There are increasing concerns that the prolonged closure of some of the key attractions in the iconic Kakadu National Park is hitting NT tourism hard … and might do long-term damage.
The Territory’s Tourism Minister Marie-Clare Boothby has joined the growing chorus of voices expressing frustration at the inability of Parks Australia to keep visitor favourites like Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls open during the Dry Season.
She told the ABC that visitors were showing up in Kakadu with the expectation of viewing the renowned sites, only to be greeted by road closure signs.
“It’s not good enough,” she said. “Parks Australia are running out of excuses, Territorians are running out of patience, operators are running out of time.”
Kakadu is hugely popular with grey nomads in the dry season. PIC: Squirrel_photos / Pixabay
And she said the answer was simple: ‘Open more of Kakadu and keep it open longer’.
At the start of June, Parks Australia said both Jim Jim and Twin Falls area would remain closed in 2026 while critical road and infrastructure upgrades were delivered.
It said Kakadu had been impacted by cyclones resulting in substantial damage to roads in the area.
However, Ms Boothby said other NT government-run national parks similarly hit by cyclones and floods had been able to open and allow tourists in 2026.
And with high fuel prices already keeping many grey nomads and other travellers away from the Territory, tourism officials say the ongoing closures – which also include Karnamarr Campground – are doing reputational damage to the NT’s tourism sector and sending visitors on highways out of the region.
Tourism Top End general manager Samantha Bennett told the ABC it was creating uncertainty for tourism businesses.
“It is in part due to the closures in Kakadu, but we’d already seen a massive drop in our visitation,” she said. “The drive market didn’t come … not only did we have a massive wet season, but we also had a global fuel crisis … and people changed their itineraries.”
Ms Bennett told the ABC she was aware of travellers opting to turn off the Stuart Highway and head to WA instead of travelling further north, due to the Kakadu closures.
“We see a lot of people going west once they get to Katherine, and heading out to the Kimberley where there are more things to do and more things open,” she said.
Late last month, in what appeared to be a response to lower-than-normal visitor numbers, Parks Australia temporarily slashed entry fees to Kakadu National Park.
Fees have been reduced to wet season pricing until October 31. That means seven-day park passes for adults will be $25 instead of $40; and concessions will be $19 instead of the normal $30.
* Have you decided against a visit to the NT this year? What was behind the decision? Will you go next year? Comment below.
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All set to go to Kakadu and then found out Jim Jim and Twin falls were not open. Moving on to WA.
Ok so some of it is closed. The NT is still a great place to visit
It is ,a great state with lots to see ,but they just cannot close a big section people have been visiting and wanting to visit for ages and travelling long distances to do so then being told that’s this is closed until further notice.
This was also 2023,24,25, so how is Kakadu being run what NT government departments are controlling the management of the park , gates locked no tourists information centres open ,and now they won’t to lease the problem to one of the big four parks operators,at what cost to the public.
Jim Jim and Twin Falls were key reasons to go to the NT! With them being closed we cancelled that part of the trip and went elsewhere.
Extremely disappointed.
We had thought we’d have 7 days in Kakadu, but only stayed 3. It was not just Jim Jim closed, but many walks were still ‘Seasonally Closed’. The boat trips were ok, but as there had previously been a very wet, wet season, all the birds were so spread out we paid a lot to see a little. Kakadu was also none stop burns everywhere. The NT was worth a visit mainly for Litchfield, where we had 9 days, and we enjoyed the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT in Darwin.
We travelled out to Kakadu back in 2019 and found the exact same thing at the height of the tourist season.
Was extremely unimpressed given it is a 500k round trip in and out.
Jabaru looks like downtown Beirut after an Israeli attack with graffiti and empty premises every where.
The only attractions that were open to us was Cahills Crossing, some indigenous rock art and a boat tour back down the road to Katherine.
We certainly wont be going back.
If they cannot get their act together to have it open for the main tourist season they dont deserve our custom.
Plenty of other places to go and experience and cheaper too.
Compared to other National Parks, Kakadu was quite dear and that is ok provided when you get there you are not locked out of the main attractions as we were.
We did go to Kakadu in June. There was a lot more than just 2 falls closed, and we still had to pay the full price for National Parks passes. Frankly it wasn’t worth it.
My wife and I decided to cancel our NT, booked and paid for, trip due in part to the high cost of fuel and flooding but also because of reports from other travellers that Kakadu infrastructure needs a lot of attention and quite a number of attractions are either not open or only open sometimes. Add all this to the reported crime rate in the Top End I am not prepared to travel that distance only to find that someone needs to pull their finger out. Disappointing NT !!!! I doubt that we will be taking that risk again especially when there are quite a number of small towns throughout Australia that go out of their way to welcome visitors, unlike the impression the NT is currently presenting.
This is such a sad post to read. We were in Kakadu in 2010 and again in 2014 and it remains a highlight. We’ve visited Darwin and the top end more recently and once again, enjoyed our time in the NT (but didn’t get to Kakadu).
We found plenty to see and do in Kakadu despite the closure of Jim Jim falls and twin falls. Amazing stone country and woodland landscapes and lots of indigenous history to be seen. Well worth the visit.
I have been to Kakadu yearly for the past ten years and increasingly found it a disappointment. When we first visited the fire regime was up and working, weed management and tracks were maintained regularly. Increasingly in the past few years there has been a lack of maintenance, weed and pest control and road and infrastructure closed or not maintained to their previous high standard. I am at a loss to understand why maintenance of the park is slipping so badly but it translated into unhappy campers where ever we travelled!