Kakadu trail - Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls

We spent two days exploring Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls. These are the two famous waterfalls in the NT that are touted on all tourist brochures and many 4WD tours come to the two falls bringing tourists. The photos of the two falls however are taken in the wet season from a helicopter showing the two great waterfalls but the reality in the dry season is somewhat different.

The above photo is of Jim Jim and as you can see the fall of water is completely non-existent as a waterfall at the moment. The gorge is nice and so is the plunge pool at the bottom but you have to scramble over 900 metres of large boulders to get there. I think both Gunlom and Edith Falls beat it for beauty.

This is Twin Falls. Twin Falls is nice too but for my money Edith Falls and Gunlom waterhole are more worthwhile to visit. Since 2004 swimming in the gorge leading up to Twin Falls is forbidden. I was lucky enough to have visited some 12 years ago and swam there and paddled up the gorge on air mattresses. The presence of saltwater crocodiles is the reason given for the swimming ban these days but I understand that it was discovered that the rare blue nosed turtles nest here and the tourist trampling everywhere disturb their habitat. You are now ferried on a small flat bottom boat almost up to the falls and you have to go some 300 metres over rocks and smaller boulders than at Jim Jim.

The gorge leading to Twin Falls.

We climbed the escarpment above Twin Falls, a 6kms round trip and we swam in the glorious water hole above the falls and admired the view which made it all worthwhile. The waterhole is always in the sun and is therefore much warmer than most freshwater holes generally. It is glorious after a long hot climb to plunge into an inviting body of water and wallow for a bit and then descend the escarpment in wet swimmers. This is taken above the falls on the escarpment.