Katherine Gorge

Katherine Gorge or Nitmiluk National Park is a gorge extending 12 km and 70 m deep into the Westerns expanse of the Kakadu Escarpment. There is a total of 13 separate gorges and the park covers an area of 181,000 ha. Nitmiluk is said to be 23 million years old and the original inhabitants and owners of the land are the Jawoyn people. The park has about 100 km of walking trails, but an easier way to explore the park is to take one of the cruise excursions available. There are three different lengths of cruises, a two, a four and an eight hour (full day) one. Another option is to hire a canoe and explore some of the waterways. There are freshwater crocodiles in the area, but these rarely are towards humans and they normally shy away. The town of Katherine, 30 km West of the main gorge, is situated at a main road junction; Stuart Highway – leading from Darwin to Alice Springs and down to Adelaide – and Victoria Highway, which eventually becomes the Great Northern Highway that leads to Kununurra, the Kimberley region of Western Australia and Broome. The town offers a wide variety of accommodation. The best time to visit Nitmiluk is between May and September as during the wet season, roads may be closed due to flooding. The park can easily be accessed by conventional cars, no 4WD is required.