Okay…. so this is my first time really blogging about somewhere that is not Japan so this feels really strange for me …but… I did have so many people ask for our travel details on our recent holiday to Darwin & Kakadu with our children. I also looked to lots of blogs and websites ( as I always do because I’m a nerdy nerdy nerdy holiday planner) and found a real gap in the kid-friendly information for this area. I really wanted to discover a bit of a blow by blow “Family Holidays in the Northern Territory” that didn’t just talk about wildlife parks and family-friendly accommodation….. so… although I only know what we did and how we found it to be….. here we go, I guess.
I can’t take complete credit for the accommodation choices as our travel agent lined up our options for us, after hearing the kind of holiday we were after.(Since travelling in a global pandemic we have started using the advice of an agent and haven’t looked back … especially for the hand-holding when it comes to flexible options and potential cancellations.)
DARWIN & KAKADU WITH KIDS
Please note that we travelled on the first set of school holidays where the Victoria borders were open in several years and it was also over Easter. So that still made it, technically, towards the end of wet season. The weather was incredible ( I think we saw one evening/night of rain the whole time) with every day sitting at around 36 degrees.
Wet season did mean that we didn’t have as many swimming holes to choose from as we might have later on in the year but we found some fabulous options and made it work.
We made the decision to, this time at least, not include the town of Katherine in our travel itinerary. The reason being we wanted to not have to speed up our time in other locations, take in the sights at our own pace as well as maximize on the options that were age appropriate and would be exciting for all four of us ( I think it was largely because of the time of year but some of the Katherine options I found looked like a lot of long hikes to the sightseeing spots without the “shiny diamond” at the end like the promise of a safe swimming spot etc.)
Our holiday itinerary went like this:
- Darwin – 4 nights
- Kakadu – 4 nights
- Darwin- 2 nights ( which included one self-led day trip to Litchfield )
But for the sake of not jumping back and forth… I’ll just cover each area once… so…
- DARWIN
- DRIVING BETWEEN DARWIN & KAKADU
- KAKADU
- LITCHFIELD
Oh… and yes we rented a car from the 5th day prior to setting off for Kakadu.
We designed in deliberate chill-out time and wanted the by-the-pool part of our itinerary and we are so happy that we stayed at Mindil Beach Resort. Mindil Beach Resort is part of the casino complex – although we didn’t go anywhere near the casino while there – entrances etc are separate. It was, by far, our favourite accommodation – mostly because of the stunning lagoon pool -which is right next to ( and joined to some of ) the guest rooms.
There was also a 18+ pool near the reception & restaurant but it wasn’t half as nice, in my opinion. The option of an “adult pool” also kept the lagoon pool nice and quiet. There was a lovely swim up bar too and lots of lounge chairs etc.
To be completely honest the only downside to this hotel was really the food. We ordered room service on the day of our arrival for lunch and … um… didn’t again. But it was a fab excuse to head out and eat and find other options so all was okay. The room and pool were just so pretty that nothing could really phase us.
The first night we were all tired from the early start and had Crust Pizza delivered via Ubereats.
Note: There isn’t a shuttle to town but it was quite easy to manage with taxi trips until we picked up our rental car.
DARWIN WATERFRONT
Darwin Waterfront was one of our favourite spots to eat out and our favourite restaurant for the whole trip was Snapper Rocks.
It was quite popular so I recommend booking, like we did, via opentable. They have a kids menu. Everyone was happy. We tried to return later in the holiday but couldn’t get a table.
Later in the holiday ( on Easter Sunday) we also grabbed a quick Italian dinner at Bellas. My little boy thought their lasagna was the best!
There really are so so many beautiful restaurants in this precinct though so I wouldn’t stress too much about having nothing yummy to eat.
That ice-cream chain “Trampoline” is also easily found. All options are right next to one another. Including a small playground, public deckchairs & restrooms, an inflatable ninja-warrior course ( that’s what we called it anyway… what’s the proper term? An inflatable obstacle course? Maybe?) , a safe swimming section of beach and a wave pool.
If you wanted to see a picture of the playground and for more info on Darwin Waterfront options, I recommend checking out their website here.
So we did the inflatable ninja course thingy as a family and had so much fun. I couldn’t take any pics as I was in the water but we were all given life jackets and the whole time we were really well looked after and supervised etc. The company is called Aqua Park. I made the reservation here the day before we went at the Aqua Park website here. Note: Kids need to be 6 years or older.
The Waterfront Wave Pool was also really fun and the kids loved trying out boogie boarding ( boogie boards provided.)
Entry costs $6 for kids and $8 for adults and proof of purchase is a wrist band so you could easily go in and out throughout the day. We also made use of the coin lockers and the public showers.
Although it’s not technically on the waterfront complex but it’s kind of next to the waterfront……we also dined at the Stokes Hill Wharf one night. Its on a pier next to the waterfront and is a little port of food court style dining. You are sitting right next to the water so you will need to keep a close eye on small children but the view of the sunset was so pretty and we all enjoyed eating different cuisines but at the same table. Hubby and I had Indian, my little girl had Steak and the little guy had chicken nuggies and chips.
Note: Liquor restriction laws require that you show ID when ordering alcohol.
OTHER PARTS OF DARWIN
For meals, I also really loved eating at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club (9 minutes drive from the Waterfront.). Casual, kid-friendly and yummy food with a lovely view.
The menu is huge! And some nights they have an outdoor cinema and there is also a playground. This vegan laksa was incredible and I was really, really craving lots of yummy veggies at this time too.
I’ve heard the Sailing Club next door is also good but we didn’t make it there this trip.
We made good use of the big Woolworths supermarket in town for supplies and snacks. The kids loved the crocodile mural out the front.
SPECTACULAR JUMPING CROCODILES CRUISE
We booked this Jumping Crocodile Cruise for early in the morning on one of our Darwin days. We had to meet outside the Travelodge in town (practically opposite Woolworths, actually). The bus came and collected us and took us to the cruise point on the Adelaide River. It was fab to see the crocodiles but we also loved the tour guide (our guide was a guy called “Meatloaf”) who taught us a lot about the area, what to be careful of, gave us a bit of a mini-history lesson on some of the sights etc. We booked with Autopia Tours via the Get Your Guide website. “From Darwin: Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Half Day Tour”
We also loved stopping at the Humpty Doo Hotel on the way back. Hubby and I immediately recognised it from the show “Instant Hotel.” It was fun to be at a true, true outback pub. So old school that we needed to drink our drinks in the outdoor seating area as no kids allowed inside the actually pub itself.
On the bus ride the kids did a mixture of listening to the driver and having some iPads ( with headphones) time.
DECKCHAIR CINEMA
Okay, so this part I booked before we left Melbourne as I wanted to make sure we had tickets to the right movie for us – that we hadn’t already seen. We saw Clifford the Big Red Dog but the full listing of movies is on the Deckchair Cinema website here. There is a free shuttle to the outdoor cinema from the Waterfront if you need (only a few minutes by car.)
It’s a lot more casual than the Moonlight Cinema options in Melbourne but I really loved the family friendly vibes, the focus on sustainability and commitment to local products and supporting local businesses.
Patrons are given a time to arrive and have some dinner and drinks as the sunsets.
The cuisine changes depending on the day of the week! We went on a Saturday and were lucky enough to have Indonesian food.
The food was good and it felt so special to sit outside – see some possums and bats and look up the sky.
The website says you can take your own cushions and pillows but we didn’t and didn’t need them. We also bought popcorn and treats at the bar.
The kids loved “rating” the movie on the blackboard at the end.
Our second accommodation, after our return to Darwin, was Mantra on the Esplanade (there are two Mantras in Darwin.)
This was a serviced apartment so it was nice to have a little kitchen at our disposal for the last two nights. There is a simple pool on the ground level too.
We were there for Easter morning, so that was nice. It was lovely to make our own cheese and ham toasties etc.
There is a strip mall of shops out the “back door” of the hotel with a big Coles supermarket and lots of restaurants. This is the area where most of the backpackers stay so Saturday night was a bit noisy but we had a small balcony and our kids danced along to the music a bit before bed.
If you were to drive from Darwin to Kakadu with no stops it would take around 2.5 hours.
The day we left for Kakadu I had hoped to stop for lunch a few hours in at local brewery & woodfire pizza place called “Purple Mango Pizza” as it had such good reviews. To our bad luck, it was closed at the start of our trip and then fully booked out on the way back. We did stop to check it out and it did look great. Book if you can as it’s only one pizza oven so they can only serve so many people at once.
But anyway, we stuck to the rest of our plan… and visited the free public waterpark area in Palmerston called Palmerston Water Park to let the kids have a splash, cool down and then make use of their public showers. Palmerston is about 25 mins outside of Darwin.
Unfortunately the slides weren’t open but the kids liked this splash spot. We stayed for about 30 mins. ( Friends tell me the free water park in Leanyer is also very nice – but we didn’t make it there this time – It’s 17 minutes from Darwin.)
Just across the highway from the Water Park was a big shopping centre called Gateway Shopping Centre. It was a decent sized mall so we stocked up on a trolley’s worth of water ( we were told about how the tap water isn’t always safe to drink in Kakadu so we stocked up accordingly) and snacks etc. The kids also checked out the food court and we bought some toys and undies etc at places like Big W. All the standard, major Aussie brand shops are pretty much here.
So instead of Purple Mango Pizza & Brewery for lunch, we ended up having a late lunch at a rough-round the edges roadside truck stop restaurant. More like a fish-n-chip shop cafe with a gift shop and some poker machines in one corner. It was attached to a petrol station and the Roadster was called Corroboree Park Tavern. They open at 5am everyday. I do love these kind of random spots on road trips though and it did the trick! We were all full and there was lots to look at! My friend barramundi burger was delish.
Another option would have also been to eat at the Bark Hut Inn a bit further down the road ( we stopped here for a short break on the way back.)
It’s a pub with a cabins & camping park out the back and a pretty decent looking menu. We didn’t end up eating a meal here so I can’t speak for the food… but I sure loved that Aussie Country Style Juke Box !!!
Around 20 minutes before we arrived into Kakadu we spotted so many kangaroos and wallabies. It was so special. ( This was mid-afternoon.)
Through reading online, pamphlets and general advice from friends – we had been given these tips before travelling to Kakadu.
– Buy and take your own water and have extra with you in the car at all times
– Be careful where you drink alcohol as there are restrictions in place. Here is a good list of where you can not drink – provided by the NT government.
–You will need to purchase Kakadu National Park Visitor Passes – available online or at the Bowali Visitor Centre
–Obey crocodile warning signs and don’t go near the water’s edge
– Be sure to have a paper map as internet reception isn’t always reliable
Before pulling up into our hotel, we first stopped off at the Bowali Visitor Centre for information on our plans over the next few days – I wanted to check certain spots for safety rules & tips, where our type of car allowed us to go etc. The staff here were so so so helpful.
We also needed to purchase our Kakadu National Park Pass ( this can also be done online.) Ours was $65.00 for a family pass for 7 days( apparently you can also apply to extend for another 7 days for free.) There is small but beautifully done museum/info centre as part of the complex. While in Kakadu, we visited this centre twice and the kids were just as happy to wander around for a second time.
*It didn’t appear to be an option when we travelled but my friend Tracey from @gogogoexplore says that, depending on the season, there are often free ranger talks available in Kakadu as well and her guide was particularly fantastic with kids. The whole family got the chance to learn more about indigenous culture and customs as well as the local area in general. To book between June 1 – September 30 visit the Parks Australia website here.
THE CROCODILE HOTEL
We stayed at the Crocodile Hotel. The hotel is literally shaped like a crocodile!
The accommodation itself was quite basic ( the Japan-lover in me was hoping to find crocodile themed decor inside, I think) but the staff were kind and the food at the restaurant was really yummy. The restaurant also had a small climbing frame in the corner for kids too – which my two loved and it helped them make some friends while we were waiting for our food.
The hotel has a medium sized pool but it is almost too hot to stay outside for very long and most guests disappeared early and came back late from tours anyway. 
Maybe it was just us being super Victorians but we loved spotting all of the geckos.
JABIRU
The Crocodile Hotel (and most of the accommodation and eateries in the area) is in the main part of town called Jabiru. Now when I say main part… it’s one street with a handful of shops so it won’t take you long to explore. There is a supermarket called Jabiru Foodland but its more like a general store. You could get your cookies, a work of art, a bicycle and a Hawaiian shirt all in the one place. Just a heads up- the loaves of bread are sold frozen but… because it’s so warm they do thaw out really quickly so I guess it doesn’t matter.
I also spotted a small post office, a public pool and a bouncy mat for kids ( all less than 1 minute walk away from one another.)
There is a petrol station near the Crocodile Hotel called Puma Jabiru that also sold pretty good selection of grocery items and hot food.
Because the town is so small, many of the restaurants are part of hotels so be sure to reserve a table even for the hotel you are staying.
YELLOW WATER RIVER CRUISE
Almost everyone I spoke to who has visited Kakadu, raved about the Yellow Water River Cruise. And now I totally understand why. It was magical and there would have been a big gaping hole in our Kakadu experience without it.
On the way to the meeting point we stopped at Warrandjan Cultural Centre ( open 9am-5pm) which was only a few minutes away from the tour meeting spot. Photos inside are not allowed but we were able to meet local artists and learn more about the history of the area and just how special this land is to our First Nations people. It was actually a beautiful introduction to the stories behind rock art and tales of living on the land for all of us to try and drink in before seeing Aboriginal Rock Art Sites the following day.
So after that we made our way to our meeting point for our 2 hour sunset cruise.
Meeting time was 4:10pm and the meeting point was Cooinda Lodge – 40 minutes from Jabiru. ( This was where we also grabbed dinner afterwards.)
Cooinda Lodge also have a nice little mini-mart outside of the hotel lobby so it was a good place to stock up on food and cold drinks etc. There is a petrol station here too.
The cruise was beautiful and very relaxing. We saw lots of crocodiles, ducks and other beautiful bigger, flying birds ( I want to say eagles but I don’t think they were… clearly I’m the next David Attenborough ….) and the scenery was breathtaking. Oh… and we saw a water buffalo towards the end too!
**Mosquito Repellant is a must!!! A must!**
As mentioned above, we went straight to Cooinda Lodge for dinner afterwards (most people on the cruise seemed to, actually.)
It was yummy pub food with a bit of a bush twist and the servings were very generous. This place was great. There were a few very tame dingos walking around outside the restaurant too which was pretty amazing to see! Cooinda Lodge is owned by Kakadu’s traditional Bininj/Mungguy custodians -managed by Accor.
I ate the Falafel Salad and everyone else had some pizzas. The Cooinda Lodge Menu is here though, if you’d like to see. Excuse the colorful tinge to my food pics – fluorescent outdoor lights don’t do many menu options any favours.
On a separate day we decided to go and check out the Ubirr Rock Art Site.
On the way there ( just 3 minutes before we arrived at Ubirr Rock Art Site) we also checked out Cahill’s Crossing. Only authorized vehicles can actually cross the semi-underwater crossing – pictured below. There are also signs everywhere not to go to the water’s edge as this place is known for lots of hungry crocodiles who love it when the high tide brings with it a new supply of fish . The fish, apparently, get trapped as the tide changes so it’s an all you can eat buffet. There is a viewing deck ( where I took this photo) so you don’t need to go to the water – no way would you catch me near crocodiles.
We weren’t lucky enough to see crocs here but I’m still glad we stopped to take it in. The viewing deck is less than 30 steps from the carpark so it’s also a very easy stop.
Okay… so back to Ubirr Rock Art Site. There are a few other rock sites but we went with this option as the walk didn’t seem too hectic with little legs and also… at the top is a great ( and well-known) place to take in the sunset. The walk was easier than we expected.
We took the recommended 1 litre of water per person per hour ( which is fab because it’s less to carry on the way back the more you drink) and filled our pockets with snacks to eat at the top and many other families seemed to do the same.
This was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon ( from memory, we got there around 3pm and left a little after 5pm?)
It’s a circular 1.5 km track. More details on the Ubirr Rock Art Site track and maps etc here.
The art is so beautiful and impressive and my kids loved spotting some up high. It is all very well sign posted so it was fun to read it aloud with them and learn the stories together .
This is one of my favourite tips from the whole trip.
Earlier in the day we also stopped at the Burrungkuy Art Site for a stretch and to use the restrooms. We didn’t do the art walk as it looked a bit too long for our kids. However, even in the carpark we saw kangaroos and stayed and watched them for quite a while.
On the way back into Darwin we planned on visiting Berry Springs- a park, with an entrance fee, where you can swim in woodlands safely. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were holidaying so had to give it a miss but thought I’d still mention it incase it helps anyone else out.
We decided to do a day trip from Darwin to Litchfield on one of our Darwin days as we had been a bit sad that we hadn’t discovered anywhere safe to swim that wasn’t a swimming pool ( and we aren’t willing to take unnecessary risks.)
So we decided to head out to some swimming spots in Litchfield and make a day of it.
In order to check if a park or waterfall within a park is open ( may close due to flooding, fires, crocodile warnings etc) I recommend looking at the Litchfield section of the North Territory government website here.
Litchfield is 1. 5 hours from Darwin.
As it was a day trip, we didn’t need accommodation but we did stop at a really lovely pub/cafe/coffee shop petrol station called Lil’ Ripper Cafe ( their slogan is “Choose the best pub in the scrub!” and, not only is their restaurant lovely, but they have newly renovated their accommodation and it looks so so so nice! If we were to go to Litchfield again I would definitely stay here!
As always with kids, we always go to the place we are most excited about first ( because then, if it all goes pear-shaped, we at least got one good thing in) so we headed straight for Buley Rockhole.
This place is so beautiful and had so many families visiting – people with toddlers and babies, groups of oldies and their picnic baskets… so many people,
Buley Rockhole is 1 hour 40 minutes from Darwin and 20 mins from the centre of Litchfield.
Tour buses can’t go down the road to get there so it’s mainly local families and tourists.
The walk from the car park takes just a couple of minutes and is easy walking so it’s best to already be sunscreen and dressed for swimming before you leave the car.
We had such a lovely time here. The kids did some jumping. Splashed in some areas where it was shallow and swam with us in a deeper part at the bottom.
After that we got back in the car for 5 mins for Florence Falls. It is around 200 metres to the lookout and then a walk down around 100 steps down to the water. As the tour buses can access this carpark it was really busy. There were also some older kids flipping off some boulders and it freaked me out the kids loved splashing near the bottom – my hubby took the kids in while I took some pictures.
I wish we had taken a bottle of water down with us as the steps back up were a little hard going but we made it back to the car in less than 15 mins from bottom to top.
At the time we visited , those were the only spots we could swim on that day. But we did get out and take a look at Tolmer Falls and then Wangi Falls ( you need a 4WD to access Wangi Falls. These two spots are only 10 mins drive apart.
This is Tolmer Falls.
Easiest one to walk into was Wangi Falls. Loos right next to the carpark. Public BBQs. Wifi access down by the first viewing platform. The pathway was flat all the way to the viewing point ( 400m return.)
So … I think that’s pretty much all the details of the parts we fit into our trip.
I must thank my friend Bridget and my Mum who recommended many Darwin food spots, I also made good use of the Kakadu Tourism website and a blog called Meander with Meg.
Please do let me know if this helped you when planning your trip!
Oh and the Qantas Lounge in Darwin has a play area for kids by the way.
