Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)

Thirteen Sandstone Gorges Cut By The Katherine River On Jawoyn Country, Toured By Boat, Canoe Or On Foot Along The Clifftop, With The Wet Season Sometimes Closing The River To All Traffic Entirely · Katherine, Northern Territory

Nitmiluk National Park sits about 30 kilometres north-east of Katherine in the Northern Territory, where the Katherine River has cut thirteen sandstone gorges end to end through ancient rock on Jawoyn country. Most visitors see the gorges by boat cruise or by hiring a canoe and paddling between the first two or three gorges themselves, portaging over rock bars where the water drops between them. Clifftop walking trails run along both sides of the gorge system, from short lookout walks to the multi-day Jatbula Trail, which leaves from Nitmiluk and ends at Edith Falls within the same park. The gorge is also where the Northern Territory's wet-and-dry climate shows itself most starkly: in the dry season the river settles into calm, clear pools good for cruising, paddling and eventually swimming once rangers clear the gorge of saltwater crocodiles, while in the wet season the same river can rise fast enough to close the entire gorge to all boat and foot traffic without warning. Nitmiluk Tours, run under the Jawoyn Association, operates the cruises and canoe hire here.

Thirteen sandstone gorges on the Katherine River, about 30 km north-east of Katherine town, Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia

The visitor centre and park grounds are open daily, generally 7am to 6pm, with cruise and canoe hire desks opening around 7am or 8am depending on the season. Dry season, roughly May to October, is when the gorge runs normally: cruises depart on a fixed timetable and canoes can be hired most days. Wet season, November to April, brings a real risk that the gorge closes outright - cruises and canoe hire are suspended once the river rises past a safe level, sometimes for days or weeks at a stretch, and the closure can happen with very little notice during a heavy monsoon burst. Confirm the day's operating status at the visitor centre or with Nitmiluk Tours directly before driving out from Katherine in the wet season, since the gorge can be fully closed even when Katherine town itself is dry.

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