The Top End a panoramic gift book
Contents 7
The Top End
9
Darwin
12
Territory Wildlife Park
15
Litchfield National Park
20
Nitmiluk National Park
27
Kakadu National Park
41
A Living Culture
45
Top End Wet Season
49
The World of Waterlilies
51
Waterbirds
55
Freshwater Wildlife
57
Estuarine Crocodiles
58
Parrots
61
Woodland Wildlife
The Top End from the heart
Located at the northern edge of the continent, the Top End offers an incomparable wilderness experience and the opportunity to explore some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Ranging from Darwin — the region’s vibrant, multicultural hub — to the World-Heritage-listed wetlands of Kakadu National Park and the stone country of Arnhem Land, the Top End is an alluring and mystical destination that has to be experienced at least once in everyone’s lifetime. Indigenous Australians of the area celebrate more than 60,000 years of culture and their histories are recorded in stunning rock art galleries. I hope you feel the remarkable spirit of these people and of this rugged region as you journey through this book.
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View over Cullen Bay Marina to Darwin’s CBD. Darwin’s low-rise cyclone-proof structures lend the city a relaxed ambience.
Darwin the tropical city
Australia’s northernmost capital, Darwin has survived the devastation of war and cyclone to evolve from a small outpost into a modern city. First surveyed by John Lort Stokes, Darwin, then called Palmerstone, rose to prominence after the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872. The city has been rebuilt twice, following bombings in World War Two and cyclone Tracy in 1974. Darwin today is a contemporary, multicultural city poised amid an ancient paradise.
Top: Sunset is a magical time on Darwin’s beaches and bays. Above: Each year, Darwinians celebrate the Top End’s artistic and cultural diversity at the colourful Darwin Festival. www.steveparish.com.au
Top: Gardens Park Golf Links garlands the city in green. Above: Boats in Frances Bay — Darwinians love being out on the water.
Cyclists pedal down Nightcliff Jetty, silhouetted by a golden tropical sunset.
Sunsets are famously lurid in the Top End.
Top: Aboriginal wares on sale at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Above: The Darwin Festival parade celebrates multiculturalism. www.steveparish.com.au
Territory Wildlife Park a wildlife wonderland
Located next to Berry Springs on the Stuart Highway, the award-winning Territory Wildlife Park offers an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Top End’s wildlife. More than 90,000 visitors a year flock to the park, which showcases 211 species from many habitats and contains more than 6 kilometres of walking tracks.
A ranger with an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), a regal inhabitant of the Top End.
A raised walkway weaves around the Territory Wildlife Park’s Billabong exhibit to provide views over this quintessential Top End habitat. www.steveparish.com.au
The magnificent twin cascades of Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park.
Litchfield National Park a plethora of natural beauty
Two hours’ drive south of Darwin, the natural beauty of Litchfield National Park awaits. Litchfield is truly the Eden of the interior, where dramatic sandstone formations, such as those of the remote Lost City, rise from open forests, and the cascading waters of spectacular Wangi, Florence and Tolmer falls plummet into deep swimming pools. Camping is permitted in the park, which contains many bushwalks through tropical and unique monsoon rainforests that protect a multitude of flora and fauna.
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Top: A green cycad in the dry season.  Above: Bracket fungi.
Buley Rockhole is a popular swimming spot near Florence Falls.
Wangi Falls tumble into a refreshing pool.
Top: Spires of the Lost City.  Above: Olive Python (Liasis olivaceus). www.steveparish.com.au
termite mounds
The unusual Magnetic Termite Mounds are an intriguing attraction of Litchfield National Park. Located just inside the park’s border, the 2-metre-high termite mounds are aligned on a north–south axis, hence the name “magnetic”. The ingenious termites have worked out that this orientation, as well as the broad flat design, reduces the amount of heat absorbed by the mound during the hottest part of the day. Termites are an exceptionally important link in the Top End’s ecosystem, as recyclers and also as a food source for other animals.
The Magnetic Termite Mounds rise like bizarre headstones. www.steveparish.com.au
Nitmiluk National Park sandstone country
Managed by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people in conjunction with the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, the 292,800-hectare Nitmiluk National Park is just 30 kilometres from the town of Katherine. Over 20,000 years of evolution, thirteen gorges have been incised from the sandstone country rock by the winding Katherine River. At their highest point, the sheer walls of stone rise up to 60 metres above visitors experiencing the park by boat. Only five of the gorges in the park are accessible by tour boats on the Katherine River. Those who are strictly landlubbers can discover the park’s attractions along 100 kilometres of walking paths, some of which lead to Aboriginal rock art sites dating back around 7000 years and recording important cultural myths and creation stories.
Visitors navigate their way by canoe along the river.
The serpentine Katherine River is the centrepiece of Nitmiluk National Park.
Distinct gorges have been formed by the Katherine River’s flow. www.steveparish.com.au
A eucalypt in Katherine Gorge, bathed in golden afternoon light.
These pages: Katherine River, Nitmiluk National Park. Nitmiluk means “Cicada Place� in the language of the Jawoyn people. www.steveparish.com.au
Kakadu National Park World Heritage wetlands
Kakadu National Park is synonymous with wetland diversity. This 20,000-square-kilometre World-Heritage-listed pocket of life protects rainforests, gorges, floodplains and billabongs. Its main geological feature is the imposing Arnhem Land plateau — an ancient sandstone formation that helps create Kakadu’s remarkable habitats. In the wet season, pounding rains stream off the Arnhem Land escarpment and remnant outcrops of sandstone such as Nourlangie Rock to the floodplains below. The brimming billabongs teem with fish, birds and insects, which feed and reproduce during this fecund period of replenishment and renewal.
A moment of serenity in Kakadu. www.steveparish.com.au
Encircling the wetland waterholes of Kakadu, the Arnhem Land escarpment also corrals the forests below.
Torrents of water plunge from Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu National Park, during the wet season.
The pounding pressure of Twin Falls in flood kneads the rocks at the fall’s base. www.steveparish.com.au
These pages: The landscape of Kakadu National Park features stony towers, stacks, mountains, and caves, many with special significance to Aboriginal people. www.steveparish.com.au
Like abstract sculptures of Nature, these stone “mushrooms” stand at Ubirr.
Ubirr Lookout in Kakadu National Park — an area of great significance to Aborigines and a major tourist attraction. www.steveparish.com.au
These pages: Flora-rich Kakadu National Park contains more than 2000 species. www.steveparish.com.au
Nourlangie Rock
Burrunggui is the name given to the upper part of Nourlangie, and the lower areas are known as Anbangbang. Aboriginal beliefs tell how this area was formed when two Creation Ancestors in the form of Short-eared Rock-wallabies travelled past Nourlangie Rock, across Anbangbang Billabong, and up into the rocks at Nawurlandja. As they passed, they cut two crevices into the rock that are still visible today.
Crags and chasms are moody features of Nourlangie Rock. www.steveparish.com.au
A Living Culture captured in art
Rocky overhangs, ledges and caves in the terrain around Kakadu preserve living galleries that exhibit the art and culture of the Bininj Aboriginal people. Intricate, ochre-coloured artwork of Barramundi, Pig-nosed Turtles and the Oenpelli Python depict traditional food sources, but many also relate to Dreaming myths and stories of Aboriginal Creation Ancestors. Kakadu is of extreme cultural significance to the Bininj, who believe that during the Creation Time (or The Dreaming) spiritual ancestors of Aborigines travelled across the land creating the landscape, flora, fauna and people. Some of these Creators — such as Namarrgon, the Lightning Man, and his wife Barrginj — are depicted in an elaborate ceremonial scene in Anbangbang Gallery beneath Nourlangie Rock. Opposite: The Creator Spirits Namondjok, Nabulwinjbulwinj, Namarrgon and Barrginj. Above left: Animals and spirits are commonly depicted. Left: Warradjan, the Pig-nosed Turtle. www.steveparish.com.au
Merten’s Water Monitor (Varanus mertensi ).
A traditional food source, monitor lizards feature frequently in rock art. www.steveparish.com.au
Top: Cloud formation over Kakadu.  Above: A flock of Great Egrets flies across the wetlands of Kakadu.
Top End Wet Season life-giving liquid
Along with torrents of water, the Top End’s wet season brings a choir of waterbirds and a wonderful proliferation of waterlilies, waterweeds and reeds. These all provide a floral feast for herbivores, and their flowering lures many insect species, which in turn attract birds, reptiles and fish to the waterholes.
Leichhardt’s Grasshoppers (Petasida ephippigera) appear a few weeks before the wet season.
Rivers swell in the wet season. www.steveparish.com.au
Sunset fades in a gradient of dusky hues then slips between darkened trees.
Kakadu wetlands are places of abundance after the monsoons. www.steveparish.com.au
These pages: Waterlilies rise from the mirrored billabongs like floral sceptres.
The World of Waterlilies floral sceptres
A traditional food source of the Bininj people, waterlilies bloom between May and June, splashing pink and white across the billabongs.
Jacanas depend on waterlily habitats. www.steveparish.com.au
Darter (Anhinga melanogaster).
Top: Radjah Shelducks (Tadorna radjah). Above: Australian Pelicans (Pelecanus conspicillatus).
Waterbirds in wetland paradise
Less than 70 kilometres east of Darwin, in the Adelaide River catchment, the wonder of wetlands can be observed at Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve — a wetland haven that comprises habitat from monsoon forest to Pandanus grasslands. The traditional land of the Limilngan-Wulna people, Fogg Dam attracts thousands of migratory waterbirds, making it an excellent destination for naturalists, birdwatchers and wildlife photographers. Egrets, herons, Comb-crested Jacanas, Black-necked Storks and other waders flock here en masse to feed on the rich diversity of invertebrates and freshwater fish.
Pied Heron (Ardea picata). www.steveparish.com.au
Magpie Geese (Anseranas semipalmata).
The wetland serenity is disturbed only by the calls of waterbirds at Fogg Dam.
Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus). www.steveparish.com.au
Freshwater animals depend on water plants for shelter, food and oxygen.
Barramundi (Lates calcarifer).
Freshwater Wildlife underwater creatures
Australia’s coasts and reefs are renowned for fish species diversity, but exploration of the inland rivers and billabongs reveals a wealth of underwater creatures suited to freshwater living. Fish and turtle species employ boom and bust tactics, making the most of seasonal floods and rains to reproduce and lay their eggs, then seeking sanctuary in permanent holes or deep, cool cracks in the mud when droughts arrive.
Top: Northern Yellow-faced Turtle (Emydura tanybaraga). Above: Sevenspot Archerfish (Toxotes chatareus).
Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta). www.steveparish.com.au
Estuarine Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are fearsome reptiles, yet they manage to coexist in relative peace with Territorians.
Estuarine Crocodiles in the backyard
Australia’s Top End watercourses and coasts are prime habitat for one of the Earth’s most primitive and dangerous reptiles, the Estuarine (or Saltwater) Crocodile. Inhabiting oceans and tidal estuaries, these formidable beasts grow up to 6 metres long and can easily catch prey as large as cattle, feral pigs and humans. Throughout the Top End, signs warn of the potential danger posed by crocodiles, and most Territorians are well aware that common sense can also help avoid an attack.
Top: Crocodiles float like logs on the water’s surface, leaving just their eyes and nostrils visible. Above: Crocodiles are ferocious carnivores that use their keen eyesight to detect prey. www.steveparish.com.au
Parrots a colourful collage
The Top End is a birder’s paradise, replete with various parrot species as well as waterbirds. Australia is home to about 56 of the 330 parrot species that inhabit the planet. In fact, this continent’s abundance of these colourful birds led mapmakers of the 1500s to annotate the coast of a great southern land with Psittacorum Regio — “The Region of Parrots” — as reported by Portuguese sailing expeditions.
Varied Lorikeets (Psitteuteles versicolor).
Little Corellas (Cacatua sanguinea).
Red-collared Lorikeets (Trichoglossus rubritorquis).
Northern Rosellas (Platycercus venustus). www.steveparish.com.au
Woodland Wildlife shy inhabitants
Top End woodlands conceal an array of wildlife. Kangaroos and other macropods seek the shelter of woodlands near floodplains and grasslands, where they can move out to feed, while smaller, insectivorous mammals, such as bandicoots and phascogales, rifle through the dry leaf litter for larvae, grubs, bugs and grasshoppers. More elusive reptiles and amphibians camouflage themselves against the leaf-dappled floors of woodlands, or shelter in rocky areas around waterholes.
Opposite, left to right: Antilopine Wallaroo (Macropus antilopinus); Black Wallaroo (Macropus bernardus).  Left, top to bottom: Dahl’s Aquatic Frog (Litoria dahlii); Northern Delma (Delma borea). www.steveparish.com.au
From an early age, Steve Parish has been driven by his undying passion for Australia to photograph every aspect of it, from its wild animals and plants to its many wild places. Then he began to turn his camera on Australians and their ways of life. This body of work forms one of Australia’s most diverse photographic libraries. Over the years, these images of Australia have been used in thousands of publications, from cards, calendars and stationery to books – pictorial, reference, guide and children’s. Steve has combined his considerable talents as a photographer, writer, poet and public speaker with his acute sense of needs in the marketplace to create a publishing company that today is recognised worldwide. Steve’s primary goal is to turn the world on to nature, and, in pursuit of this lifelong objective, he has published a world-class range of children’s books and learning aids. He sees our children as the decision makers of tomorrow and the guardians of our heritage.
Published by Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd PO Box 1058, Archerfield, Queensland 4108 Australia © copyright Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd
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First published 2010. Photography: Steve Parish Additional photography: pp. 14 (bottom left), Ian Morris Design: Elise Butler, SPP Editorial: Michele Perry, Cathy Vallance & Karin Cox, SPP Colour management: Greg Harm, SPP Production: Jacqueline Schneider, SPP
Find the complete range in our webshop: www.steveparish.com.au/shop?cat=594
OCTOBER 2010 RELEASE
OCTOBER 2010 RELEASE