Kakadu-day 2
Although we drove right past
the Jabiluka Uranium lease on our way to the Guluyambi cruise, all signage has deliberately removed and
it is impossible to find a gate or road leading to the mine site. So we chose
to get a view of the area and the mine by taking a helicopter ride from Jabiru airport.
This is the view through the chopper
window- as we took off from the airport, for an exciting ride with doors
removed.
We are now over
The Valley of the Dinosaurs is
so called because the rocks resemble the skeletons of dinosaurs.
A dried up creek bed is
visible at the base of the escarpment.
The rocky grandeur of the escarpment face
can really be appreciated up close from the chopper.
The awe-inspiring grandeur of
some of the cliff faces are a testament to the cutting processes associated
with weathering.
The big wet is over, the rains are gone and the water
recedes leaving billabongs .
We fly over the Jabiluka
Uranium mine, no longer operating. The mine is underground and its entrance is
clearly visible in the front of the photo. Only a small part of the mining
operations and the mine dam are above the ground.
As
we fly on, one can appreciate what a tiny spot on the landscape, the Jabiluka mine site is. The size of less
than a couple of football fields.
It
is hard to understand what all the environmental fuss was about, especially
when one sees the benefits and facilities that the above ground Ranger mine has
brought to Jabiru.
The creeks dry up as the
water recedes, leaving miles and miles of swamps or “wetlands”.
Small waterholes are left, and
the chopper made a steep bank to show us a croc on the side of this one.
Unfortunately the
photographer was too busy holding on for dear life to focus the shot.
The vast size of this swamp can only be appreciated by
the tiny trees spread throughout it.
Once the helicopter had
landed we headed off to Cooinda and the Yellow Waters
cruise.