Packrafting in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory offers gorge paddling with rules worth respecting. Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) is the headline act: a chain of sandstone gorges cut by the Katherine River on Jawoyn country, open to paddlers in the dry season and closed when wet-season flows and crocodile surveys say so. The water between the walls is flat and slow, the portages between gorges are rocky, and the heat is a serious factor from late morning. Book through the park, read the current access conditions, and take the crocodile management zones at face value. This is managed country, and the management is the reason you can paddle it at all. The season, not the forecast, decides your trip. A Seeka suits the flat gorge water. The carries between gorges suit a packraft that packs small even better.

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The sandstone walls of Katherine Gorge from the Katherine River, Nitmiluk National ParkNTJP1681, CC BY-SA 4.0

Paddling Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)

Nitmiluk National Park sits a short drive from Katherine in the Northern Territory, on the traditional country of the Jawoyn people. The Katherine River runs through it, and over millions of years that river has cut a series of sandstone gorges with walls rising sharply from the water. In the dry season, when the gorges are open, the water between those walls is slow and flat. The colour shifts from pale green in direct sun to deep shadow at the base of the cliffs. It is a significant and closely managed place. Paddling it takes preparation, respect for the rules, and an honest reading of the season.

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