Skip to content
Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park from above: a dark river between sandstone cliffs in evening light

Sample journey · 13–15 days

Gorges, rock art and red earth: Kakadu and the Kimberley

Darwin, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, Kakadu, Kununurra, Purnululu, El Questro & Broome

Photo: JL / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

This is a completely different Australia from Sydney Harbour or Uluru. In the Top End and the Kimberley the earth is red, the rivers wide and slow, and the gorges hide waterfalls and pools of cool water. Here are some of the oldest rock-art galleries in the world, and Aboriginal communities, Bininj and Mungguy in Kakadu, Jawoyn in Nitmiluk, Gija and Jaru around Purnululu, have cared for this country for millennia and still manage it jointly with the park services today.

The route links two regions: the first half is a loop from Darwin through Litchfield, Nitmiluk and Kakadu; the second is the Kimberley, reached by air to Kununurra, with a day flight to Purnululu, the gorges of El Questro and a finish in Broome. It's a journey for experienced, active travellers who don't mind heat, early mornings and gravel roads. Stays, from comfortable lodges to wilderness camps with tents on platforms, would be chosen to suit the level of comfort you want.

The route

The journey

  1. Darwin
  2. Litchfield National Park
  3. Katherine & Nitmiluk
  4. Kakadu
  5. Darwin
  6. Fly to Kununurra
  7. Purnululu (day flight)
  8. El Questro & the Gibb River Road
  9. Fly to Broome
  1. The Florence Falls from above: two streams dropping into a pool in the forest, Litchfield National Park

    01Days 1–3 · Darwin & Litchfield

    The first waterfalls

    Two nights in Darwin, a warm, unhurried city on the Timor Sea. An easy start after the long journey: a walk along the waterfront, the museum's account of the night of Cyclone Tracy and, if the days line up, the Mindil Beach sunset market with its Asian street food. On day three the road heads south to Litchfield National Park: the Florence Falls, dropping in two streams into a pool in the forest, the 'magnetic' termite mounds all aligned north to south, and the Wangi Falls. We swim only where, and when, the pools are officially open. In the afternoon, about three hours on to Katherine.

  2. Red and white lines of Aboriginal rock art on a sandstone wall on Jawoyn Country, Northern Territory

    02Days 3–5 · Katherine & Nitmiluk

    The gorges of Jawoyn Country

    Two nights by Nitmiluk National Park, which the Jawoyn people manage jointly with the park service. Early morning by boat or canoe through Katherine Gorge, where the river winds through a chain of thirteen gorges between red sandstone walls, with short walks over the rocks between them. Along the way, Aboriginal guides point out rock paintings that can't be seen from the road and explain what they mean. In the afternoon, a trail to a lookout above the gorge or a swim in the pool at Leliyn (Edith Falls) when it's open. The evenings here are very quiet, just the screech of cockatoos and the rustle of flying foxes.

  3. Trees reflected in the still water of a wetland in Kakadu National Park

    03Days 5–8 · Kakadu

    Wetlands, birds and galleries in stone

    Past Pine Creek it's about three hours to Kakadu National Park, listed by UNESCO for both nature and culture. Three nights: the first by the Yellow Water wetland, where at dawn a boat glides among lilies, pandanus and paperbarks; crocodiles often rest on the banks, and the wetland is full of brolgas, egrets, sea eagles and magpie geese. On the other days, Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) and Ubirr, where fish, turtles and spirit figures are painted on the rock, some of them thousands of years old. Sunset from the Ubirr rock over the Nadab floodplain is one of the finest moments of the whole journey. An hour at the Warradjan Cultural Centre is well spent before visiting the rock-art sites. On day eight it's about three hours back to Darwin and an evening flight to Kununurra.

  4. The banded sandstone domes of the Bungle Bungles above a dry creek bed in Purnululu National Park

    04Days 8–10 · Kununurra & Purnululu

    The striped domes

    Two nights in Kununurra, a small East Kimberley town on the Ord River. A full day belongs to Purnululu National Park, the UNESCO-listed domes of the Bungle Bungle Range, sandstone hills banded in orange and black that the Gija and Jaru people have known for millennia and the wider world came to know only in the 1980s. A small plane flies over Lake Argyle, and in the park a guide leads you into Cathedral Gorge and the narrow Echidna Chasm, where the midday sun lights the walls. The next morning, a boat on the Ord River or a walk in Mirima (Hidden Valley) right by town.

  5. Red cliffs above a green riverbank in the Kimberley

    05Days 10–13 · El Questro & the Gibb River Road

    Hot springs and red gorges

    About an hour west and the tarmac ends: the Gibb River Road begins, a gravel road through the heart of the Kimberley. Three nights at El Questro, a vast wilderness property of gorges, rivers and springs. Morning at Zebedee Springs, warm water beneath palms, open only until midday; later, a trail over boulders to Emma Gorge and its pool beneath a hundred-metre wall, or a boat through Chamberlain Gorge, where archerfish take aim at the surface. For those who'd like it, a four-wheel drive to the Pentecost River crossing and sunset over the Cockburn Range. On day thirteen, back to Kununurra and a flight to Broome.

  6. The silhouette of a camel and riders on Cable Beach at sunset, reflected in the wet sand

    06Days 13–15 · Broome

    A pearling town on the Indian Ocean

    The last two nights are in Broome, where red dunes meet a turquoise sea. The old Chinatown and a pearling history that bound together Japanese, Malay and Aboriginal Yawuru lives; Gantheaume Point, where dinosaur footprints appear in the rocks at low tide; and the long sweep of Cable Beach, where camel strings cross the sand at sunset. When a full moon coincides with a low tide, the 'Staircase to the Moon' stretches across the bay. From Broome, a flight to Perth or another city and on home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Sunset from Ubirr

    Rock paintings beneath you and the Nadab floodplain turning gold.

  2. 02

    Dawn on Yellow Water

    A boat among the lilies while the wetland fills with birds and crocodiles rest on the banks.

  3. 03

    The Bungle Bungles

    A flight over the striped domes and a walk into Cathedral Gorge.

  4. 04

    The gorges of El Questro

    The warm water of Zebedee Springs in the morning and the pool at Emma Gorge in the afternoon.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • The whole Gibb River Road

    For experienced travellers, the full Gibb River Road by four-wheel drive to Derby and Broome, with gorges and nights at cattle stations and camps. It adds four or five days and calls for off-road driving experience.

  • The Kimberley coast by sea

    Instead of the second half, an expedition ship between Broome and Wyndham: the Horizontal Falls, the King George Falls and rock art reachable only from the water. These voyages run only in the dry season and book early.

  • A night in Purnululu

    Instead of a day flight, you can stay at a wilderness camp inside the park and see the domes at sunset and sunrise. The road into the park is for four-wheel drives only.

  • With the Red Centre

    From Darwin it's natural to continue to Alice Springs and Uluru, opening up Australia from the tropics to the desert heart.

Practical considerations

  • This journey is only possible in the dry season, roughly May to September. After the wet, some roads, trails and pools open later, and towards the end of the season it becomes very hot; we always check exact dates against that year's conditions.
  • Saltwater crocodiles live in the rivers, wetlands and along the coast. We swim only at officially open sites, keep back from the water's edge and always follow park signs and guides' instructions.
  • This is a physically demanding journey: heat even in the dry season, early starts, gravel roads and trails over boulders. It calls for good fitness, plenty of water and sun protection; for health advice before travelling, speak to your doctor or a travel clinic.
  • At rock-art sites and on Aboriginal land we follow the rules of the Traditional Owners: some places may not be photographed or visited, and a guide always explains why.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

Keep exploring

Destinations

Ways to travel

Related articles

More journey inspiration

Plan your journey

Shape a journey like this

Drawn to the tropical north and the Kimberley? Tell us how much you've travelled in hot country and how comfortable you'd like your stays to be, and we'll shape a dry-season route together.

Shape a journey like this

This journey becomes the starting point of your enquiry — you can change or remove it.

All journey inspiration