crocodylus Park and Zoo, the Adelaide River floodplain and the jumping crocodiles of the Adelaide River.
Proceed out of Darwin via Stuart Highway. At Winnellie you will pass the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, which houses a comprehensive display of aircraft, including a giant B-52 bomber. The Northern Territory has always played a strategic role in the aerial defence of Australia, so it is appropriate that Darwin should be home to a museum depicting the Territory's involvement in Australian aviation, both civil and military. Among its extensive collection on display is the wreckage of a Japanese Zero fighter plane, a remnant from Darwin's attack in 1942, while other exhibits include a WWII Spitfire, a B52 bomber, a Wessex helicopter and the 'Bombing of Darwin' display, retelling the events of 1942. Entry fees apply.
Location: 557 Stuart Hwy, Winnellie (Opposite Darwin Showgrounds)
Crocodylus Park and Zoo (Phone (08) 8922 4500), which specialises in displaying crocodiles, is situated on McMillan's Road at Knuckeys Lagoon near Casuarina. The Park is opposite the entrance to the Berrimah Police Centre overlooking Holmes Jungle Nature Reserve. A wildlife research and education centre focusing on the crocodile, the park is home to over a thousand crocodiles, as well a diverse array of other wildlife including big cats, primates, birds and other reptiles. An air conditioned museum tells about the origin of crocodiles, how many different species there are and why they are so feared - and revered.
Location: 815 McMillans Road, Knuckey Lagoon.
Near McMinns Lagoon, take the Arnhem Highway turnoff towards Humpty Doo. A small settlement, it was the site of one of Australia's great failed post-war agricultural experiments. In 1954, after considerable experimentation by CSIRO, a scheme to irrigate the sub coastal plain of the Adelaide River and produce a commercial rice crop was instigated. 303,000 hectares of land on the floodplain were irrigated but wild buffalo and rats destroyed the paddy fields, birds consumed the seeds as fast as they were sown and the soil proved to be too saline and the drainage inadequate. By 1959 the paddy fields had been abandoned.
Before reaching the Adelaide River, you will see the turnoff to Fogg Dam. Built for a failed rice growing scheme in the 1950s, the low dam wall, which can be negotiated either in a vehicle or on foot, passes through the middle of a wetlands area that teems with wildlife. Observation points assist in viewing the wildlife.
This is a great place to visit - if possible, go early in the morning (sunrise if you can) or late in the afternoon and you will see so many birds and animal life - crocodile, monitors, cranes, herons, kingfishers and many other birds too numerous to mention. About half an hour before sunrise, as soft light precedes the colourful sunrise, the dawn chorus of birds begins – an unforgettable experience! How captivating and serene it is to experience such a vast landscape full of beautiful wildlife as far as the eyes can see, where you can sit for hours watching as the scenery changes before your eyes. A great wetland without the distance of Kakadu - this is a well kept secret. Be sure to take your camera as you never know what wonderful bird life you will experience.
A visit to Window on the Wetlands can be combined with visits to nearby Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve and the Mary River National Park (proposed). Window on the Wetlands Visitor Centre is perched on Beatrice Hill, one of the highest points on the Adelaide River floodplain. It provides an introduction to the northern coastal wetlands. There are interactive displays about the ecological processes that occur in the wetlands, the seasonal changes and the abundant wildlife.
Back on the highway on Beatrice Hill is Window To The Wetlands, a display and information centre which explains all about the wetlands and the flora and fauna that live there. Before the Adelaide River crossing are a number of cruise operators who take guests up and down the river to see Saltwater crocodiles in their natural habitat. The crocs put on a spectacular display by jumping right out of the water to take meat from poles dangled over the side of the cruise vessels (Phone: 08 8988 8144).
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