Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Kakadu, Litchfield, Kimberly, and Katherine

Well, I know they all have this in common: that they are in Australia and they all have pretty names, IMHO :)

BUt seriously, I am trying right now to piece together a 12 day trip in Australia starting July 1. We have been to Australia before and have been to Sydney Adelaide, Brisbane, Uluru and Cairns.

Here is what I have come up with so far for this trip:

WE start with 2 days Sydney....

then the next part is confusing. We want to visit somewhere between Sydney and Perth, with the last 5 days in Perth. We like wine so we dont want to rush PER. And we leave Australai from Perth. So Perth is our last stop.

So... we have 5 days and we are trying to see, should we fly into DRW then stick to Kakadu and Litchfield? OR do we go to Broome instead, and maybe, from these, see the kimberly instead?


So I guess my question is, how are Kimberly, Kakadu and Litchfield and Katherine different? All we really hope to accomplish 'up north' is to get is a taste of NOrthern Territory/Outback/wilderness. So would just seeing Kimberly account for that?


I have been searching quite a bit and only confusing myself...then I get more confused thinking about maybe snorkeling at Ningaloo or Rottnest...But we are talking July...

Anyway, I am currently emailing back and forth with a very helpful Perth native (who by now thinks I am nuts I am sure)..

Please lend your thougths and suggestions! Please. :)

In your situation, consider Kakadu / Litchfield the centrepiece, and try to plan around it. I think you are okay with this time of year. I think your experience here would be the most unique and amazing of the alternatives you have listed.
If the opportunity is there, don't miss your chance to go!

My wife and I visited all of these places last June and July. All of them are wonderful, and it is the perfect time of year to visit weather-wise.

Litchfield, Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge), and Kakadu National Parks are all within easy driving distance of Darwin, and each is definitely worth a look. We rented a car and stayed in or near each of the parks. There are also many tour operators that can take you to all three. Litchfield can easily be done in a day trip from Darwin, but I highly recommend you stay overnight at the other two. This company (http://www.travelnorth.com.au/t3-7-11/nitmiluk-katherine-gorge/nitmiluk-gorge-boat-tours.html) runs tours of the Nitmiluk gorges of varying lengths. There's lot's to do at Kakadu, but make sure you take the Yellow Water Cruise (http://www.yellowwatercruises.com/) at either sunrise or sunset. Darwin has some interesting attractions as well.

The Kimberley covers a huge area with very few people living it. The attractions are widely separated and many are only accessible via 4WD tracks. We took a tour called "Kimberley Complete" (http://www.kimberleywilderness.com.au/content.asp?document_id=5367) from Broome to Kununurra and back, and it lasted 13 days! We had a great time, but it's really impractical given the amount of time you have. If you decide to visit Broome and Cable Beach, I recommend taking SkyWest Airlines (http://www.skywest.com.au/) (this is different than the US airline of the same name) from DRW-BME. They are the only non-stop service on this route and they use Fokker 100's with 34" seat pitch. If you use them, make sure to book directly on their website as both Amex and Travelocity accepted my reservations but were then unable to issue the tickets.