Douglas Daly
Daly River Crossing, Daly Region, NT. Photo credit: Peter Eve/Tourism NT
Douglas Daly
Hot springs, great walks and a stunning landscape make for a piece of camping heaven.
Douglas Daly attractions
Tjuwaliyn (Douglas) Hot Springs Park
Some of these thermal pools are a blistering 60°C. Head downstream, though, and you’ll find things a little cooler.
Keep your eyes peeled for the park’s wildlife, which includes wallabies, quolls, and bandicoots.
The park is only open during the dry season (May–Oct.). The last 7km of the road is unsealed, but should be passable for a 2WD.
The Arches and the Waterhole
The Douglas River Esplanade Conservation Area protects this part of the river and its wildlife. That makes this an ideal spot for camping, fishing, paddling in the spas, and exploring the rock formations that give the area its name.
Butterfly Gorge Nature Park
As the name suggests, at certain times of the year you’ll find the gorge is home to thousands of common crow butterflies.
Even when the butterflies aren’t in residence, the gorge remains a Douglas Daly attraction worth visiting. A shaded walk through the 50m tall paperbark trees is more than enough to make the journey worthwhile.
17km beyond Tjuwaliyn Hot Springs along the Oolloo Road. You’ll need a 4WD to get here.
Oolloo Crossing
If you’re committed to fishing (and you have to be committed to get here), this is the place. Black Bream are here year-round; Barramundi in the dry season. It’s a 40 minute drive along an unsealed road. It is accessible by 2WD but only in the dry season (May-Oct.) and there are no camping facilities.
Leave your car on the road rather than driving down to the river, as there’s a steep bank. Also keep an eye out for crocs, otherwise you might be the one getting caught.
The Daly River Area
The Daly River (known locally as ‘the Daly’) is famous for its fishing. It hosts two major week-long competitions each year, the ‘Barra Classics’ and the ‘Barra Nationals’
Merrepen Arts Centre
The local Nauiyu artists create screen prints, silk and acrylic paintings, and the crafts are well worth a look.
Copper mine
In 1883 copper was found in the Daly River Area and extraction continued for almost 3 decades. Today you can still see the disused mine, machinery and the graves of four workers, remnants of the first commercial copper mine in the Northern Territory.
Jesuit ruins
Where the miners went, Jesuit missionaries followed. Between 1886 and 1889 the Jesuits lived on land that is now part of the Daly River Mango Farm. If you stay at the farm access to the ruins is free.
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Daly Communte - Getting To Douglas
Douglas Daly and the Daly River are two separate places separated by about 110km. You can reach both by taking the Dorat Road turn-off.
You can also reach the Daly River from Litchfield National Park – but only by 4WD in the dry season.
Accommodation in Douglas Daly
Douglas Daly is around 200km north-west of Katherine.
Turn west off the Stuart Highway and follow the signs along the sealed Oolloo Road. After 40km you’ll reach the Douglas Daly Tourist Park, the only accommodation in the area.
It’s a good park, with powered and unpowered sites for campers and caravans. Cabins can accommodate up to 7 people.
Also on site is a licensed restaurant and bar, pool, laundry facilities, shop, public phone, and wireless internet access.
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