Nitmiluk National Park; sandstone spectacular

Kakadu National Park in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, protecting some 20,000 square kilometres of woodland and sandstone escarpment, is one of the world's great parks (see here and here for a little more about it). However it doesn't end there. To the south the Arnhem Land Plateau continues and is now protected in Nitmiluk NP, of a slightly more modest - but still huge - 3,000 square kilometres. Located some 240km south-east of Darwin, and just 30km north-east of Katherine, its gorges and pools have long been popular visitor attractions and the two most popular such sections - Leliyn (Edith Falls) and Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) - were declared as protected areas in the 1960s.

Sublime Nitmiluk Gorge, from a boat tour.

Approximate location of Nitmiluk NP; Kakadu continues to the north of it all the way to the sea.

This map (courtesy of Wikipedia) gives a general idea of the locations mentioned in this posting,
though doesn't identify all of them, due to the scale. Kakadu adjoins along the northern boundary,
and the north-eastern one, down to the Katherine River.

In 1979 the Jawoyn people, traditional owners of what is now Nitmiluk NP, launched a claim for the land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, which had been recently passed by the Federal Government. There was initially a (sadly predictable) backlash from sections of the non-Indigenous community, especially in Katherine, seemingly encouraged by the then Northern Territory government. Malicious claims that the popular swimming areas would be closed added to the tension. Nonetheless, after a decade of hearings, the claim was successful and the land 'handed back' to the Jawoyn owners in September 1989. Immediately, as previously agreed, it was leased to the Northern Territory government for joint management as national park; this followed the precedent set for Kakadu NP in 1985. The Jawoyn language and culture is still strong and active, and is an important part of Nitmiluk management and interpretation for visitors.

Jawoyn art site on the wall of Nitmiluk Gorge.

While we're at 'the gorge', let's continue there. In reality it is a series of 13 gorges, most of which are not readily accessible. We took a four-hour boat trip with accredited guide, a memorable experience; it included disembarking and walking across rocks to continue the journey into the next gorge in another vessel. The hundred metre high gorge walls glowed in the afternoon sun.

A lower section of Nitmiluk Gorge.

Ferns clinging to the sandstone walls, where it is moist and sheltered.

Just above however, is dry savannah woodland exposed to the full sun.

Freshwater Mangrove Barringtonia acutangula, Nitmiluk Gorge.

One of the highlights of the trip for us was the opportunity to see Freshwater Crocodiles Crocodylus johnstoni up close.

Freshwater Crocodile sunning on a log in the gorge. The long narrow jaw evolved for catching fish.
For a bit more on crocodiles in general, see here.

For our stay at Nitmiluk we camped at Leliyn (shown only as Edith Falls on the map above); it was much busier than our preferred camping but, despite that, it was one of the loveliest - and birdiest - public camp grounds we've ever stayed in. We enjoyed the 2.7km Leliyn Loop Walk and walked from it along the track to Sweetwater Pool as far as Long Hole Pool (this is actually the beginning/end of the 60km five-day Jatbula Track, which joins Leliyn to Nitmiluk Gorge).

Relatively lush riverine forest along the Edith River in a dry sandstone landscape.

Top (or Upper) Pool on the circuit track, seen from above.

Top Pool Falls, an excellent plunge pool for swimming.

Long Pool and falls; arguably an even better place to cool off, not least because less people go there.

On our walk across the plateau above the river we inevitably encountered some interesting plants - here are a few of them. 

Acacia helicophylla is a very distinctive spindly wattle found only at Leliyn and at Gunlom Falls in Kakadu.

Grevillea heliosperma is a pretty small tree of the sandstone of the northern tropics.

Fern-leaved Grevillea Grevillea pteridifolia is found even more widely across northern Australia,
but I never tire of seeing or sharing it.

Emu Apple Owenia vernicosa is a small to medium tree of tropical woodlands in the cedar family, Meliaceae.
It is widely used by Jawoyn and other peoples for various medicinal purposes.

But I mentioned before the superb bird life around the camp - those which immediately follow were taken from directly over our camp, some from our camp chairs! It was of course a big advantage that the eucalypts (and to my shame I can't recall what they were) were in full flower.

Banded Honeyeater Cissomela pectoralis; a small nomadic honeyeater of the north,
following the flowering. It is the only member of its genus.

Bar-breasted Honeyeater Ramsayornis fasciatus, another small tropical honeyeater, which
seems not to move around as much as the previous species. It probably switches more to
insects and spiders when the flowers are scarce.

Yellow-tinted Honeyeater Ptilotula flavescens, larger than the others, demurely clad.,
usually found not far from water.

Paperbark Flycatcher Myiagra nana. As the name suggests it is often found around paperbark swamps, but
not in this case. John Gould recognised it as a separate species from the widespread Restless Flycatcher
M. inquieta, but it was then regarded as a subspecies for decades until it was separated out again in 1999.
It never does to underestimate Gould's perspicacity!
(See here for a few notes on him in one of the first blog posts I ever did.)

Northern Rosella Platycercus venustus, a rosella that seems to be not nearly as approachable as the ones
from our part of the world. More sombrely coloured too, and found across the Top End and the Kimberley.

Hooded Parrots Psephotellus dissimilis on the other hand are restricted to the Northern Territory,
and within that to the southern Top End. Nitmiluk is a noted hot spot for them, though this
one was just outside the park, in the small town of Pine Creek. One of a group of three small
tropical and formerly subtropical parrots which nest in hollows excavated in termite mounds.
The Golden-shouldered Parrot of a couple of tiny sites on Cape York Peninsula is Endangered,
and the Paradise Parrot from further south now extinct.

Blue-winged Kookaburras Dacelo leachii somehow seem more menacing (and even manic) than their
Laughing relatives. This female (russet, not blue, tail) was attempting to obtain handouts by menace
from people waiting to board the boat at Nitmiluk Gorge.

The Great Bowerbird Chlamydera nuchalis is the largest of its family, widespread and familiar
across northern Australia. It too isn't above cadging scraps and this one was hanging around
the campground cafe.

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus banksii flying over the Leliyn Loop Walk.
This is a huge cocky, 60cm long, and much commoner in the north than further south.
This one seems to have lost (or perhaps is moulting) an outer tail feather.

If you go to Katherine, perhaps on your way between Darwin and Alice Springs, you're likely to go to Nitmiluk Gorge and you certainly should; there's a lot more to Nitmiluk however and I'd urge you to investigate. You'll not be sorry.

NEXT POSTING THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER
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