KH09
EXPERIENCES / KAKADU
Kakadu Highlights No. 9
Overview
- Three separate walks in three very different areas.
- Barramundi Creek with its many waterfalls and beautiful pools.
- Koolpin & Freezing Gorges -- more pools and Aboriginal rock art.
- A Yellow Waters cruise and night in a campground between sections 2 & 3.
- Graveside with its deep, shady gorges and amazing natural waterslide
KAKADU
Sep 21 - Oct 4 2025
1) Barramundi Creek
After a long drive to the Maguk car park, a relatively easy three kilometre walk ground brings us to a lovely pool and our first possible camp site in Barramundi Gorge.
When we leave the gorge, we find ourselves in a broad sandy valley. The only visible water is in a few isolated pools. All the flow is through the sand below our feet. After about five kilometres, we turn off into a side valley and suddenly find flowing water. Another kilometre brings us to a beautiful, deep, clear, shady pool where we can relax and enjoy a swim. A short climb to the top brings us to more beautiful pools, waterfalls and our probable campsite.
From there, a relatively short walk across the plateau brings us to the descent to the largest pool and biggest campsite on our walk.
From here, we work our way back down the main valley, sometimes in the deep shade of a patch of monsoon forest, more often in the open woodland, stopping for the occasional swim along the way. Our final campsite is normally at a pool near the top of the upper gorge.
2) Koolpin & Freezing Gorges
Koolpin Gorge is beautiful. Although the waterfalls may be little more than a trickle at this time of year, the pools are always perfect for swimming. The views are a photographer's delight.
We combine Koolpin with a loop through Freezing Gorge. Freezing Creek is much smaller than Koolpin but it has carved a deep and narrow gorge where the sun seldom reaches the water, hence the name. The pools are just as inviting as those in Koolpin, perhaps more so since very few of the 4WD campers know that it exists.
You need to be prepared for a short pack float as the alternative to a 30 metre swim is an hour or two of strenuous rock climbing.
You need to be prepared for a short pack float as the alternative to a 30 metre swim is an hour or two of strenuous rock climbing.
The walk up or down Freezing Creek below the gorge involves climbing over and scrambling around large boulders. A distance of about a kilometre may take two hours. People who have never done anything like this before may find it difficult.
After the walk, we drive to Cooinda where the day finishes with a visit to the Warradjan Cultural Centre, a bistro meal at the resort and a night in the Cooinda campground. This section finishes with the 6:45 a.m. Yellow Waters Cruise the following morning. The cruise gives you the opportunity to see the wetlands wildlife at close range, far closer than you could approach on foot.
3) Graveside
This section overlaps the second and includes the bistro meal, night at Cooinda and Yellow Waters cruise. If seats are limited, those who have done the first section have priority.
After the cruise we bid farewell to anyone not continuing and do about a 2½ hour drive to Graveside Gorge where we begin our walk into the greatest concentration of permanently flowing creeks we have yet found in Kakadu.
After the cruise we bid farewell to anyone not continuing and do about a 2½ hour drive to Graveside Gorge where we begin our walk into the greatest concentration of permanently flowing creeks we have yet found in Kakadu.
You see a variety of landscapes, deep gorges, beautiful swimming pools and cascades as well as a number of little known Aboriginal art sites. Our first camp is about a 5 km walk from the car park.
During the next five days, we visit Graveside Gorge and Cascades Creek.
The two main gorges at Graveside contain some of the nicest monsoon forest in Kakadu. We usually spend most of a day exploring the gorges, enjoying the shade and relaxing in and around the large pools.
Cascades Creek is noted for its many pools, cascades and Aboriginal art sites. It is so pleasant that our trip up or down the four kilometre gorge normally takes a full day. There are a few places where you have the choice of edging along narrow rock ledges (close to water level, no big drops), floating your pack through the creek, or climbing up and around. The last 500 metres alone often takes two hours or more as the deep pools and a natural water slide are much too inviting to pass by in a rush.
The loop which joins the two creeks takes us through the open woodland of the plateau and through tall paperbarks and other trees which line the creek that drains the main valley.
This section finishes with the long drive back to Darwin.
Details
DATES
21 Sep - 4 Oct
PRICES
Full price: A$5295
Section 1: $1595
Section 2: $2295
Section 3: $3295
Sections 1 & 2 cost $3295. Sections 2 & 3 cost $4295.
GROUP SIZE
4 - 12 guests
CAMP SITE
Mix of sand and rock ledges. Most sites are good to excellent.You are unlikely to see anyone else except at the beginning and end of the walks.
ART
We visit a variety of art sites
SWIMMING
We will have good pools at almost every campsite and lunch spot.
WILDLIFE
Birds are always present but spread out at this time of year. You are unlikely to see many large animals. The Yellow Waters cruise is excellent for birds, many of which you are unlikely to see on the walk. It also gives you a good chance to see large estaurine crocodiles.
CLIMATE
September is hot. The average daily maximum temperature is 36-37ºC (about 97-99ºF). Fortunately, the average nightly minimum is cooler at about 21-23°C (70-73°F). As the minimum temperatures have been known to drop below 15ºC (about 60ºF), we recommend bringing a lightweight sleeping bag. (Some people do, however, choose to replace their sleeping bag with thermals.) As long as we get an early start in the mornings, we should have plenty of time to rest during the hottest part of the day.
Rain is possible so we recommend bringing something to use as a shelter if we get a rain storm.
COOKING
We will have campfires every night and hot water available every morning.
WALK RATING - MODERATE
Terrain
There are few steep climbs, none of which is over 200 m. As short as they are, these climbs are strenuous. Some may require using your hands to hold on as you climb up or down. None are technically difficult. None require ropes or other special.equipment.
Vegetation
Much of the walking is through relatively flat, open woodland with a grassy understorey. Some short sections of grass may hide a broken rocky surface where you will have to be particularly careful. There may be some slow sections where you will have to pass though thick scrub. The vegetation can vary from year to year depending on when last burnt. At this time of year, the spear grass has finished seeding and dried out.
Distance
4-6 hours per day
Pack Weight
You need to carry up to 6 days of food.
Itinerary
*This itinerary is subject to change
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