Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park


About 30km southeast of Katherine (1km off the highway), turn your back on the searing sun and dip 15m below terra firma into this mazelike limestone cave system. The 15-sq-km park has a unique ecology and you’ll be sharing the space with harmless brown tree snakes, plus the endangered ghost bats and orange horseshoe bats that they feed on. Admission is by guided tour only (9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm May to October, and usually 9am and 10am in November).

Tours are operated by Nitmiluk Tours, who have an office at the car park near the entrance to the caves. You can usually simply turn up and join a tour, but advance bookings are always a good idea. There's no cafe – you'll need to bring your own supplies.

Cutta Cutta is a Jawoyn name meaning many stars; it was taboo for Aboriginal people to enter the cave, which they believed was where the stars were kept during the day.


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