You’ve seen this place in every Aussie holiday brochure, this is what it’s really like

It’s 4.45am. Woke up in the dark for a drive in the dark to walk in the dark.

Fair to say this is not my usual routine, but I’m told this is not a usual experience. I’m always up for adventure, so let’s go.

John Walsh was Executive Producer of the TV travel series Getaway from 1999-2024. You can follow John on Instagram @thegetawayexpert.

I’ve stirred to life at Cicada Lodge, an indigenous-owned boutique hotel in Nitmiluk National Park in the Northern Territory.

From here it’s a 900-metre drive to the starting point of the Baruwei Loop & Lookout. (OK, I could’ve walked, but it was pitch black and how do I know what’s in those bushes?)

The whole point of this pre-dawn exercise is to make it to the lookout for sunrise over Nitmiluk (or Katherine Gorge) and 17 Mile Valley. It’s about a 1.8km round trip and at 5:30 in the morning it took about 20 minutes going up. It’s a Grade 3 walk so a moderate hike.

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While I’m waiting for the sun to rise, let me give you the quick cheat sheet on what’s called the Big 3 or Golden Triangle in the Top End: Kakadu, Litchfield NP and Nitmiluk. 

Kakadu, which I wrote about recently, is best known for its concentration of Aboriginal history with ancient rock art paintings and cultural sites as well as stunning scenery; Litchfield is where you want to go for waterfalls and swimming holes; and Nitmiluk is all about the gorges. Gorgeous gorges.

Having come from Kakadu the day before I thought I had a better understanding of the connection of the indigenous people to the land, but today I felt it.

Looking out over the gorge as the sun started to seep up over the sandstone cliffs and a world of birdlife came into song, I was struck by how ancient this place is and how this was a scene the local Jawoyn people had experienced on the daily for tens of thousands of years.

I bet it never gets old.

So, if you couldn’t tell, the dark stumble to the top was worth it and the walk back down was a breeze.  

Cruising Nitmiluk 

Not everyone is up for the heroic 900-metre drive and 1.8km walk to the lookout but everyone does the cruise on the gorge.

The boats leave just down the hill from the start of our sunrise walk. This is the first and largest of the 13 gorges that are fed by the Katherine River. 

If you’ve ever picked up a Northern Territory brochure or Google Imaged the NT you will immediately recognise this place.

The river snakes its way between the towering 70-metre sandstone cliffs providing a liquid lifeline for the bird life and local croc population.

You’ll pass some pretty little sandy beaches along the way, but swimming is banned in gorge one for your safety. At least the crocs get to enjoy them.   

In the dry season you can continue your cruise into gorge two with a short walk and transfer of boats, but I’m here after an extra long rainy season and the river’s too high to transfer.

The cruises are run by Nitmiluk Tours, which is owned and operated by the Jawoyn people. They also run breakfast and sunset dinner cruises. Highly recommended for the soft light.

Litchfield National Park

My next stop, Litchfield, is about three hours away via Katherine.

Katherine makes a nice little pit stop and although it’s probably a long way to travel for a toastie I can recommend the chicken and leek bonanza from the Black Russian Caravan Bar at the Katherine Visitors Centre. 

Toastie tick. Back on task. It’s not hard to do Litchfield on your own, but I’ve accepted the offer from Rob Woods of Ethical Adventures to show me around. As the name suggests, his company creates experiences that respect the scenery, habitats and local culture.

Litchfield is the closest of the Big 3 to Darwin (about 1.5-hours drive) and the most visited. Its handy location helps but the big drawcards as mentioned are the waterfalls and swimming holes. Darwin locals and visitors love it for that reason.

About 15 minutes after the park entrance you need to stop for a photo opportunity at the Magnetic Termite Mounds. They are such an attraction in their own right that they come up as a destination on Google Maps.

These aren’t termite mounds as you know them, they look more like tombstones so the effect of them lined up row after row in this vast field is like visiting a gigantic cemetery. 

As ethical Rob tells it the mounds all align the same way so that the merciless midday sun only hits the thinner sides of the mounds facing north/south and the bigger flatter sides face east/west to get the less scorching morning and afternoon sun. Clever termites.

Into the park proper and one of the main and most accessible attractions of the park is Wangi Falls with its deep swimming hole at the base.

Unfortunately, water levels were still high from the rainy season which meant crocs had easier access, so the falls were closed for swimming but still a spectacular sight.

More spectacular still are the Florence Falls accessed by an easy 3.2km round trip walk with the pay-off of a swim at the bottom of the falls.

By now it was lunchtime and I doubt I’ve ever eaten lunch in a better location or in a more unique way. Rob encouraged us to take up a spot in the gentle rapids of Shady Creek under the shade of the monsoon vine forest.

He then tossed floating metal lunch boxes into the creek and lunch was delivered by the creek’s natural flow. Love that. And in true ethical fashion we left only footprints (and maybe a piece of couscous that floated out of my reach).

Wildlife Sanctuary

Just outside Litchfield, Rob took us to visit Nina’s Ark, a native wildlife sanctuary, run by the indomitable Nina, a US-expat who fled Florida 30 years ago and started this refuge to rescue and rehabilitate the local fauna.

The day we were there her menagerie included four species of kangaroo, endangered tree rats, possums, a collection of birds, and a sugar glider I took a particular shine to.

For many years Nina relied on donations and her own funds to run the place, but because of growing rescue needs she has introduced day tours and budget lodgings to help her deal with rising costs. 

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Where to stay

After a hard day languishing in a catered creek and enjoying the company of tree rats it’s nice to come back to somewhere comfy.

This brings us full circle to Cicada Lodge at Nitmiluk where this story started. Eighteen air-conditioned rooms that open up to balconies right up against the native bushland with all the sights and sounds that come with it.

But the real treat is back in the communal guest area with its multi-award winning restaurant and bar.

Whatever you are doing during the day make sure you get back for sundowners on the verandah. The sunsets are stunning and golden hour really is golden.

This was my second visit to Nitmiluk and Litchfield and I still haven’t done everything I want to do here like the overnight canoe adventure on the gorge.

But the Top End seems to have mastered the “leave ’em wanting more” philosophy so that’ll just have to wait until next time. 

John travelled as a guest of Tourism & Events Northern Territory. All opinions are his own.