Koolpin Gorge Kakadu
Submitted: Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 13:25
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Member - Duncan W (WA)
If your contemplating going to
Kakadu, do yourself a favour and get permit to enter Koolpin Gorge. Permit is free just apply via the the
Kakadu NP website.
When you get your permit you need to pick up the
gate key from the
Mary River Roadhouse ($50 deposit).
Drive north and turn of at the Gunlon Falls (Waterfall
Creek) road when you get to the "Y"
junction turn right and follow the signs. Once through the
gate it is a slow 8km to the campgrounds.
There is 1
creek crossing and whilst not deep (about 400mm deep in early July) it is interesting as it takes a while to figure out where you exit the
creek.
Collect firewood en-route as there is no firewood collecting around the campgrounds (officially).
When we were there there was only 4 other vehicles but you felt like you were alone. The campgrounds are
well cleared with some shade trees. There is a composting dunny and BBQ and fire
places are provided.
The
water in
the gorge is crystal clear and great for swimming in with stacks of fish to keep all amused. (no crocs either).
The walk up
the gorge to the falls is a bit of a challenge as there is no formal track so the challenge is to find a path over all the boulders. At the end of the walk there are a couple of largish pools and a small waterfall.
Great fun place, great scenery and no maddening crowds. Don't forget the camera.
Reply By: The Rambler( W.A.) - Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 14:42
Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 14:42
Yes Koolpin is certainly a place to visit as I enjoyed it very much when I was there.I hope you climbed over the rocks at the end of track which takes you to a vaery beautiful deep pool.Apparently quite a few people miss this pool as they turn back too soon asthe track to
the pool is not really marked.There may be the odd croc at times as when Iwas there there was a croctrap downstream of the campground but I am sure upstream is very safe.I think they still limit the number of cars at the campground which makes it more enjoyable.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 14:57
Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 14:57
Walked as far as the waterfall. Didn't go any further as I was by myself and couldn't see an easy or safe route up the rocks to get above the waterfall. The wife spat the dummy when she fell in the
water and drowned her watch at about the 300m mark, so she stayed on the
campsite side of the
creek. Suppose it is very possible to get crocs there but in July there where non, however the croc signs are still in place to give warning.
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Reply By: Willem - Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 19:22
Saturday, Aug 19, 2006 at 19:22
Yep, it used to be open access in the 70's and 80's and we were able to
camp right at the waters edge. But time and progress has changed all of that. Such is life.
However, it is still a nice place to visit and if you are fit and like rock hopping, there are lots of pools to explore upstream.
It used to be fun getting in there early in the dry seaon when the
South Alligator River was still flowing above wheel height
AnswerID:
189807
Reply By: Rod W - Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 at 10:20
Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 at 10:20
Well I'll be bugger... a permit. In the early 70's I went in to Koolpin Gorge several times, was a fabulous spot. I had an FJ45 LWD at the time. On one trip just after the wet a section of the track was very messy so I walked a section through the for a way around. Back into the Tojo and I'm off suddenly the motor is screaming it's head off and then I land... what the hell was all that about. Walked back a bit to discover I'd hit a Buffalo wallow, which if I initially walked a bit further I would have discovered. The Tojo landed about 20' from the wallow.
In 1976 I went into Koolpin Gorge in a 2wd Toyota Dyna Twin Cab. You should have seen the jaws drop on the faces of 4wd owners that were in there at the time.
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Follow Up By: Rod W - Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 at 10:26
Tuesday, Aug 22, 2006 at 10:26
The words 'spear grass' is missing, so it should read "...I walked a section through the spear grass for a way around."
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