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Katherine Gorge is a deep sandstone gorge carved through the rugged Arnhem Land Plateau by the Katherine River. It is located about 30 km northeast of Katherine and about 310 km south of Darwin in the Nitmiluk National Park.

The red sandstone cliffs along the 12 km length are up to 70 metres high, and in the dry season Katherine Gorge is actually a series of 13 gorges strewn with boulders and with rapids and falls in between them. It is estimated that it took the Katherine River 23 million years to form this spectacular place.

The dry season is around April to October and the waters are ideal for canoeing at this time. There are also cruises of various lengths available that go as far as the fifth gorge. You will see freshwater crocodiles, but these will not attack like saltwater ones will. The wet season is from around November to April and is hot and humid, and the river becomes a torrent as rain across the Plateau pours into the river.

The area is rich in Aboriginal art, with rock paintings representing the spiritual 'dreaming' of the Jawoyn people, the traditional owners of the land. There are numerous walking tracks in the National Park, although they may be inaccessible during the wet season. The longest is a five-day trek to a picturesque waterhole at Edith Falls which is about 60 km north of Katherine.

One of the best ways to see the gorge system is by helicopter, and a 12 minute flight will take you as far as the sixth gorge where you get a magnificent view of the Arnhem Land Plateau, while a 25 minute flight will cover the whole of the gorge system. In the wet season a helicopter flight is the only practical way to see the waterfalls in their full glory.

A day tour to Katherine Gorge and Edith Falls is included as part of the Darwin & the Top End package for seven nights or more including a two hour scenic Gorge cruise, buffet lunch and pick-up and return to your Darwin hotel

This is a place of rugged natural beauty and is a “must see” part of the Northern Territory.

See Amazing Katherine Gorge >>