View ancient Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu National Park

Having served as the awe-inspiring backdrop for Crocodile Dundee , Kakadu National Park is at once familiar and other-worldly. 

Covering 20,000 square kilometres, it is home to tidal wetlands, mangroves, woodlands, sandstone escarpments, monsoon rainforests, billabongs, crashing waterfalls, 50,000-year-old rock art, ramshackle Aboriginal settlements, pit toilets, a third of Australia's birds and lots of hungry crocodiles.

Kakadu, which is in the Northern Territory, has the distinction of being on the UNESCO World Heritage list for both cultural and natural reasons, although uranium mining at the edge of the park has threatened this status.

Kakadu is jointly managed by its traditional Aboriginal owners and the Australian government.

An organized tour is the best way to take in the vast area - most operators will take you to view ancient Aboriginal rock art and ensure the watering holes you cool off in aren't infested with crocodiles.

Kakadu swelters with an average temperature of 34 degrees C. The wet season runs from December to March and is accompanied by intense heat, torrential downpours and epic electrical storms. The most pleasant time to visit is from June to August.