Bushwalk Australia

Have just returned from first visit to Kakadu and like the sound of the 5 day Jatbula Trail from Katherine Gorge to Edith Falls. Has anyone done it? Is it a cruise, or do the temperatures and having to carry plenty of water make it challenging? Any suggestions on best time of year and other suggestions welcome.

Sounds hot, but what an awesome trip

Much of the track follows water, so you don't need to carry gallons and gallons with you all the time. From memory it's only the first day when you're away from water most of the time. Lot of waterfalls and swimming holes on the way. And water buffalo. And even a bit of mud, if you're from Tassie and feeling a little homesick . . .

Its a great walk but it can get *&%$#! hot from pretty early in the day. Fortuntely the days aren't too long. Start early and most days the walking will be done by lunch time, with the rest of the day spent in a waterhole or cascade. If you can try and spend 2 nights at Crystal falls and somehow get off the plateau then back up into the bottom of the gorge. It looked amazing but no idea if its do-able. Didn't see a buffalo myself but lots of birdlife, plus a few death adders and freshies.

Be aware that the track opening date varies from one year to the next- maybe its dependant on the length of the wet. Still if you aren't allowed on you can always do 2-3 night walks to the upper Katherine gorges which I'm told are great too.

I've tried to organise a Jatbula Trail hike twice and both times failed. Mainly because I can't get transport to Katherine, let alone getting someone to drop us off at one site and pick us up at the end.

How did you do it?

There are buses, plus the rail line runs through Katherine.

I just hitchhiked back down to collect the car.
Yes, I was a lot younger and braver (OK, stupider) back then.

There are regular bus services from Katherine out to the trailhead at Katherine Gorge.
8 am, 12.15 pm, 5 pm Daily going out; Nitmiluk Gorge to Katherine 9 am, 1 pm & 5.30 pm Daily
Nitmiluk Tours 1300 146 743, 08 8972 1253; $15 ea one way; https://www.nitmiluktours.com.au/facili ... s-service/
no shuttle return from Edith Falls; use Taxi van service 08 8972 1777 ; they have taxis ranging in size from normal sedans to 11-person buses. Or charter a bus from Dyson tours. Or can you can take a punt and hitch a lift with other tourists. There are plenty of day trippers who might take you back to Katherine.

Transport to Katherine: with Greyhound bus from Darwin. connections to Kununurra as well, and from the south.

I am doing this walk in july 11. You need to book and the rangers only allow 10 hikers to start each day. And I am told if conditions are not great the rangers will close the track. I was worried about transport as well but ring Nitmiluk Park. I was told returning to trailhead would cost about $50 and like jimbo suggests you could hitch. I was told it was a common practice.

The only thing I am a bit worried about is the salties. They caught a few in the park this last season. The thought of hot hard days and no swimming sounds unpleasant.

We are taking some kids with us, has anyone done it with kids under 10? These kids are tough they have done a lot of hiking in Tasmania.

Rogo, no experience with kids on this trail, but I think it would be a good one for kids. Take 5 or 6 days, easy to plan short distance days. Walk early in the morning, swim in the afternoons. It is hot in the arvos for hiking, but cool by the water. All the campsites are beside water - falls, river, waterholes. If crocs were a problem they would not be beside the water (if it were croc territory all but a couple of these campsites would be dangerous as they are too close to the water). Most are shady. Most but not all have toilets. There are Emergency Call Devices (ECDs) at most campsites (refer to maps) - radios to the national park ranger.

The Katherine River was closed whilst I was there, due to a saltie sighting. However the Jatbula only starts at the Katherine River, it does not follow the river at all.

The first day is a climb up the escarpment edge to the plateau above. The rest of the trail is along the plateau until it climbs down again near the end. The climbs are not difficult.

A taxi from Edith Falls to Katherine cost $150 in July this year.

Although I have read only 10 hikers are permitted per day, this was not my experience. I had trouble booking a date, and the only other two people I met on the trail had trouble moving their booking, so we both had the impression it was booked out when we were there. Yes that right, the whole time, there was just 3 of us, and no-one was ahead of us in the previous 2 days.

http://jez-magneticnorth.blogspot.com/2010/08/jatbula-trail.html

Thanks Jez-au. That is great info. Glad to hear of someone who has walked the trail recently. The kids aren't mine but I have walked with them and they end the day with more energy than us. And they carry packs up 5 kgs. We are planning on 6 days there. Fortunately my husband a confirmed non walker is coming now and will hire a car a do the car thing for us.
You say there was no one else on the track! Wow I thought it was becoming a popular walk, there is plenty of advertising lately about it. It was featured in the last Paddy P mag. Anyway we are a group of 8 or so and we booked the whole track date for that day.

If your non-walking husband wants to join you for the last night, he could walk the 4km from Edith Falls to Sweetwater Pool. This is the only section of the trail that anyone can walk and camp at Sweetwater Pool. Also the first place you will see other people. Just imagine, he could bring you treats!

For your husband's 6 days there is a school of the air museum in Katherine, some hot springs and not much else. The southern road in Kakadu is not far away, the southern road into Jarbiru has a lot more to see, and frankly the better stuff anyway, in Kakadu then the northern road from Darwin. Lots of falls and pools to swim in mostly just a few steps from the carpark.

Enjoy your walk!

Thanks for the suggestions, Jez. I should have said it is my nonwalking husband and child. 4k's would almost kill my boys! But your other suggestions I will pass onto them. I think they were planning to head towards Kakadu with camera equipment.
I am doing some hot weather walking early January on the Cape to Cape to get used to it a bit. What is the track like? Hard surfaces or sandy in parts? You and others have said...mud, bad or just a little? Do I need low gaiters kind of mud?

Ro

Hi rogo, not sure which track you are asking about for mud. When I did the Cape to Cape in May there was no mud, it rained for the last couple of days. The Jatbula was dry, little mud. Rainfall in the Dry Season is about 2mm per month (during the Wet Season about 230mm). The Jatbula is a mixture of dry sand (not sand-hill/beach depth, just loose sand on a firm base) and mostly firm track through parts of the stone country. Couple of creek crossings. Prior to Sweetwater Pool there was a several hundred metre long section of mud, there were some planks/trees across, but yes fun mud (hiking poles found no solid bottom when pushed into mud). Gaitors wont help much if you fall in, it's near the end of the day and track, you wont care, and you could always wash stuff and it will be dry 20 minutes later.