Top End Survival Guide.

First published in iHerp Australia Issue 8 September - October 2018.

I first visited Darwin in November of 2012. I was as excited as I was the first time I used high speed internet; what a time to be alive! I had no real plan for the trip, just two weeks of the tropical north. I enjoyed the place so much that within three months I found myself back in Darwin - permanently.

I've now lived here for 5 years, and not a season goes by without one of you southerners calling, emailing or Facebook messaging me to ask for herping tips, or to help organising some sort of holiday itinerary! With that in mind I have decided to document a few of the highlights of Northern Australia, with the budget of a zoo keeper (which let's face it; a 16-year old in fast food gets better pay)!

In my honest opinion the best time of year to visit the Darwin region is toward the end of the wet season. I say this for many reasons, not least of which are that both the flora and fauna are abundant, and the international backpackers are not! March, April and May are the best options. However, surprise, surprise it is warmish (30ish degrees) during that time of year, so if you consider yourself pretty soft to the heat perhaps Tassie is a better option for you?

Speaking of which, the weather can be draining in the Top End, and you should make sure you stay well hydrated. I suggest drinking at least three litres of water per day. You might think its hard to do, but believe me when its as humid as it is up here you find you are always reaching for an ice-cold, refreshing... water, of course. 

What is there for a herper to do in Darwin?

Ill try not to get to preachy, but its hard to not be biased about Crocosaurus Cove. Located in the heart of Darwin City, it boasts a large display of Australian native reptiles with 55 exhibits containing anywhere between 60 to 70 different species on display, as well as a 250,000-litre freshwater aquarium, and of course Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and the Cage of Death! I would assume anyone reading this likes reptiles, and if that's the case, Croc Cove is the perfect place for you to see some of the local species -with animal encounters and big croc feeding shows daily, you'd be mad to miss it! Make sure you say 'G'day' to me!

There are other zoos around Darwin, each with its own different spin on wildlife, both native and exotic. Well worth the look while in town.

Although it is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Darwin has a compararatively small population and there is an abundance of vegetation around the area.  Places like the Botanical Gardens, East Point Reserve, Lee Point Reserve, Charles Darwin National Park and many other parks are all within the city limits, and when it comes to seeing animals in their natural setting it doesn't take a lot of effort to see some fairly exciting animals like the Swamplands Lashtail  (Tropicagama temporalis), Common or Golden Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) , Frilled Neck Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii)  and Spotted Tree Goanna (Varanus scalaris). All of these are fairly common in the city region, and are testament to how native wildlife can survive in urban areas if given enough habitat. Not to brag at all, but I have encounter all four of these animals in my backyard!

The natural history museum is also worth a few hours of your time but, let's face it you don't come to Darwin to stay in the city! You want to get out to World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and the stunning Litchfield National Park!

There are many tour companies that will do day and over night tours to Kakadu and day tours to Litchfield. Personally I  would rather hire a car and drive myself: there's privacy;  you can take in more on your own time; you can see what you want without feeling rushed; and you end up saving money without paying a tour guide. I'll take you out myself for a fee!

Kakadu is one of my favourite places to visit. It has so much cultural significance to the Bininj Aboriginal people who have lived in the area for thousands of years and have a deep spiritual connection with the land and animals they share it with. Its this ancient culture and the wildlife of Kakadu that really draws me to the place.

The town within Kakadu is called Jabiru and it has all the advantages of the big city, including internet coverage so you can update your social media! I will usually stay in Jabiru while in Kakadu as it means you can get an airconditioned bungalow and private toilet/ bathroom combo. The older i get the more essential this become.

Ubirr is a 30km drive from Jabiru along a tarred road which follows the sandstone escarpment for much of its length, but also passes through a variety of different habitats including savannah and flood plains. Keep an eye out for snakes and lizards crossing, as we wouldn't want any of them ran over! Once you get to Ubirr you have access to one of the largest indigenous rock art sites within Kakadu, as well as a nice walk up a monolith to a view over-looking Arnhem Land flood plain. While you're up there, if you are patient and willing to sit and take in the sights and sounds you might just spot a Black-palmed Rock Goanna (Varanus glebopalma) chase a small skink or grass hopper, or see Agile Wallabies (Notamacropus agilis) darting through the rocks with ease.

Cahills crossing (the river crossing famous for Saltwater crocodile that features regularly on the news) is located near Ubirr. Don't venture to close to the waters edge as you may end up becoming lunch and finding fame on the next news coverage about a silly person who got too close to a Crocodile.

When I visit Kakadu I also make a visit to Nourlangie and Noarlunga Rock as both these popular tourist sites are home to some amazing indigenous rock art and wildlife as well.

A trip out to Kakadu is not complete without a boat tour on Yellow Water Billabong. Located in the southern end of Kakadu, this billabong  is home to so much wildlife it would take an entire article to list all the species. I would recommend doing the morning or afternoon tour that lasts for about an hour. A high-light animal for this trip is the Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and if you are very lucky you might see Pig-nosed turtles (Carettochelys insculpta) , which are a major target species of mine.

Much closer to Darwin, if you want to see a pretty waterfall and 'realign you chakras' then your destination  is irrefutably Litchfield National Park. It's only an hour away from town, and there's mobile coverage most of the way. If you can find a quiet spot away from the rowdy backpackers, you might get lucky and spy a Mertens' Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi), Northern Yellow-faced Turtle (Emydura tanybaraga) or potentially even the occasional Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) all enjoying the same swimming hole with you. My favourite part of Litchfield is the Wangi Falls area.

No herp trip to Darwin would be complete without stopping off at Fogg Dam. This is actually a man-made structure which was once used to irrigate rice crops in the Humpty Doo area, however the rice farming failed for a variety of reasons. The dam itself provides the basis for a perfect eco system for a number of plants and animals including reptiles, amphibians, fish and birds.

With the highest abundance of Water Pythons (Liasis fuscus) on the planet its certainly no secret that Fogg Dam is herp heaven. There may be copious numbers of Water Pythons in the area, but they aren't the only reptiles that calls Fogg Dam home. You can also see Death Adders (Acanthophis hawkei), Slaty-grey Snakes (Stegonotus australis), Keelbacks (Tropidonophis mairii) and occasionally  Arafura File Snakes (Acrochordus arafurae) at Fogg Dam. Don't forget that where there's water there are probably Crocs, so once again,  don't get too close to the waters edge.

Fogg Dam is also a great area to see a large variety of frogs including Dahls Aquatic frog(Litoria dahlii), Green Tree Frogs (L. caerulea)and Northern Dwarf Tree Frogs (L. bicolor). Unfortunately, Cane toad (Rhinella marina) is common within the Top End, and this introduced pest has been causing a lot of problems for our native wildlife due to it's highly toxic poison. It has been responsible for a sharp decline in monitor lizard numbers in the past few years,  and the Yellow-spotted Monitor (Varanus panoptes)  population in particular has been decimated.

The decline in monitors has led to an increase in some of the smaller animals that are common prey species. This includes the ground nesting Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton), keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful, blood-red birds while spotting at Fogg dam. Some of the other birds that frequent the area include the Black-necked Stalk (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), Double-barred Finch, Brolga (Antigone rubicunda), Egrets (Egretta sp) and king fishers (Alcedinidae sp).

With so much to see and do within the Darwin region you could literally spend a life time up here and not run out of new things to find and experience! I'm convinced; life in the Top End is spectacular - it's an amazing area and Australia's 'final frontier'.  Why not come up and find out for yourself just how magical it can be.

Cheers and happy herpin'.