ABOUT US MOB!

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 Culture Camp is set up adjacent to the Muirella Park Campground at Djarradjin, in the heart of Kakadu National Park.
The family also manages a public campground where tourists can pitch their own tent, a caravan or motor home.

The Hunter family is Fred, Jenny, Dell and Douglas; all born and bred at Madjinbardi (Mudginberri Station) on the edge of the famous Magela wetlands in what was later to become Kakadu National Park.
Their clan is Bolmo Dedjrungi; 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 down to Djarradjin in the 'dry' season.
The Hunter family are all members of Kakadu's Gagudju and Djabulukgu Associations, and also Warddeken Land Management Ltd. Warddeken's 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 (picture above with barra) was born at Mudginberri and has been working as a Kakadu Park Ranger for 20 years. He has lived and worked at Jim Jim Ranger Station but for a few years has worked with Kakadu's 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 satellites, to assess how far they travel in various seasons. Fred spends a lot of his time operating an airboat on Park Ranger patrol in Kakadu's extensive wetland system, and has an extensive knowledge of Kakadu's 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 cooking and also operates the spotlight on the 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 Kakadu's elders. 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 5 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 Kakadu's first accredited Savannah Guide Site Interpreter, and was recently runner-up at the Australian Indigenous Tour Guide Gnunkai Awards, held in Broome.

DELL HUNTER (GUDJAL GUDJAL)

Dell enjoys telling Bininj dreamtime stories around the campfire, and makes the best damper! Dell is Jenny's 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 Kakadu's cultural landscapes, it's people and places, and remembers 'the old days' before Kakadu became a national park in 1979.

Douglas Hunter (Namara Bunja)

Douglas (picture above with didgerido) was born at Mudginberri. He has worked for Warnbi Aboriginal Corporation CDEP as Kakadu's 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!".

Andy Ralph (Nagamarrang)

Andy is Balanda (European descent) and is married to Jenny Hunter and has been living in Park Ranger Stations and Aboriginal communities in Kakadu National Park for twenty years. After working mainly on various Kakadu land management issues, Andy now coordinates tourist activities and also helps manage the Muirella Park campground. Following ten years with Kakadu's Supervising Scientist organisation; he worked for Kakadu's Mirarr people as Executive Officer of Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation.
Currently a national board member of Wildlife Tourism Australia, Andy has also been 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 to the executive position of Secretary and is on the board of directors of Savannah Guides Ltd, a not for profit network of professional tour guides interpreting the tropical savannah country of northern Australia.
Andy is also a fully accredited Savannah Guide, and leads special interest groups into Arnhem Land.

© Kakadu Culture Camp 2007