Kakadu Culture Camp

The Kakadu Culture Camp is owned and operated by the Hunter family from Kakadu National Park. It was a dream of their late Grandfather Namandjalorrwokwok to establish a camp where Bininj (Aboriginal) people could live and work, and share their culture, traditional heritage and amazing wildlife with tourists from around the world.

The Hunter family is Fred, Jenny, Dell and Douglas; all born and bred at Madjinbardi (Mudginberri Buffalo Station) on the edge of the famous Magela wetlands in what was later to become Kakadu National Park. Their clan is Bolmo Deidjrungi; and they are traditional owners of country covering areas in the freshwater reaches of the nearby East Alligator River. During the wet, the family live at their outstation on the Bowali Creek in central Kakadu, and move to Djarradjin in the dry season to operate the culture camp.

The Hunter family are all members of Kakadus Gagudju and Djabulukgu Associations, and also Warddeken Land Management Ltd. Warddekens membership is Traditional Owners of West Arnhem Land, one of their aims is to maintain their land through extended walks through country employing a traditional fire burning regime.

Fred and Jenny have been working as Kakadu Park Rangers since they left school and take leave during the dry (tourist) season to run the Kakadu Culture Camp. Because most of our activities are at night several other Kakadu Park Rangers also work at the camp after hours.

The following is some information about some of our staff.

Fred Hunter (Gardell)

Fred was born at Mudginberri and has been working as a Kakadu Park Ranger for over 20 years. He has lived and worked at Jim Jim Ranger Station but is now working with Kakadu Parks Natural Resource Management. He has been involved in crocodile and feral animal (buffalo, pig) management for many years. This has included the trapping/harpooning and removal of crocodiles at various areas in Kakadu including the Nourlangie and Jim Jim creek systems (Twin Falls). He has recently been involved in harpooning crocodiles and fitting them with satellite transmitters, to assess how far they travel in various seasons. Fred spends a lot of his time operating an airboat on Park Ranger patrol in Kakadus extensive wetland system, and has an extensive knowledge of Kakadus flora and fauna.

Fred has cooked and presented Bininj bush tucker (barramundi, magpie goose, turtles) at the Kakadu Mahbilil Festival, and cooked his famous goose curry for 150 delegates at the Northern Territory Indigenous Governance Conference in Kakadu.

Fred does a lot of the campfire and ground oven cooking and also operates the spotlight on the Kakadu by Night wildlife boat cruise. He is a Director of Gagudju Association and also Warddeken Land Management Ltd.

Jennifer Hunter (Ngaljalkarrdi)

Jenny was born under a tree at Mudginberri and has been a Kakadu Park Ranger for 15 years. She has worked at both the East Alligator River Ranger Station and Nourlangie District. Jenny has had experience in natural and cultural resource management; VIP walks and talks in Kakadu; and documented oral histories and cultural information from Kakadus elders for the Kakadu Park Service. Jenny has also been involved in the Bininj cultural display at Mahbilil. Jenny along with other ladies from Kakadu do guided bushtucker walks and gives basket weaving demonstrations at the Culture Camp. You can often see Jenny and her 6 year old daughter Catherine walking along the edge of the billabong with a couple of guests, pointing out bushtucker trees and some of the amazing traditional plant uses.

Jenny is Kakadus first accredited Savannah Guide Site Interpreter, and was rated in the top 20 of Travel+Leisure magazines 2008 Australia and New Zealand Travel Innovator Awards, for outstanding contribution to the tourism industry. Jenny was the only Northern Territory resident to recieve such recognition. She was named Gnunkai Tour Guide of the Year at the 2009 Australian Indigenous Tourism Awards, held recently in Queensland.

Dell Hunter (Gudjal Gudjal)

Dell enjoys telling Bininj dreamtime stories around the campfire, and makes the best damper! Dell is Jennys older sister and helps out around the camp with basket weaving and bushtucker walks. Dell has worked for many years as a health worker in Arnhem Land and Kakadu. Dell has extensive knowledge of Kakadus cultural landscapes, its people and places, and remembers the good old days before Kakadu became a national park in 1979.

Douglas Hunter (Namara Bunja)

Douglas was born at Mudginberri. He has worked for Warnbi Aboriginal Corporation CDEP as Kakadus first and only qualified Bininj carpenter. Douglas makes Didgeridoos (mago) Spears (an-gole), Spearthrowers (borndok) and Clap Sticks (gun-bilngmurrung) which he demonstrates at the Culture Camp. Douglas loves giving tourists a didge lesson then seeing them have a blow on his didgeridoos! Douglas is also in charge of repair and maintenance of the camp and is often seen walking around the camp making sure everything is in good shape or Gamak!. He attended his first Savannah Tour Guide School in 2008, with the aim to increase his interpretation skills, particularly for international guests.

Andy Ralph (Nagamarrang)

Andy is Balanda (European descent) and is married to Jenny Hunter and has been living on Park Ranger Stations and Aboriginal communities in Kakadu National Park for over twenty years. After working mainly on various Kakadu land management issues, Andy now coordinates the Kakadu Culture Camp and also helps manage the Muirella Park Campground. Following ten years with Kakadus Supervising Scientist organisation; he worked for Kakadus Mirarr people as Executive Officer of Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, assisting traditional owners negotiations with Rio Tinto to stop the Jabiluka Uranium mine. He also helped coordinate Aboriginal culture camp for Mirarr elders to pass on traditional knowledge and culture to their children.

Andy has been a national board member of Wildlife Tourism Australia, and Chairperson of the Kakadu Mahbilil Festival; an Aboriginal cultural festival held every September in Jabiru.

He is a member of the Australian Rock Art Research Organisation and has worked with leading archaeologists recording and maintaining Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu and Arnhem Land. Andy has also recently been appointed President of Savannah Guides Ltd, a not for profit network of professional tour guides interpreting the tropical savannah country of northern Australia.

Andy works with many documetary film makers on location and is a step on guide for several tour companies that travel through Kakadu including Bill Peach Air Cruising Australia, guiding groups around rock art sites and presenting seminars on Kakadus pre history and anthropology. Andy is also a fully accredited Savannah Guide, and leads special interest groups into Arnhem Land.