Top End Late April 09 with kids 10 and 14

Getting to Jim Jim in April Depends on how wet the wet is. Migt be worth doing a day trip on a tour.

It's only about a kilometre walk from the car park.

There's a caravan park at Jabiru in Kakadu NP

Sounds great.

I agree, might be a bit early for the falls. You will have to visit the ranger center before going. From memory it is near Cooinda - signs everywhere. They will inform you of the roads and you can also buy the boat ticket for twin falls there. I think there is also a walk track in also??? There is no swimming there now but I was very fortunate to be there also in 1993 when you could. I fell in love with the place.
Beware though, the river crossing to get to twin falls is deep. It was 1.2m last year in July when I went.
If you are not confident then better to get the tour.
Jim Jim is spectacular and you will have no problem getting in there with 4x4. Some allwheel drive soft roaders got in there when I went. The walk in to jim jim is about 45 min or so over boulders and a track but not to difficult. We swam in the shallow sand section there where you can see for quite a distance.

Another 3 places I highly recommend are:
1. Maguk
2. Gunlom - koolpin
3.Edith falls (great camping there)

Litchfield Park is just as good if not better than Kakadu I thought. Just go everywhere there - magnificent place.

John 'n' Min
Contact EO Member Steve of Top End Tours, I'm sure he will give you all the info you need.

Top End Explorer Tours

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the last few hundred metres of the walk into Jim Jim requires a fair amount of agility, the boulders you have to hop/scramble over are pretty rough. Not a problem for young kids (my 5yo did it easily) but more of a problem for older tottery folks.

Have a look at this page and click on Days30to34 for a couple of photos of the track in, Jim Jim creek crossing (to Twin Falls) and the boulders on the track into Jim Jim Falls. Days17 onwards might interest you also.

Cheers, Nige

Crocodylus - croc farm, Darwin - good idea to make them croc aware. Darwin Museum - great aboriginal art display, Cyclone Tracy exhibit, and WW2 stuff there. The nearby Casino dining room has good lunch deal for Seniors/pensioners - really good all-you-can-eat buffet; was $9 a head in 2007, not sure what charge for youngsters. Aquascene fish feeding. Indo Pacific Marine.
In Kakadu, the top picks would be visitors centre, Nourlangie rock art sites, Yellow Waters cruise. If money is no object, investigate Davidson's Arnhem Land camp.
In Litchfield, all the falls are spectacular. Swimming at Buley Rockholes is very safe. Wangi Falls is popular for swimming as well, but you need to ensure they are very capable in the water, for there. Wangi may well still be closed for swimming in April (annual croc round up).
For something different, that offers good billabong cruise, maybe helicopter trip, insight into big cattle station - and a pleasant camp area, investigate LaBelle Station - is on western edge of Litchfield, accessed from just past Wangi area.

Min,

Try Stokes Hill wharf for fish 'n chips/seafood every evening. Go a bit early, because everyone else seems to rock up too!!!!!!!!!
Nice spot to watch sunsets as you chew on some seafood.

You and Girls can go shopping @ Palmerston, while John goes to the Aircraft Museum.Well worth a look, but probably a bit ho-hum for the g'daughters.

While @ Kakadu, book a morning with Deano Jackson for a few hours fishing, bird & croc spotting, on Yellow Waters @ Cooinda.

I enjoyed the walk down stream from Cahills Crossing. Saw plenty of crocs, seemingly oblivious to us humans strolling along the bank.

Warragen Cultural Centre @ Cooinda is worth a look to.

The walk from car park up to Jim Jim falls is a bit daunting the first time but gets easier after each visit. Worth doing it as early as possible in the morning, as the dark coloured boulders mentioned above, absorb a lot of heat, and make the gorge pretty warm. But the walk is worth it, and there is some glorious swimming available just down from the Falls.

Hope you all enjoy it,
Hooroo,
Bob.

I'm very grateful for the time people have taken to respond. I will be printing it all off to go in my Top End file.

As mentioned in follow-ups we now plan to go in late June (and join the crowds).