Field notes from the Jatbula Trail

Sharing my nature journal from six days on the trail.

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Australia has quite a few really special hikes and the Jatbula Trail is certainly one of them.

This 62 kilometre one-way walk starts in Nitmiluk Gorge, around a 20 minute drive from the town of Katherine, in the Northern Territory. It finishes at Leliyn, which is also known as Edith Falls.

On this trail, you hike across rocky escarpments, through woodlands and forest, and alongside and sometimes across rivers.

There are five designated campsites, where hikers must spend the night. They each have toilets and permanent water, where you can fill your water bottles and bladders (making sure to purify/filter/boil) and spend the majority of the day swimming in.

Due to the heat of the Territory (especially in the late dry season, when I was walking), it’s best to set off early, to try to beat the sun. Once you’re at the campsite, you can read, relax, nap, swim or get to know the other people you’re hiking the trail with. All glorious pursuits, indeed.

This trail is very popular – the official walking season is a short one, from June to September. 15 people are permitted at a campsite at one time, and permits for the year can sell out within minutes.

The Jawoyn people are the Traditional Owners of the land this trail traverses. The trail itself is named for Peter Jatbula, who was a key figure in securing land rights for his people.

Last week, I shared how I prepared for the trail. This week, I’m sharing what the experience itself is like, by publishing my diary entries from this time. Some degree of privacy here is surely expected and so, this week’s edition will be for paid subscribers only.

And we’ll round off the month with a few ‘crumbs’ next week.

The walk begins!

Day one

Nitmiluk Gorge to Biddlecombe Cascades - 8.3km

What a day. Up at 5.30am, on the very short ferry by 7am (it literally crosses the river in around 30 seconds and then it’s go time). It took me an hour to pack my bag, after camping in my new tent for the first time at Nitmiluk. Hoping I can shave at least a few minutes off this, over the next few days.

Once we were off the ferry, the walk officially began!