Tucked away on the western edge of the Northern Territory, only 3km from the border, is a little National Park that is home to geological wonders, ancient rock art and a huge range of bird and animal life. Keep River National Park is truly one of our region’s best, and best kept, secrets.
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Keep River National Park may be one of the smaller parks in the Katherine region, but it’s hard to go past if you are looking for a quiet weekend away or an easily accessed introduction to the stunning beehive shaped sandstone formations characteristic to the Kimberly area.
If you’re after some great landscape photos head straight to the 5km Jarnem Walk, make sure that you allow a couple of hours particularly if you want to see the rock art galleries. The views from the lookout will delight the photographer in all of us, particularly in the early morning or late afternoon.
Keep River is on the traditional lands of the Miriwoong and Garjirrabeng people. You can see ancient shell middens that speak of many meals long ago on the shorter Jenamoom Walk and are evidence of the area’s use. An intricate stone structure on the top of Gingers Hill provides yet another window into the lives of the Traditional Owners of Keep River National Park.
You can expect to spot short-eared rock wallabies, white-quilled rock pigeons and sandstone shrike-thrush in among the sandstone rock formations that are a feature of all walking tracks in Keep River. For serious twitchers, head over the Cockatoo Lagoon. Located near the Park information Centre, this spot has water year round and many different birds, from honeyeaters to ducks and pelicans, will flock there particularly when the surrounding country is hot and dry.
If you would like to stay longer than a few hours, the Goorrandalng and Jarnem campgrounds offer a home away from home for the weary traveller. You can use generators until 8.30pm in the Goorrandalng campground and drinking water is available at Jarnem. Both sites have pit toilets, picnic tables but we ask that you take your rubbish home with you. Wood fired barbecues are also available but please collect your firewood from areas outside the park.
There are so many parks and reserves across the Northern Territory that it can be hard to find the time to visit them all. Make sure you keep a weekend or two spare so you can squeeze in a visit to Keep River before the wet season.
