Nitmiluk National Park’s sandstone gorges near Katherine
Published on 08/29/2026 at 12:39 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Nitmiluk National Park in Australia’s Northern Territory is centred on a chain of sandstone gorges carved by the Katherine River, a landscape where sheer rock walls, river corridors and Jawoyn Country meet. The park lies northeast of Katherine and has been managed with strong Jawoyn involvement since the late twentieth century, giving it a rare combination of dramatic terrain and living Indigenous custodianship.
Sandstone country and the Katherine River gorges
Nitmiluk National Park covers a large area of sandstone plateau and river valleys in the Katherine region, including the well-known Katherine Gorge system on the Katherine River and the Leliyn area around Edith Falls. The park extends over roughly 2,946 km² (about 1,137 sq mi), making it one of the more expansive protected areas in the Northern Territory and giving space for wide tracts of savannah, escarpments and watercourses.Nitmiluk National Park covers about 2,946 km² The sandstone itself forms cliffs, terraces and steep slopes that frame the river and shape the way visitors move through the main gorge section.
The heart of the park for many visitors is Nitmiluk Gorge, also known as Katherine Gorge, a sequence of thirteen gorges that follow the Katherine River as it threads through the sandstone country.Nitmiluk is a thirteen-gorge system In places the walls rise sharply above the river, with narrow passages opening into wider basins and bends where the water spreads out against rocky banks. The gorge section is complemented by the Leliyn (Edith Falls) area to the north, where the river forms cascades and pools against a backdrop of wooded slopes and rock outcrops.Nitmiluk Gorge and Leliyn are the park’s two main sections
Jawoyn Country and the park’s modern history
Nitmiluk National Park sits on the traditional lands of the Jawoyn people, whose language gives the park its name and whose custodianship is central to its identity.Nitmiluk Gorge is recognised as Jawoyn country The park was formally established as a national park in 1977, in the era when the Northern Territory was designating several large conservation areas for both landscape protection and tourism.Nitmiluk National Park was established on 19 October 1977 Over the following years Jawoyn Traditional Owners pursued a land claim under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act, seeking formal recognition of Jawoyn ownership of the gorge country.
The Jawoyn claim lodged in 1978 led to hearings and negotiations that culminated in the land being recognised as Indigenous land and handed back to the Jawoyn Aboriginal Land Trust in 1989.The land was handed back to the Jawoyn in 1989 On the same day a 99?year lease and joint management agreement were signed with the Northern Territory Government, so the park has since been co-managed by Jawoyn representatives and the Parks and Wildlife Commission. This arrangement links park operations to Jawoyn decision-making and cultural knowledge, and means that rock art sites, story places and Jawoyn connections to the river are integral to how Nitmiluk is presented and cared for.Nitmiluk is jointly managed by Jawoyn and the Territory Government
A park of gorges, falls and savannah
The terrain within Nitmiluk National Park ranges from river corridors and steep-sided gorges to open woodland and rocky uplands, giving visitors contrasting settings within a single protected landscape. In the gorge section the Katherine River flows between rock walls, with stretches of deep water bounded by ledges, boulder fields and sandy patches along the banks.Nitmiluk’s gorges are carved from ancient sandstone Away from the river, walking tracks move over sandstone platforms and through eucalypt woodland, with views across the plateau and down into the gorge system.
Leliyn (Edith Falls) in the northern part of the park brings a different character, with a sequence of waterfalls and pools set among ridges and vegetation. Here the water drops over rock shelves into basins used for swimming, backed by hills and savannah that change colour through the year. Across the wider park, visitors encounter habitats ranging from riparian zones along the Katherine River to dry woodland and shrubland, supporting wildlife adapted to the Top End climate and the mix of rock, water and open country that defines Nitmiluk.
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 gorge entrance northeast of Katherine and the Leliyn (Edith Falls) section to the north.
- The terrain in the gorge area includes steep slopes, rock steps and uneven ground along riverbanks and lookouts, while walks around Leliyn combine formed paths with rocky sections near the falls.
- Katherine is reached overland from Darwin along the Stuart Highway, and sealed roads lead from Katherine to both the gorge entrance and the Leliyn (Edith Falls) access point.
- The official language 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 and how is it arranged?
Nitmiluk National Park lies northeast of Katherine in Australia’s Northern Territory, with two main sections: the Katherine Gorge area to the south and Leliyn (Edith Falls) to the north.
What should visitors expect on a first visit to Nitmiluk?
Visitors encounter sandstone gorges cut by the Katherine River, steep rock landscapes, woodland, waterfalls at Leliyn and Jawoyn Country shaped into a large national park.
What makes Nitmiluk National Park distinctive among Northern Territory parks?
The thirteen-gorge Katherine River system, the combination of gorge and waterfall landscapes, and its long-term co-management with Jawoyn Traditional Owners give Nitmiluk a distinctive character.
