Mackay to Darwin road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
Attractions between Mackay and Darwin: Katherine and Nitmiluk National Park
The Sterling Mill Rest Area and King River Rest Area are journey breaks on the leg from Mataranka to Katherine. But the section of a massive limestone karst system known as the Cutta Cutta Caves is the highlight.
Katherine is usually seen as a base for visiting Nitmiluk National Park, where the Katherine Gorge cruises and canoe tours are staples of a Top End holiday itinerary.
Katherine experiences to book in advance
- Two gorge boat cruise through Nitmiluk National Park – with commentary on nature, wildlife and Aboriginal Dreaming stories.
- Half day Nitmiluk Gorge canoe hire – get closer to nature, paddling through at your own pace.
- Outback show with live music, horse and working dog demonstrations.
- Top Didj Aboriginal cultural experience – learn about ancient customs and feed baby wallabies.
- Cutta Cutta Caves guided tour – spot bats and birds in the limestone cave system.
Great things to do in Katherine itself include bathing at the Katherine Hot Springs, as well as the Katherine Outback Experience and the Top Didj Cultural Experience.
Best Katherine accommodation
The best Katherine accommodation choices are:
- For a pool-based resort: Knotts Crossing Resort.
- For location next to Katherine Gorge: Nitmiluk Chalets.
- For really good value: Pine Tree Motel.
- For a solid holiday park: Big4 Breeze or Discovery Parks – Katherine.
- For glamping with a view: Gorge View Bush Retreat.
The turn off for Leliyn (Edith Falls), with its glorious natural swimming pool, is a little further along the Stuart Highway.
Mackay to Darwin drive: Pine Creek and Adelaide River
Continue north and you reach Pine Creek, where the Kakadu Highway from Kakadu National Park meets the Stuart Highway. The Old Railway Station and Railway Museum is worth a look here, as is the Enterprise Pit Mine Lookout. The latter is a former open cut mine that has now filled with water. It makes for a rather bizarre-looking lake.
4 Kakadu experiences worth booking in advance
- Full day Kakadu tour from Darwin.
- Corroboree Billabong wetland cruises.
- Full day Arnhem Land tour from Jabiru.
- The Yellow Water crocodile cruise in Cooinda.
Next up is Adelaide River. There was a large World War II military base here, and the Adelaide River War Cemetery is the only war cemetery in Australia.
Beware: This is not where the infamous jumping crocodile cruises depart from They run on the Adelaide River, but upstream, just off the Arnhem Highway.
Next section: Litchfield National Park and Humpty Doo.