Jatbula Trail

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A 62km one-way, grade-4 multi-day walk from Nitmiluk Gorge to Leliyn (Edith Falls) along the western Arnhem Land escarpment, named after Jawoyn traditional owner Peter Jatbula.

☰ Trail details

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Distance

55.17 km

Est. time

13 hr 53 min

Elevation gain

320 m

Route type

Point to point

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Nitmiluk National Park, Katherine, NT. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

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About this hike

The Jatbula Trail follows a route Jawoyn people have walked for generations between Nitmiluk Gorge and Leliyn (Edith Falls), and takes its name from Peter Jatbula, a Jawoyn man instrumental in winning land rights that eventually saw Nitmiluk handed back to its traditional owners and jointly managed with Parks and Wildlife NT. At 62km one-way and Grade 4, it's usually walked over 5-6 days along the western edge of the Arnhem Land escarpment, camping at a series of designated sites near waterholes and creek crossings. The country shifts along the way from sandstone plateau and monsoon vine thicket to the paperbark-lined pools the Top End is known for, ending at the popular swimming holes of Edith Falls. Because it's one-way and remote, most walkers arrange a shuttle or tour transfer between the Nitmiluk and Leliyn trailheads.

Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Spiral Pandanus

Pandanus spiralis

Top End screw palm▾

Top End screw palm

A small tree of northern Australia's savanna woodlands and floodplain margins, growing to about 10 m with strap-like leaves crowded and spiralling toward the branch tips. Its segmented fruit ripens to orange or red and is a traditional food and fibre source for Aboriginal people.

How to spot it

Leaves 1-2 m long and 4-7 cm wide, spirally arranged with sharp spines along the margins and midrib; dead leaves hang in a skirt below the crown, and leaf-base scars spiral visibly down the trunk.

Family Pandanaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Pandanus spiralis

Rob Foster, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Darwin Stringybark

Eucalyptus tetrodonta

Dominant Top End woodland eucalypt▾

Dominant Top End woodland eucalypt

A tall eucalypt, usually 9-25 m, that forms the backbone of open woodland across the Top End alongside Darwin Woollybutt. Its Yolngu name gadayka means 'the word', reflecting its cultural importance.

How to spot it

Rough, stringy or fibrous grey-over-reddish-brown bark on trunk and branches; dull bluish-green lance-shaped leaves in opposite pairs; flower buds in groups of three with whitish-cream flowers; woody cylindrical fruit capsules.

Family Myrtaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Eucalyptus tetrodonta

G.W. Wilson, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons

Sand Palm

Livistona humilis

Fire-tolerant Top End endemic palm▾

Fire-tolerant Top End endemic palm

A small, slender fan palm endemic to the Top End of the Northern Territory, growing to about 7 m with 8-15 fan-shaped fronds. It is fire tolerant and typically grows in open eucalypt woodland that burns regularly.

How to spot it

Slender single trunk 5-8 cm across topped with 8-15 fan-shaped leaves 30-50 cm long on long petioles; small yellow flowers followed by shiny purple-black fruit; found on sandy and lateritic soils in open woodland.

Family Arecaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Livistona humilis

J Brew, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Weeping Paperbark

Melaleuca leucadendra

Riverine paperbark of Top End waterways▾

Riverine paperbark of Top End waterways

A large tree over 20 m tall with thick white papery bark and weeping branches, lining rivers, creeks and floodplain margins across the Top End. Cream to greenish-white flower spikes appear along the branches.

How to spot it

Thick, papery, peeling white-to-cream bark; alternate narrow lance-shaped leaves 75-270 mm long with 5-9 longitudinal veins; cream flower spikes; woody capsule clusters along the stems. Look for it fringing rivers and billabongs.

Family Myrtaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Melaleuca leucadendra

Ethel Aardvark, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Desert Fig

Ficus platypoda

Rock fig of sandstone gorges▾

Rock fig of sandstone gorges

A lithophytic fig endemic to central and northern Australia, growing as a shrub or tree to 10 m directly out of rock crevices on sandstone outcrops. It produces small edible figs that ripen through yellow, orange, pink, red or purple.

How to spot it

Elliptical to oval leaves with a furry underside; fine hairs on the branchlets; small round-to-oval figs 0.9-2.8 cm across. Look for roots gripping bare sandstone rock faces along gorge walls.

Family Moraceae · Source: Wikipedia: Ficus platypoda

Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Gouldian Finch

Chloebia gouldiae

Endangered (EPBC Act)▾

Endangered (EPBC Act)

One of Australia's most vividly coloured finches, with red-, black- or yellow-headed colour morphs of the one species. Nitmiluk National Park contains part of the Yinberrie Hills Important Bird Area, recognised by BirdLife International specifically for its importance to this endangered finch.

How to spot it

A small finch with a purple chest, green back and yellow underparts, with the head colour varying between individuals (black, red or, rarely, yellow). Travels in small flocks through open woodland near water in the Top End dry season.

Family Estrildidae · Source: Wikipedia: Gouldian finch; Wikipedia: Nitmiluk National Park

Kym Nicolson, CC BY 4.0

Freshwater crocodile

Crocodylus johnstoni

Not threatened — iconic Top End reptile▾

Not threatened — iconic Top End reptile

A smaller, slender-snouted crocodile endemic to northern Australia's freshwater rivers and gorges. Katherine Gorge, within Nitmiluk National Park, is one of its best-known strongholds, where it stays common and largely safe from saltwater crocodiles through the dry season.

How to spot it

Distinguished from the saltwater crocodile by its narrower, more tapered snout and smaller teeth. Commonly seen basking on rock ledges and sandbars along the gorge during dry-season boat tours and canoe trips.

Family Crocodylidae · Source: Wikipedia: Freshwater crocodile

Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0