Katherine Gorge after the 2026 floods

How bad was the March 2026 flood at Katherine Gorge?

The worst on record at the gorge. On 6 March the river at the Nitmiluk Centre read 8.73 m and was still rising, against 7.40 m in the March 2000 flood.

The emergency warning issued at 9:57 pm on Friday 6 March put the Nitmiluk Centre gauge at 8.73 m with a peak near 9.0 m expected overnight (the warning, via Mirage News). Downstream, the river peaked at 19.2 m at the Katherine Bridge at about 10:45 pm on Saturday 7 March. That is roughly a metre below the 1998 flood, and Farm Online ranked it the town's second-worst flood on record.

Katherine District Hospital was evacuated and its patients flown to Darwin. By 8 March the Stuart Highway was closed north and south of town, along with the high-level bridge (SecureNT update 7). National Indigenous Times reported about 1,000 people in evacuation centres across Darwin, Katherine and Mataranka.

Then it happened again. On 22 March the authorities forecast major flooding at the Nitmiluk Centre for the next morning, closed every government school in Katherine and kept the hospital shut (SecureNT update 36).

When did the Katherine Gorge cruises restart?

In the 2026 dry season. Outcamp reported in May that Nitmiluk Tours had confirmed powerboat cruises were back, and guest reviews from June onwards confirm boats and helicopters running.

Outcamp wrote on 26 May 2026 that Nitmiluk Tours had confirmed in mid-May that its powerboat cruises had resumed. GetYourGuide reviews fill in the rest: guests on the 10-minute helicopter flight posted from late June, and the AAT Kings day tour from Darwin has reviews of the 2-hour cruise every month from July to October.

The cruise itself has not changed. The NitNit Dreaming Two Gorge Tour takes you up gorge 1, over a rock bar on foot (about 400 m each way), and up gorge 2 in a second boat. It costs from A$139 booked direct with Nitmiluk Tours, according to NT Tourism's listing. When the second gorge cannot be reached because of high water or flooded walkways, Nitmiluk Tours swaps in a 1.5-hour One Gorge Tour. Expect that again once the wet sets in.

One AAT Kings guest from August wrote: "Katherine Gorge itself was stunning and Jamie our guide on the boat was very knowledgeable." Another, from October, took five family members over 70 and said they "managed quite well."

The flagship day from Darwin: the 2-hour cruise, a buffet lunch and Edith Falls, back around 8:30 pm.

★ 4.5 · 14 hours · from $240

Explore the AAT Kings day tour → Tour details

Which Nitmiluk walks reopened after the floods?

The Southern Walks and their campgrounds reopened on 1 June 2026, except the Butterfly Gorge and Lily Ponds walks. The Jatbula Trail was still shut at that point.

The Katherine Times reported that the March floods did "devastating damage" to trails at Nitmiluk, and that rangers reopened the Southern Walks on 1 June with two exceptions. All three Southern Walks campgrounds reopened at the same time.

For the Jatbula Trail, the NT Parks Nitmiluk Gorge page gave a forecast reopening of 1 July 2026 because of "sodden and unsafe walking conditions". We could not find a public confirmation that it opened on that date. It is moot now: the trail's season is June to September and it is closed from October to March every year. Bookings for 2027 open in early February through the parks booking system.

In late October the NT Parks status page lists the long southern walks (Lily Ponds, Eighth Gorge, Smitt Rock, Jawoyn Valley) as closed for the heat. Baruwei Loop, the Windolf Walk and Southern Rockhole are listed open. Start before 8 am and carry 3 litres of water each.

What is still closed until 2027?

Canoe hire and Cutta Cutta Caves. Nitmiluk Tours says both are closed for the 2026 season and will reopen for the 2027 season.

Every Nitmiluk Tours canoe page, from the half-day Malappar Traveller to the overnight Barrak Barrak trip, carries the same banner: canoeing is closed for the 2026 season and will be back in 2027. The Cutta Cutta Caves page says the same. Both normally run only in the dry (canoes from early June to October, the caves May to October), so the next realistic chance is mid-2027.

Private paddlers face a separate rule. NT Parks gave 1 July 2026 as a forecast for reopening private and overnight canoeing above gorge 1, with the warning that a crocodile survey and repairs had to come first. With the wet season close, that window is over too. Swimming above gorge 1 follows the same pattern: dry season only, after rangers survey for saltwater crocodiles. Gorge 1 never opens for swimming.

Is it worth visiting Katherine Gorge now?

Yes, if you came for the cruise or a flight. No, if you came to paddle, walk the Jatbula or swim in the gorge.

The gorge looks the way it always has from a boat: red walls, freshwater crocs on the sand, rock art on the second gorge walk. What the flood took is the slow, self-guided side of the park. If that was your plan, put it on the list for 2027.

From Darwin, a day trip is a long one. The coach is 13.5 to 14 hours door to door for 2 hours on the water. Our day trip guide compares the three tours. If you can stay a night in Katherine or at the gorge, book the cruise direct with Nitmiluk Tours and add a 10-minute flight over gorges 1 to 3. October is the hottest month on the BOM averages (mean maximum 37.7°C), and from November the wet arrives. Our wet season post covers what changes.

How do I check what is open before I go?

Use the NT Parks status page for walks, swimming and campgrounds, Nitmiluk Tours for boats and flights, and Road Report NT for the drive.

The NT Parks Nitmiluk status page lists each walk, swimming hole and campground as open or closed, with a reason. For cruises, call Nitmiluk Tours on 1300 146 743 or the Nitmiluk Centre on 08 8973 8888. In the wet, Road Report NT shows highway closures, and SecureNT carries flood warnings.

Check the night before and again in the morning. In March the river rose fast enough to close the highway within a day.

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