Cobourg Peninsula -Northern Territory

Submitted: Sunday, Jun 27, 2021 at 11:19

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Cobourg Peninsula

The entire Cobourg Peninsula lies within the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in northern Arnhem Land. This is a remote and rugged paradise fringed with white sandy beaches and rich marine life.

Mike & Kendra Cruisn1

Hi there,
has any one done the track to Smith Point on the Cobourg Peninsula NT recently. Looking for info on how bad the track is, how much fuel required, river crossings etc and whether it's worth the journey.
Cheers Mike and Kendra

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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Sunday, Jun 27, 2021 at 20:09

Sunday, Jun 27, 2021 at 20:09

We are there right now.
Road is corrugated (aren't they all?). About 5 hours +/- form Cahill Crossing. Just under 300km from memory. Apart from Cahills Crossing there are no crossings of consequence.
Only you can decide if it is "worth it". Within 24 hours after arrival we decided to extend from 1 week to 2 weeks. Been here 1 week now.

200m from Point Smith

Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Mike & Kendra Cruisn1 - Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 14:04

Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 14:04

Thanks for the information

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Reply By: Member - Robert S36 - Sunday, Jun 27, 2021 at 20:41

Sunday, Jun 27, 2021 at 20:41

Had memorable trip, highly recommended, last year in August. Use 4wd, high clearance vehicle only. Get your permit. Get your drone permit. Road conditions - definitely phone Black Point ranger station, ask road status, where grader is or when last graded. Corrugations can be brutal. Interesting, pricey boat tour of Victoria Settlement ruins and fishing trip organised by Venture North was great. Need long range fuel tank and jerrycans, plan fuel carefully for 4wd plus aircon each way, plus 4wd driving tracks when there ...only fuel at Jabiru. Check tides at Cahills Crossing with WillyWeather online, as per permit or from Kakadu rangerx and time to cross a few hours around low tide. There is a bookable parks campsite close to the crossing. Good luck, safe travels, happy memories.

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Follow Up By: gke - Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 09:16

Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 09:16

Hi,
That campsite near the crossing is Mosquito Central .Ask me how I know ! Great trip and place.
Stay safe,
Graham.

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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 09:56

Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 09:56

We were told that the non generator campsite at Garig Gunak Barlu NP was terrible with sand flies. They are here (with some mozies), but are not so bad. These critters vary with the time of year and the weather, so there is no alternative but to see for yourself, or talk to someone there NOW.
Allow for 750+km fuel range. We will probably need 850 or 900km over 2 weeks. There are a couple of scenic drives up to 50km and most other things are 10-30km round trips.
The road has not yet been graded since the last wet. Due but not happened yet.
Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Mike & Kendra Cruisn1 - Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 14:06

Monday, Jun 28, 2021 at 14:06

Thanks for the info

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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021 at 20:25

Wednesday, Jun 30, 2021 at 20:25

Todays news from the Coburg Peninsula.
The NT Chief Minister will make a statement on Friday morning about the Darwin lock down and if it will be extended, or not.
The Northern Land Council has said that if the lock down IS extended, they will close Cahills Crossing immediately in BOTH directions (with big rocks) and NO ONE will be able to get IN or OUT.

So.... we were due to leave Saturday, but we will now leave in the morning (Thursday) otherwise we could run out of food, because we have no idea how long the lock down would be in force. We have already been a week longer than planned.
Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Thursday, Jul 01, 2021 at 08:46

Thursday, Jul 01, 2021 at 08:46

Sounds like a good idea Pete, nothing worse than running out of food or water when remote.

Macca.

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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Saturday, Jul 03, 2021 at 20:19

Saturday, Jul 03, 2021 at 20:19

We left early on Thursday morning. The northern half averaged 45kph. The southern half averaged 65kph. There was about 60km freshly graded.
Another 2 vehicles did not get the info until later on Thursday night and left at 2am Friday morning. They crossed just an hour or so before 3 large concrete blocks were used to block the road at the crossing.
They left a tinny up there and the trailer was left on the side of the road on the way north, but they reckoned that the fishing made it worth it.

Great area up there. Recommend it.
Cheers,
Peter
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Thursday, Jul 22, 2021 at 11:04

Thursday, Jul 22, 2021 at 11:04

PS..... Meant to add that in the 12 days we were there, we travelled a total of 850km Jabaru to Jabaru.

Also, Cahills crossing is rarely an issue at most tide conditions at this time of year. That is because the river flow is quite low and it does not back up too much with the high tide. The Ranger's wife says they don't check the tide times and she is happy to cross in the Toyota at up to 600mm depth. Our crossings were 2 hours before low tide and the water depth was 150mm.
Cheers,
Peter
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