Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 8 . THE TOP END
each gorge is cut off from the next by rapids—all the cruises involve some walking
along the bank to transfer to a boat in the next gorge.
In the Wet season, the cruises may not operate on days when the floodwaters
really start to swirl. Instead, Travel North runs a jet boat those days as far as the
third gorge. This 45-minute adventure costs A$47 (US$31) for adults and A$34
(US$22) for kids 5 to 15. Departure times vary with the floodwater conditions.
Cruising is nice, but in a canoe you can discover sandy banks and waterfalls,
and get up close to the gorge walls, the birds, and those crocs (don’t worry,
they’re the freshwater kind). The gorges are separated by rocks, so be prepared
to carry your canoe quite often. Half-day canoe rental from Travel North is
A$31 (US$20) for a single canoe and A$47 (US$31) for a double. Full-day
rental is A$43 (US$28) for a single canoe and A$65 (US$42) for a double, or
A$86 (US$56) single and A$130 (US$85) double if you want to camp out on
the river bank overnight. There is a A$20 (US$13) refundable deposit on all
canoe hire. Canoeing the gorge is popular, so book canoes ahead, especially in
the Dry Season. Once the river gets too high for go-it-alone canoeing during
the Wet, Travel North runs guided canoeing adventures instead. These last 4
hours and cost $46 (US$30) per person. In fact, guided paddles are a good idea
any time of year as you will learn and see more. The most knowledgeable such
company is Gecko Canoeing (& 1800/634 319 in Australia, or 08/8972
2224; www.geckocanoeing.com.au), whose tours are accredited for their ecotourism
content. Gecko’s founder, Martin “Snowy” Wohling, and three other
Gecko guides, have Australia’s elite “Savannah Guide” ecotour guide status.
They do 3- to 5-day canoeing/camping safaris on the Katherine River, but also
run a 1-day canoe safari at a cost of A$178 (US$116) per person. The company
also runs canoeing and camping safaris (with any other activities you like
thrown in such as mountain biking, rock climbing, wildlife photography, hiking,
or fishing) of up to 18 days in little-explored wildernesses and river systems
across the Top End. Their newest tour is on the Wilton River in East Arnhem
Land. Tours only run between April and November, with departures on
request, and can be tailored to your needs.
Some 100km (63 miles) of hiking trails crisscross Nitmiluk National Park,
ranging in duration from 1 hour to the lookout to 5 days to Edith Falls (see
below). Trails—through rocky sandstone-conglomerate terrain and forests, past
water holes and along the gorge—depart the Nitmiluk National Park ranger station,
located in the Nitmiluk Visitor Centre (& 08/8972 1886), where you can
pick up trail maps. Overnight walks require a deposit of between A$20 (US$13)
and A$50 (US$33) per person, payable at the Nitmiluk Visitor Centre.
One of the nicest spots in the Park is actually 42km (26 miles) north of
Katherine, 20km (12 1 ⁄2 miles) off the Stuart Highway. Edith Falls is a real
Eden of natural (croc-free) swimming holes bordered by red cliffs, monsoonal
forest, and pandanus trees. A 2.6km (1.5-mile) round-trip bushwalk from the
Falls, which takes about 2 hours, incorporates a dip at the upper pool en route.
More than the gorge itself, the aerial views of the ravine-ridden Arnhem
Plateau, which stretches uninhabited to the horizon, are arresting. North Australian
Helicopters (& 1800/089 103 in Australia, or 08/8972 1253) does daily
flights of 3, 8, and all 13 gorges for between A$60 and A$150 (US$39–US$98)
per person, adult or child. Take at least an eight-gorge flight to get a sense of Australia’s
wild vastness. In the Wet it also makes flights from Katherine to see Jim
Jim Falls in Kakadu National Park.