Swimming Holes · Northern Territory
Waterholes, plunge pools and rainforest cascades across the tropical north.
The Northern Territory's Top End is genuinely the swimming-hole capital of Australia. Between Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk national parks, there are more natural freshwater pools within two hours of Darwin than anywhere else on the continent. The water is clear, the surrounds are tropical, and crucially, all of them are freshwater pools that have been checked and declared croc-free during the dry season.
This shortlist covers the standout swimming holes you can actually swim in from May to October. Always check park notices for recent crocodile sightings before entering any waterhole in the Top End, and never swim in anything outside a designated area.
Waterfalls and Termite Cathedrals South of Darwin
Litchfield has more swimming-accessible waterholes than any park in the NT. Buley Rockhole is a series of stepped cascades right next to the road. Florence Falls has a 15 metre cascade into a deep swimming hole reached by a stair descent. Wangi Falls is the biggest and has a boardwalk from the car park.
Ancient Country, Living Culture
Maguk (Barramundi Gorge), Gunlom, and Jim Jim Plunge Pool are the standout swimming sites in Kakadu. Gunlom has the famous infinity-edge rock pool on top of the escarpment, with the view that featured in Crocodile Dundee. All three require some walking and 4WD access to the trailheads.
13 Sandstone Gorges of the Katherine River
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) has multiple side pools along the Jatbula Trail that can be visited on day walks from Edith Falls at the northern end of the park. Leliyn (Edith Falls) itself has a large, deep main pool with a sand beach and an upper pool reached by a 20 minute climb.
Sandstone Spine of the Red Centre
The West MacDonnells west of Alice Springs are technically central Australia rather than the Top End, but worth including for the scale of the swimming holes. Ellery Creek Big Hole, Redbank Gorge and Ormiston Gorge are the standout pools in the park. The water is cold year-round and the gorge walls cast deep shadows.
Essential Top End swimming etiquette: never swim outside designated pools, always read the signs, and accept that some pools close without warning if saltwater crocodiles are spotted. Rangers take these decisions seriously and so should you. The rewards, when conditions are right, are the best natural freshwater pools in the country.
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