Category Archives: The Best!

Butterfly Gorge – Location

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Butterfly Gorge is amazing, and relatively unknown.

It is about 2.5 hours from Darwin, and you get to do a little 4WD track too that is a lot of fun, but fairly easy. It takes a little bit of finding, even once you are there. My biggest tip for this place is that, because you need to swim around to get there, you should figure out what you are going to do with your car keys. Unless you have an old car you probably can’t get it wet, if you want to leave they on the beach well… look I have never heard of anything happening, but I haven’t done it.

Personally I use a combination lock to my car that I put my car key in. You could (depending on your car) get a metal only key cut and put it in your pocket, and keep the real one inside.

Anyway. You will be getting up and out of lots of water holes, and walking over rocks, some wet, so wear proper footwear. A bottle of water or two is handy too, so you can spend a few hours there.

It is a great place to visit, I’ve been there a few times and only once had the ‘loud jerks with an esky’ that love to ruin swimming holes, usually it is pretty empty. It is also very hard to photograph, so trust me, the snaps don’t do it justice.


Me at the entrance

Tjaynera Falls (Sandy Creek Falls) – Litchfield

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Tjaynera Falls is amazing.

In Litchfield so easily accessible for a day trip, it has rudimentary camping facilities, though I have never stayed there.

It is down a 4WD track that is moderately challenging, you need to cross some water.

The bushwalk is moderate when you get there it is definitely worth it.

A great waterfall that flows all year round, a great swimming hole, and usually only a handful of people.

Maguk – Kakadu

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Maguk is an easy-moderate walk with some small water pools on the way. When you arrive, it is a large waterfall in a large rockpool. Generally pretty empty too, no clue why as it one of the best spots in Kakadu.

On the temperate scale of Kakadu water, it is probably the warmest place you can swim. Big crowds are rare for some reason.

There is a camp site which I haven’t stayed at, alcohol isn’t allowed.

There is also some rock pools above the waterfall. There are signs everywhere saying you aren’t supposed to go up there, yet I see guided tour groups using those trails regularly, so I don’t really know the answer.

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Ubirr – Kakadu

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Ubirr is easily accessible in a 2WD in the dry, but you may need a 4WD in the wet, as the road tends to flood. The walk to rock art is very easy, the walk to the lookout is easy to moderate. Is a view over the wetlands, and the sun sets right over it.

One of the best places that you can go in Kakadu. The sunset and view is incredible.

Do my a favour though and don’t bring alcohol. The traditional owners let everyone go to this sacred site for free, the only thing they ask is that you don’t drink. Every single time I’ve been I’ve seen some pinhead drinking, it is rude, and unnecessary – wait an hour before you are back at you camp.

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Gunlom – Kakadu

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Gunlom

Gunlom is down a 4WD track, that being said a lot of 2WD’s make the trek, despite warnings from the rangers. I’ve saw a bumper broken the last time I was there, but most seem to go okay as long as they go very slow. No way I’d do it though.

The campsite is really good, it has some concrete firepits, running water in the toilet block, and some stone benchtops you can set up on. There was zero firewood around, so I would recommend that you gathered some on the way, like I should have. Even in July, fire is not necessary, but who doesn’t love a fire when they are camping?

Gunlom is two areas, the bottom and the top. The bottom is very accessible, a 50 metre super easy walk. The pool is large, the water is nice. There are some rocks around to sit on. There are usually a few older folks and younger kids around. Kakadu’s freshwater swimming pools vary in temperate, I’d say this one was colder than average.

The top pools are a steep walk up a hill. It takes about 20 minutes, and bring plenty of water and food for the day as you don’t want to have to walk up and down. The pools are smaller, marginally warmer than the bottom, and the view is amazing. Note it is pretty hard to get this shot, as there are usually a few people around trying for the same thing.

You can travel to a few more pools upstream that don’t have the views but have less people, and there is a small waterfall right at the back.

Overall Gunlom is easily one of the best places in Kakadu and that is saying something. $10 per person per night, if you are in the NT you don’t want to miss it.

IMG_0098The view from up the top

P1000820Gunlom at the bottom pool