Nitmiluk National Park and the sandstone gorges of Katherine

Nitmiluk National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory is a protected landscape of sandstone gorges and river country northeast of Katherine, shaped along the Katherine River and centred on Nitmiluk Gorge and Leliyn (Edith Falls). The park was formally established as a national park in 1977 and has been Jawoyn-owned land under a lease and joint management agreement with the Northern Territory Government since 1989, giving it a distinct combination of geological drama and living Indigenous custodianship.Nitmiluk National Park

Sandstone gorges along the Katherine River

The central experience of Nitmiluk National Park is Nitmiluk Gorge, also known as Katherine Gorge, where the Katherine River cuts through ancient sandstone to form a chain of gorges separated by shallow sections and rock bars. The park covers a large area of this river corridor and surrounding plateau, with gorge walls that rise directly from the water in many sections and expose layered sandstone shaped over a long geological history.covers a vast area Although visitors often talk about “the gorge” as a single feature, the river has carved a system of multiple gorges rather than one continuous chasm, and moving between them involves crossing or passing shallow, rocky reaches where boats cannot simply continue in a straight line.system of distinct gorges

Upstream and downstream from the main gorge sections the landscape opens into river flats, rocky shelves and woodland, giving Nitmiluk National Park a contrast between enclosed sandstone corridors and more open country along the Katherine River. The rock itself is predominantly sandstone, weathered into cliffs, terraces and ledges that carry vegetation in cracks and on ledges, and the river channel varies from broad, slow reaches to narrower sections where the water flows between steep walls.waterfalls, savannah and rock art

Leliyn (Edith Falls) and the wider park landscape

Nitmiluk National Park is arranged around two main sectors: the Nitmiluk Gorge area to the south-east of Katherine and Leliyn, also known as Edith Falls, to the north. The fact that these two named areas form part of a single national park gives visitors a sense of how varied the protected landscape is, with deep gorges in one part and a series of pools and cascades in another.two main sections to the park The overall park area extends across thousands of square kilometres of sandstone plateau, riverine corridors and savannah, sitting within the Katherine region and forming one of its major protected areas.protected area in the Northern Territory

Within this broader landscape, walking tracks and access routes link viewpoints over the gorges, sections of riverbank and the falls area at Leliyn, where water descends over rock shelves into natural pools framed by sandstone and woodland. Away from the watercourses, the terrain rises onto gently undulating plateau country with rocky outcrops and open savannah, so that a visit to Nitmiluk National Park can move between shaded river corridors and exposed uplands in a relatively short space.Nitmiluk Gorge (Katherine Gorge)

Jawoyn country and the park’s modern history

Nitmiluk National Park lies on the traditional lands of the Jawoyn people, whose connection to the gorges and surrounding country is reflected in rock art sites and Jawoyn names and stories associated with the landscape. The park was originally proclaimed as Katherine Gorge National Park in October 1977 under colonial naming, but Jawoyn Traditional Owners pursued a land claim over the area in the late 1970s, seeking formal recognition of their ownership and cultural relationship to the gorge country.established on 19 October 1977

The claim led to the land being officially recognised as Indigenous land and granted to the Jawoyn Aboriginal Land Trust, with a handback of Nitmiluk taking place in September 1989 and an agreement signed at the same time to lease the land back to the Northern Territory Government for management as a national park in partnership with Jawoyn Traditional Owners.handback and lease agreement in 1989 Since that handback, Nitmiluk National Park has been co-managed, with park authorities and Jawoyn representatives sharing responsibility for conservation, public access and interpretation of the landscape. This arrangement means that the protected status of the park is closely tied to Jawoyn custodianship, and Jawoyn rangers and organisations are involved in managing large areas of land around Nitmiluk as part of broader conservation and cultural programmes.30th anniversary of handback

Visiting Nitmiluk National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Nitmiluk National Park lies in the Katherine region of Australia’s Northern Territory, with the main Nitmiluk Gorge entrance reached by road from Katherine to the north-east and the Leliyn (Edith Falls) sector reached from the Stuart Highway to the north of Katherine.
• The terrain around Nitmiluk Gorge includes rocky riverbanks, uneven sandstone surfaces and walking tracks that rise onto plateau country, so visitors encounter steps, short climbs and sections of trail over rock.
• Leliyn (Edith Falls) forms part of the same national park and offers access to cascades and natural pools set among sandstone and woodland, providing a contrasting landscape to the confined gorge corridors.
• The official language in this part of Australia is English and the currency is the Australian dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Nitmiluk National Park

Where is Nitmiluk National Park located?

Nitmiluk National Park is in Australia’s Northern Territory, with its main entrance about 30 km north-east of the town of Katherine along the Katherine River corridor.located in the Katherine region

What can visitors expect on a visit?

A visit to Nitmiluk National Park centres on river gorges with sandstone cliffs, walking tracks to viewpoints and access to the contrasting falls and pools at Leliyn (Edith Falls), all within a large protected landscape.

What makes Nitmiluk National Park distinctive?

Nitmiluk National Park is distinctive for its chain of sandstone gorges along the Katherine River and for being Jawoyn-owned land co-managed under a lease and partnership agreement since the 1989 handback.Jawoyn owned land co-managed as a national park

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