Sweetwater is a popular day-hike from Leliyn (Edith) Falls, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. The trail management of Jatbula only allows 15 people to walk any one section per day and walkers are set to a strict schedule of pre-identified campsites. Happening upon these signs of life in such a remote place, and not just signs of life but deeply spiritual records of the people who walked here, speaks to the culturally rich history of Australia that is so rarely taught. Crossroads Bike Tours offers five self-guided KATY bike tours with optional distances to meet your desired length of ride. We spent time with our newly found friends, swapping stories and delaying the inevitable end. Tours 3 Day Family Tour to Kakadu. Day 4 – 16.8km – Walk to Edith River Crossing, which is very low towards the end of the season, and snake through some beautiful forest on to Sandy Camp Pool for camp. We are walking the 62km of remote desert trail that traces the western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment in Nitmiluk National Park, just out of Katherine, NT. We adjust our packs, take a few happy-snaps while we’re still clean (the last time we’ll have this opportunity for the next 5 days), and wade into the thick heat of the Jatbula Trail. Climbing up and down the sandy hills, the landscape slowly changes into grassy woodland, bringing welcome reprieve from the ever-strengthening sun. The Jatbula Trail is a 5-day hike through everchanging ecosystems in Nitmiluk National Park. Continue on to Biddlecombe Cascades to camp for the evening. The land, scarred by fire, speaks of a recently burned savanna with just the upper reaches of the gums remaining. Trekking across the top of the escarpment and looking out into the valley below, the vastness that is Central Australia somehow feels different with the knowledge that it’s a three day walk back to any human infrastructure. You'll experience unique flora and fauna, geology, history and culture. It’s not just the human history of this place that’s striking, the geology is incomprehensible. During the Wet, walking in the area is not permitted due to flooding and strong currents waters in the many rivers that need crossing. Self-Guided Katy Trail - Crossroads Bike Tours 314-656-6229 Quickly the magic of being so remote gives way to the excitement of indulging in a burger and milkshake at the campsite tuckshop. The Arnhem Land escarpment was formed over 140 million years ago, as the cliffs of a shallow inland sea, and the sediment consolidated here (literally) one billion years ago. The Jatbula Trail is a 62 km one way walk, departing from Nitmiluk Gorge, traversing through the western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment over sandstone plateau scrub, woodlands, monsoon forests and riverine landscapes finishing at Leliyn (Edith Falls) You will walk in the footsteps of generations of Jawoyn who traditionally travelled this land. On day three we had our first sighting of the dinosaur-like red-tailed black cockatoo which we had been hearing since first stepping onto the trail. The Jatbula Trail is a trip of a lifetime located in the Northern Territory, giving you the opportunity to walk through Nitmiluk National Park from the famous Nitmiluk Gorge to Leliyn (Edith Falls). Tours East Point Horse Drawn Tour. The trail was named after Peter Jatbula a traditional owner of the land and a member of the Jawoyn people. Definitely worth a dip though! In addition to the ‘In Comfort’ series of Larapinta walks, Australian Walking Holidays also offers a range of self-guided, wilderness camping options, up to the full 223km Larapinta traverse. Self Guided Tour. You need to book a ferry to take you across the gorge to the beginning of the hike. Shot by @1andre, Millaa Millaa Falls is an 18 metre high heritage-l, Hiking attire has changed a lot over the last cent, How Feral Horses Damage Australia’s Precious Alpine Environments, El Questro is an Outback Oasis Along The Gibb River Run, Bikepacking The Central West Cycling Trail in 6 Days, Nitmiluk Gorge Southern Walks – Secluded 4 Day Solo Hike, Conquer The Canberra Centenary Trail as 12 Day Hikes, Capturing The Landscapes Of The Larapinta. Day 2 – 11km – Crossing the cascades in the morning, passing some rock art continue on to Crystal Falls. We would love to hear about your experiences on the JT (Comment here). Operated by Sacred Earth Safaris - Tours from Darwin. Tours The trail follows a traditional songline of the Jawoyn people who have travelled this region for thousands of years, and it doesn’t take long before the sound of the boat engine fades into nothing, to be replaced by cicadas and the calls of black cockatoos. The Jatbula Trail is classified as moderate. The Jatbula Trail in the Nitmiluk National Park features magnificent waterfalls tumbling from high quartzite cliffs where shady monsoon forests line the creeks and stunning Jawoyn Aboriginal rock art adorns the caves and overhangs. The biggest challenge of the Jatbula trail is that it is a full … These Blokes Rode The Simpson Desert Unsupported - On Fat Bikes! Day 1 –  8.3km – Cross the Katherine River to the mouth of 17 Mile Creek via small boat and then walk to Northern Rockhole – towards the end of the season the water might not be so great to swim in. Some opt to camp here, but with only a 4km to the end it doesn’t seem like a real stop. Flying in from cool Canberra we were intimidated by the idea of hiking for hours in the heat of northern Australia and pretty concerned about not over-doing it. Attractions, accommodation options and more…, © NT Immersions & Monsoon Studio. I was keen to experience the Jatbula Trail before it became too well known; too well trodden. An appreciation of the life of this land before foreigners arrived and claimed it as our own. Perhaps a little over-keen to arrive, we were in camp before 10am, hardly a day’s hike! The path never diverts too far from the stunning Indian Ocean where you can enjoy white sandy beaches and fabulous swimming. We climbed through greener landscapes than anywhere else on the trail, across muddy flood plains, tropical savanna, and then descending to Sandy Pool. I remember walking through the streets of London and being dumbstruck by the sense of history of the place. 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