The Jawoyn people gained control of their country, which included Katherine Gorge, after a long legal battle in 1989. They took control of what was a growing tourism business and through wise investment and a philosophy of “sharing our country” have created one of the great tourist destinations in Australia. Nitmiluk, a place of cicadas, to give the gorge its traditional name, is staggeringly beautiful. It actually consists of 13 linked gorges with sandstone cliffs rising up to 70 metres above the clear water. Everyone is catered for, from bushwalkers to bird watchers, campers in tents to caravaners, people seeking cabin accommodation and at the high end, the $750 a night luxurious Cicada Lodge. The first of the gorges is closed to swimmers because of salt water crocs. The other gorges are open in the dry season although they are inhabited by relatively harmless fresh water crocs.
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