Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) is temporarily closed

Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) has been temporarily closed after the park received a report of a possible crocodile sighting near the footbridge earlier today.
Park staff are taking all precautions and surveys will be carried out tonight and again tomorrow morning.
Visitors to the park are advised to stay vigilant around waterways and always keep a safe distance to the water’s edge. We’ll keep you updated and let you know when the area is open again.

Tanya, Parks Australia

The snake left this perfect skin specimen hanging there for me to find the next morning!

Living in Jabiru, the township in the heart of Kakadu National Park, we get used to the noises made by the various creatures in the night – curlews, dingos, and barking owls, amongst others.

Last night, however, a different noise awoke us –the violent shaking of the tree outside. After some investigation the noises stopped and the apparent source of the noise was gone. The next day, the reason for all the commotion was discovered… A large snake had been shedding its skin in the tree and was obviously struggling to get out.

Kristen Sierke, Seasonal ranger, Kakadu National Park

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Meeting with marrawuddi

Snake whisperer charms carpet python

The gardens’ David Taylor planting an endangered small purple pea

Gardening Australia filming the rainforest gully

Canberra centenary celebrations continued this month with a Gardening Australia show dedicated to our nation’s capital.

Living Collections curator David Taylor took presenter Sophie Thomson for a tour of our unique gardens – which showcases around 6,000 species of Australian native plants.

A passionate plant lover and a natural in front of the cameras, David took Sophie for a fascinating stroll, beginning in the famous rainforest gully and ending at the developing Red Centre Garden. They also checked out the button wrinklewort which is a locally threatened grassland plant and ‘Canberra bells’, a flowering plant bred exclusively for the capital’s centenary.

Don’t miss David as he reveals the delights of the nation’s garden  - find out how to grow central Australian plants and sample Canberra’s ecological delights in the full episode at the ABC website.

Steve, Australian National Botanic Gardens

Ubirr sunset | The cool weather will be here soon

It’s almost the end of May and there are still some storm clouds around. Someone forgot to tell the weather that Yegge (cooler but still humid time) should have started by now. For visitors to Ubirr, this is a bonus as there are spectacular sunsets from the lookout over the Nadab floodplain. These are usually seen in Gunumeleng, the hot, pre-monsoon season at the end of the year.

 The free ranger talks have begun around the park – and visitors from far and wide are taking advantage of this wonderful program.  Talks take place twice each day at the two main art sites of Ubirr and Nourlangie, plus there are guided walks, slideshows and cultural activities around the park.

As an interpretive ranger, this is one of the best jobs in Australia.  I get a chance to share the knowledge that I’ve built up over the past 13 years of being in Kakadu, in one of the most beautiful classrooms the world has to offer.  On top of this I get to meet some amazing people and hear their stories, especially the travelling families with kids doing home-schooling along the way.   

Annie Taylor, Seasonal ranger, Kakadu National Park

The Grotto | Christmas Island | Image by Leila Jeffreys

We know Christmas Island is one of the world’s wonders – and regular readers of this blog will no doubt know too! Now you can share this natural paradise with the world by voting for Christmas Island as the ‘New 8^th Wonder of the World’.

Christmas Island Tourism Association have nominated Christmas Island as an entrant in the competition run by Virtual Tourist – in the hope of sharing the island’s unique beauty with more people around the world.

Voting opened 3 June, and runs through to 30 September so there’s plenty of opportunity to get voting.  The rules are one vote per person per day, and the landmark with the most votes will be featured in a national TV segment!

To vote visit www.virtualtourist.com/8thwonder  and find Christmas Island in the alphabetical list or go to the Christmas Island Tourism Association website www.christmas.net.au  and click on the widget.

Tanya, Parks Australia

Discover Christmas Island

Behind the scenes of a natural phenomenon

Red crab migration begins on Christmas Island

Christmas Island bird app

Don’t miss the water tank at Kuniya Piti

The water tank at Kuniya Piti is looking very bright – thanks to the Mutitjulu Primary School and Nyangatjatjara College Rangers. After completing lessons on being sun-smart and water-wise the students wanted to share what they learnt with the park’s visitors. 

If you’re visiting us be sure to fill up your water bottles from the newly painted tank and enjoy the colourful reminders to stay hydrated, wear a hat and keep safe while in the park. We think the students shared their advice beautifully. What do you think?

Vanessa, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Tilly in her pouch (my napsack!)

Tilly and I reunited in Paradise

Working for Kakadu National Park, I get the opportunity to take care of injured or orphaned animals which is something I have always wanted to do.

When Tilly, an injured wallaby, was brought to me she was a tiny baby and very shy. I had to feed her every three to four hours – it was very challenging but even more rewarding. As she grew I felt just like little miss Tilly’s mum, teaching her how to go to the toilet, to drink from a bowl and to eat other things besides milk. I worried about her health but learnt loads as I went along.

I had to take Tilly to work with me at Bowali Visitor Centre , but of course no-one minded – we’re used to raising an assortment of animals here. Word-of-mouth spread and visitors often came in just to see Tilly!

When it was time to release her it was difficult as I had grown so attached to her, but of course I knew it was the best thing for her. We went out to Paradise, in Kakadu, and as soon as we got her out of the car she was off! At that moment I knew she was happy and I was happy for her.

She is thriving out there and has heaps of friends. The last time I went to see her I called out her name and she came running up and jumped on me and started licking me as if to say, ‘Mum, you’re back!’ It was a wonderful feeling to know that she remembered me as the one who raised her.

Brooke, Kakadu National Park

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Kakadu’s orphaned quoll

Babysitting at Bowali

Fires dot the base of Nourlangie

In Kakadu any time of year is good for watching the sunset - especially from the sandstone outliers of Ubirr and Nawurlandja. At this time of year, when the seasons are changing between Banggerreng and Yegge, and the Darwin woollybutt is flowering, we start to see smoke and fires dotted across the landscape, cleaning up country. The dramatic sunsets are hazy and smoky. Burrunggui (Nourlangie) changes from orange to red as the sun drops below the horizon. Fire slowly licks around the base of this spectacular outlier forming a bright red ring of light as the sky fades to dark blue and grey. From Ubirr, sitting on ancient sandstone and looking out over the youthful floodplains, the crackle and hiss of burning grasses below is surprisingly loud. The end of another day in paradise.

Meg, Seasonal ranger, Kakadu National Park

Join Meg and her fellow seasonal rangers for free guided walks, talks and cultural activities from now until October 2013 at Kakadu National Park.

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Meeting with marrawuddi

Download the 2013 seasonal ranger program here

Sunrise at camp

Blue banded bee | Henbury Station

Wow, we’ve been busy! We’ve scoured the Henbury Nature Reserve, collected specimens and even found time to take heaps of fab pictures.

Despite the expedition’s wet and cold start- which saw reptiles burrowing into the sand and invertebrates making themselves pretty scarce – we’ve had a lot of success.  We’ve been uncovering spiders, true bugs, beetles, butterflies, fish, plants and more – and may have found five new species of bee, scorpion, plant and some spiders! These will all now go to the lab for examination.

For me, the best bit has been the ability to relay my experiences back to the students in the classroom via skype and video blogs. They have loved the interaction.

TeachLive links the theory they learn in the classroom with practical research in the field. The students have been able to ask scientists questions directly and get immediate answers. We’ve been able to show them snakes, tarantulas, fish and witchetty moths that we have caught.

Studying a witchetty moth

As teachers, we are always working hard to inspire the next generation of Australian scientists and TeachLive has made that so easy!

Check out our pics and videos here.

Cassie Duykers, Nhulunby High School, NT.

Bush Blitz is a biodiversity discovery program between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton and Earthwatch Australia which aims to document the plants and animals across Australia’s National Reserve System. Bush Blitz TeachLive is coordinated by Earthwatch Australia and the Australian Science Teachers Association.

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Teachers go wild for science

Hiltaba hits the jackpot with 21 new species of spider

Scientists catch specimens by seine-fishing at the billabong

Cassie Duykers from, Nhulunbuy High School, NT and Dr Michael Hammer from Museum NT prepare to Skype with students. Image by Caroline Bayer.

What do you get when you put 15 scientists and five teachers on a 500,000 hectare property? The 17^th Bush Blitz of course!

Teachers and scientists from across Australia have been surveying Henbury Nature Reserve, focusing their efforts on spiders, true bugs, dragonflies, frogs, stygofauna and more. In an exciting technological experiment, teachers have been beaming lessons back to students via Skype to create an innovative mix of field work and classroom learning.

While the teachers were looking forward to working in a remote reserve with top scientists, what they weren’t prepared for was the rain! It has slowed progress a little but the crew have still been exploring all corners of the property via helicopters, boats and 4WDs!

Jo, Bush Blitz

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Hiltaba hits the jackpot with 21 new species of spider

Spider hunting at Skullbone Plains