Nitmiluk National Park, formerly known as Katherine Gorge National Park, is owned and managed by its traditional owners, the Jawoyn people, who now share their country, history, and culture with visitors to the park.

You’ll be able to visit places of great cultural value to their owners, admire rock paintings on the steep rock faces inside the gorge, and explore trails travelled by the Jawoyn people for generations. The immensely popular five-day, 62-kilometre Jatbula Trail, for instance, traverses the Arnhem Land Plateau and links Katherine Gorge with Edith Falls. Trail access is limited to 15 hikers starting each day, and slots book out months in advance.

We were almost laughed at when we enquired about some last-minute availability. Luckily, there are also many wonderful shorter walks in the park that we could explore without reservation.

Nitmiluk National Park is located about 250 kilometres southeast of Darwin and off the beaten track, with car access restricted to two areas in the park. At Katherine Gorge, located 30 kilometres northeast of Katherine in the southern section of the park, you’ll find the main entrance and stunningly beautiful sandstone gorge system that the Katherine River travels through. And at the westernmost point of the park, 60 kilometres from Katherine, is Edith Falls (Leliyn), with two plunge pools, a gorgeous waterfall, and a much nicer campsite and kiosk.

I’d suggest spending 3-4 days in the park and adding an extra day if you’re keen on an overnight hike along the Katherine River. Spend one or two days at Edith Falls, walking the Edith Falls Plunge Pools via Leliyn Trail and swimming in the lower and upper plunge pools with their beautiful cascading waterfalls. I’d skip the walk to Sweetwater Pool if you’re also visiting the Katherine Gorge area. Apart from a short trail section through the beautiful monsoon rainforest, the scenery on that walk did not measure up to the stunning gorge setting on the Southern Walks trail network at Katherine Gorge.

To explore the Southern Walks, you’ll want to spend at least two days at Katherine Gorge. Bear in mind, that temperatures on the escarpment are much higher than at the visitor centre, and you may have to wait out the midday heat. We tried to time all our walks around sunset when it was much cooler, and the changing light painted the magnificent gorge system and escarpment first in honeycomb colours and then in brilliant reds.

That’s also the best time to enjoy a boat cruise on the Katherine River, so the sunset and dinner cruise is usually fully booked for weeks in advance. If you’re interested, make sure to book well ahead of time. We joined the morning cruise instead, and although the light quickly turned too bright and harsh to take great photos, it was still a lovely time to be on the water.