Kakadu & Top End

Russell's Light Wet Special

January 17-26, 2010

Completely revised and updated on 5 December 2009

I (Russell Willis) love the Wet. It is, in many ways, my favourite time of year. For those who want to experience the wet without having to carry a full pack and camp out, we offer two great trips: Green Kimberley Light in January and Kakadu Light in February. Sadly, they don't often run. This trip is the answer.

As neither of those trips will run in 2010, I've replaced them with this one and have guaranteed departure for one person, changing the date and lengthening the trip to suit their wishes. Even without paying myself a wage, that's less than break even. I think that says how much I enjoy trips like these -- as laid back and easy as it can be while still seeing some of the best that the wet season has to offer.

The inspiration for the first part of this trip came when I got stuck overnight by flooding at the Victoria River coming back from a Kimberley trip in early March 2008. The two photos below show the Victoria Highway when I first arrived and late that afternoon.


The reason I feel confident that flooding won't be a problem this time is the new bridge, shown under construction at right. It is fully five metres higher than the old one. The new bridge removes the potential obstacle.
What's there to see? How about the great views over the watery, green landscape below. The two photos below were taken from a view point on a marked trail, a few km from the roadhouse. The one at left is looking west, the one at right looks east.

How about the high but small waterfalls which only flow at this time of year?

How about one of the most amazing concentrations of Aboriginal paintings in the region? The first two photos below show parts of two of the galleries. The two photos below that show a 3 metre spirit figure and a sting ray. The fact that a ray could be painted this far from the coast gives you an idea of just how big the Victoria River is.

The photos above show you only the first two days of the trip. The rest will consist of some of the highlights from the Green Kimberley Light trip.

The next three days will be spent exploring some hidden valleys and waterfalls near Kununurra. We will spend two nights in budget accommodation and one night camped in a rock shelter. To get an idea what this is like, you should have a look at our Unknown Gorges photo gallery.

The final four days is spent paddling a canoe down the Ord River, stopping to walk off to visit some of the many waterfalls we will find along the way at this time of year. Our Ord River page has a few photos that will give you some idea what this is like. We'll finish the paddle 10 km before the normal pull out, avoiding the hottest and least interesting part of the standard trip.

After a final night in Kununurra, we drive back to Darwin on the last day.

For the full details, including the cost, please read detailed trip notes.

If you have any questions, please send an email to walkabout@bushwalkingholidays.com.au or give us a call on (08) 8985 2134.

Willis's Walkabouts Top-Level Menu

Kakadu & Top End

Russell's Light Wet Special

January 17-26, 2010

Completely revised and updated on 5 December 2009