Kakadu & Top End
Top End Areas
The Top End
This page contains general information about the Top End which has not yet been uploaded to our new website.
For up to date information about specific trips, see our new mobile-friendly website.
The Top End is the northern portion of the Northern Territory shown in the map below. It is larger than the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania combined, about as large as California in the USA, larger than the entire British Isles. Despite its size, all of the main sealed roads are shown on the map below.
Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, is the gateway to northern Australia, a perfect base from which to explore the region. With a population of more than 100,000, Darwin is a multi-cultural city with, famed for its markets and festivals, Asian cuisine and a natural harbour about five times as large as Sydney Harbour.
All our Kakadu and Top End tours depart from Darwin. Our getting here page explains how to get to Darwin. Our accommodation and things to do page tells you where you can stay and explains other things you can do in town.
While Darwin is a vibrant and lively city, the rest of the Top End is home to less than 20,000 people. It is a genuine outback region where the many parks allow you to fully experience the awesome grandeur of nature first hand. The region contains some of the best bushwalking areas in the world.
European settlement came relatively late to the region. The non-Aboriginal population of the Top End has doubled in the time Willis's Walkabouts has been running tours. More than half of the Top End is owned by Aboriginal people who have been able to keep their culture alive and well to the present day. All the major parks are jointly managed by the government and the Aboriginal traditional owners.
We offer bushwalking tours in Kakadu (Australia's largest national park and our most popular destination), Nitmiluk, Litchfield and Gregory National Parks plus Arnhem Land and occasionally the Carpentaria region near the town of Borroloola. Every bushwalk, hike, trek is different. Every one is a marvelous experience you'll never forget.
Weather
Our seasons are different. Although we have no summer or winter, our seasonal changes are just as dramatic. Darwin receives an average of over 400 mm rain in January but only 2 mm in June and July. The wet season (December–April) is a time of waterfalls and wildflowers. The warm rain is a pleasure to walk in, something that must be experienced to be believed. The dry season (April–September) brings clear skies and pleasant temperatures, weather so reliable that few people carry tents. The thunderstorms and sudden greening of the land make the Build Up (September–December) the most dramatic season of all.
Three seasons? The Aboriginal people in the northern part of Kakadu distinguish six seasons. The Jawoyn people in the southern part of the park and near Katherine distinguish five. If you want to understand our weather, we strongly recommend that you have a good look at the links in this paragraph.
Want more info about our weather?Try these links from the Bureau of Meteorology.
For easy to understand graphs showing average temperatures and rainfall, click "Graphs". Jabiru is in the northern part of Kakadu. Katherine is just ourside the southern boundary.
For detailed tables of climate averages, click "Tables". Jabiru Airport and Katherine Council are the best for Kakadu. Timber Creek is the best for Gregory National park.
For a picture of recent rainfall so you can see what the current or last wet season is or was like, click "Rainfall" and choose which ever map or maps you would like to see.
More information about bushwalking in Gudjewg — The Wet Season
More information about bushwalking in Gunumeleng — The Build Up — The Most Dramatic season of All
More information about bushwalking in Banggerreng — The Knock 'Em Down Storm Season
More information on Kakadu and a park map
More information on Nitmiluk National Park, Gregory National Park, Lichfield National Park, and Arnhem Land.
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