pay just $15.40, which is a bargain
compared to what you are asked
to hand over at Darwin holidays
parks!
Understandably, Munbililla is a
popular spot but it is well set-up to
cater for the numbers. Downstream
along the Roper River, three much
more basic national park campgrounds
provide smaller clusters of campsites
with pit toilets for half the price, and
the pick of these is Mountain Creek
for its partial shade and unsealed boat
ramp.
At Roper Bar itself, 200km east of the
Stuart Highway, Leichhardt’s Caravan
Park offers unpowered bush sites with
solar hot showers ($15 adult and $10
for kids and seniors). You can launch
a boat, top-up food and fuel supplies,
and the park permits pets on leads and
generators (visit roperbar.com).
The Roper Bar causeway providesaccess to the Aboriginal community
of Ngukurr, and a thrill for those who
just want to ford it. Downstream lies
the wreck of the Young Australian, a
58-tonne paddle steamer that once
hauled large merchant ships up the
Roper’s dangerous tidal reaches during
the construction of the Adelaide to
Darwin Overland Telegraph Line, and
ran aground in 1872.
Self-sufficient travellers continue
to rave about Limmen National Park,
a destination just rugged and remote
enough to remind you that you’ve gone
wild. If it weren’t for the corrugated
access roads and frequently flooded
causeways, more travellers would be
dining on barramundi at Limmen
National Park’s secluded waterfront
camps, so if your rig is off-road ready
and you are looking to break new
ground this winter, you won’t do better
than a stint in Limmen.FAST FACTS
Limmen National Park is located
200km southeast of Mataranka via the
Roper Highway and 76km northwest of
Borroloola (turn off the Carpentaria
Highway 26km south of town).
Although access is restricted to high-
clearance 4WD vehicles and off-road
rigs, Limmen’s tracks pose no technical
difficulties. Rains can close the park
anytime from November to May, so aim
for a cool, dry, wintertime visit (June to
August).
Plan your trip at nt.gov.au/leisure and
check track conditions before setting
out at roadreport.nt.gov.au. For access
to the Western Lost City, phone or visit
the Limmen Ranger Station on (08)
8975 9940.
CAMPING
Basic national park campgrounds at
Towns River, Butterfly Springs, Limmen
Bight River and Southern Lost City
provide toilets, picnic tables and fire
pits. There are three bushcamps along
the Roper River at Didi Baba, Mountain
Creek (unsealed boat ramp) and
Yurrlmundji (pit toilets). All charge
nightly fees of $3.30 adult, $1.65 child
aged 5-15 years and $7.70 family (no
pets).
Munbililla (Tomato Island) has 4G
mobile reception, hot showers, free gas
barbecues, drinking water, picnic
tables, rubbish bins, a dump point,
central fire pits and a boat ramp. Fees
are just $6.60 adult, $3.30 child aged
5-15 years and $15.40 family (no pets).
SUPPLIES
Limmen Bight Fishing Camp provides
the only fuel and basic supplies on the
338km stretch between Roper Bar and
Cape Crawford. Stock up before
leaving Mataranka in the north and
Borroloola to the east, and carry ample
supplies of drinking water and fuel.
CROC WATCH
Freshwater and estuarine crocodiles
inhabit Limmen’s waterways so avoid
swimming except at Butterfly Falls,
and take care when fishing, launching
and retrieving boats.68 tradeaboat.com.auLimmen National Park, NT