Kakadu’s Top 5 Wildlife Highlights

1. Watch the brolgas dance

These large, grey cranes start their flamboyant courtship dance in December. Take a cruise along Kakadu’s Yellow Water billabong to catch the display, and see saltwater crocodiles, too.

2. Camp out with turtles

Flatback sea turtles lay their eggs on Gardangarl (Field Island) in the dry season. Apply to Parks Australia for a camping permit.

3. Snap a lightning bug

Each October, Kakadu lights up with the scarlet and blue flashes of alyurr, the native Leichhardt’s grasshopper.

4. Enjoy a birder’s paradise

Kakadu is home to a third of Australia’s birds and over 280 species. Spot red-tailed black cockatoos and rare Gouldian finches, while magpie geese arrive in their thousands from August to October.

5. Go “spotlighting”

There are more than 60 mammal species in the park, many nocturnal, so camp overnight and go on a moonlit search for bandicoots, sugar gliders and northern quolls.