Kakadu National Park

Hold onto your Akubra and take a wild ride around the Top End!

Hold onto your Akubra, (if you don't have one, get one) and take a wild ride around the Top End of the 51tC4cPWjML._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_Northern Territory with Annie Seaton in her fantastic adventure/romance novel "Kakadu Sunset." It should come with a warning - Beware of crocodiles and sharks!

There are crocodiles a plenty in the waters around the Wold Heritage listed National Park, but there are also plenty of sharks waiting to bite around the Parliament of Darwin.

If you have ever been to Darwin and Kakadu or ever wanted to explore this wondrous site, Annie Seaton will take you on a wild ride of exploration and discovery to delight,  entice and thrill. She supplies enough suspense, drama, a tinge of romance, complex yet believable characters, as well as a dose of current political viewpoint along with debatable environmental issues. Annie Seaton has obviously researched not only the location thoroughly, but also everything to do with flying helicopters and the disastrous results of mining so close to a world heritage national park.


I found her descriptions of the area took me back with fond memories to my visit of Kakadu and I couldn't help laugh when she even included the phrase "Kakadon't" that I have heard so many times before from people who have visited when it has been far too hot and humid. I also enjoyed her snippets of Darwin after spending two years there myself. It's amazing that a brief mention of a street name or suburb can spark  the flooding of good times shared with new friends in a town that became home for a short while. Yet these descriptions did not distract from the pace of the story telling, for me, they enriched it all the more. The lookout at Ubirr over Arnhem land, Yellow Waters sunset cruises, the Crocodile Hotel and Jabiru, not to mention the suburb of Cullen Bay, Darwin, these are all so familiar to me.

The main character, Ellie Porter, is the local helicopter pilot, raised on a mango plantation next to the national park, but when her father suddenly died, the farm was sold and the family left the Territory, all except Ellie. Her heart belonged to the Territory, she could never leave this pristine area. On a return flight to base after a dramatic rescue, Ellie spots digging near the back of the old property, just near the border to the park. Her curiosity and fear for the possible destruction of her beloved land lead Ellie into all kinds of trouble. Can she learn to trust the new pilot who desperately wants to keep to himself? The romance between the two is an obvious one however the characters are endearing enough to make you want to see them come together. The villains are so nasty you can't wait to see what punishment Annie has in store for them. The inevitable crocodile scene is brilliant! I found myself almost punching the air with delight! "Yes! Got him!" This by no means gives away the ending or what happens to the main antagonist. For that, you will have to read "Kakadu Sunset" yourself.

A compelling story of love, loss, ancient land,  and current political issues. Told among striking scenery and woven around complex characters, "Kakadu Sunset" is a story that will take you on a wild ride through the Australian Outback. If you have ever been to the Northern Territory it will bring back delightful memories. If you have never been, it will only inspire that spark to travel the open road. So hitch up the caravan, put on your hat and shorts, drink a cold beverage and dive into Annie Seaton's "Kakadu Sunset" before the wet season and the storms roll around once more.




Crocodiles are never to be taken lightly. This photo was taken from our Yellow Waters River Cruise. Copyright Sandra Bennett