Kayaking Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park : You won't forget the aerial view of Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park which sits just north east of Katherine. These 13 interconnected gorges are particularly spectacular during tropical summer when the Katherine River is brimming with water. Survey the powerful waterfalls and maze of ancient sandstone from a helicopter or cruise through the gorge's towering walls. Depending on the weather you can swim in pandanus fringed plunge pools beneath Edith Falls in Butterfly Gorge or Sweetwater Pool. Walk sections of the Jatbula Trail past monsoon rainforest to Crystal Falls. Follow the Windolf Walk to Pat's lookout for sweeping views over Nitmiluk Gorge and the summer waterfall of Southern Rockhole. Leave your daily routine behind for the volatile beauty of summer in Australia's tropical Top End. This season of brilliant sunshine and drenching rains will leave you feeling as vibrant as the landscapes.
Florence Falls, Litchfield National Park, NT: The waterfalls of nearby Litchfield National Park make a dramatic resurgence during summer. See the twin torrents of Florence Falls tumble over terraced monsoon forest and follow 160 steps down to the deep cool plunge pool below. Do the short walk to buley rockhole a series of cascading waterfalls and waterholes which teem with life after the tropical storms. Watch orange footed scrubfowl honeyeaters figbirds and Torres Strait pigeons foraging for fruit and berries. Swim and picnic alongside thundering Wangi Falls where marsupial mice frogs and frill neck lizards dart around the water' s edge.
In Kakadu National Park the local Bininj people have charted nature's cycle over six different seasons. Late December to late March is the Gudjewg monsoon season when heavy rains coax the landscape back to life. Native birds flock across the wetlands tropical flowers fringe the rivers and spear grass sprouts across the flood plains. follow the Yurmikmik Walks to waterfalls surging over regged escarpments into deep swimming holes. The Boulder Creek Walk Yurmikmik Lookout Walk Motor Car Falls and Kurrundie Creek Walk are open all year round. Cruise down the East Aligator River past abundant native birds and animals or take in the scope and scale of this lush landscape on a scenic helicopter flight.
