Time for a cruise… From Geoff van Schie.
We share here our experience of the Katherine Gorge cruise. For obvious reasons of photography, we took the sunset cruise through the gorge. This turned into a dinner cruise… fine dining! I mean, the food was absolutely delicious. The entire cruise lasted four hours, with a break mid scenic cruise to walk across a rock barrier and board another boat. A good time to stretch the legs and get some land based shots.
Nitmiluk National Park is in the Northern Territory, 244 kilometres southeast of Darwin, and 23 kilometres northeast of the town of Katherine, around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls. Its northern edge borders Kakadu National Park.
Spectacular scenery as the cruise gets underway.
A massive cliff on the right, with the Gorge going on into the distance.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Massive rock on top of the cliff.
‘It looks like a helmet!’ Indeed it does.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
A great sloping shelf of rock leads into the bush.
It looks almost like a man made roadway.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The sheer massiveness of Katherine Gorge!
Calm water in awesome scenery!
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Coming closer to the cliff…
Craggy massiveness.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
A very rocky beach.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The same beach from further away.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Hardy trees in the middle of the river!
The rapids make it hard for boats to go any further.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Rapids mean that it is time to change boats.
A quick clamber over the rocks to the next boat.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The next stage of the journey, above the rapids.
Placid waters above the rapids.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Looking down the rapids. Its a rugged place!
Above the rapids.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Flat rock shelves alongside massive cliffs. Note the sparse native trees along the top of the cliffs.
Flat rock shelves and a very rocky beach!
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
A strange looking formation that is just massive! This must have been a spectacular cruise.
Massive formation with the usual scraggly vegetation.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
A flat rock with a pool and the same formation in the background.
A rather eerie scene. Note the bridge in the centre background, and the two people on top of the cliff in the left centre.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Note the massive cliffs on the right.
Calm area above the rapids.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Afternoon shadows fall on a cliff with a scrubby haircut of trees.
Afternoon shadows in a beautiful and magnificent place.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Note the beach with the big tree on the left.
A continuing chasm in the massiveness.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The sun lights up the cliffs on the right, and a solitary tree on the left.
Sunlit cliffs and a peaceful river.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
Majestic massiveness!
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The afternoon sunlight picks out a palm tree.
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
A great flat shelf of rock…
Copyright © Geoff van Schie
The Katherine Gorge is just an awesome, majestic, magnificent place. Just to be part of a cruise and take it in is a privilege. Our photographer, Geoff van Schie, also caught a great amount of beauty with his camera. All pictures on this page are Copyright © Geoff van Schie