Departing Darwin on the Arnhem Highway we usually stay at Mary River on the way out to Jabiru and Kakadu National Park. There is plenty to do on your way there… you can start at the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River to see the biggest and badest inhabitants of the Territory!

You can visit the Purple Mango Cafe and Brewery for lunch, located 2.7kms from the Arnhem Highway on the Marrakai Track turning into Stephen Road, the first driveway on the left.  This turnoff is 9kms before the road to Corroboree Billabong. Grab a woodfired pizza and a tasting paddle from the brewery – thank me later.

The reason we choose Mary River to stay overnight instead of the many other places available is because we like to hire a houseboat from Corroboree Houseboats to cruise the Billabong in the afternoon which is only a short drive away. The Mary River Wilderness Retreat has cabins with air-con for the wet season, and cheap camping and good kitchen facilities for the dry season. The bamboo walk is pretty cool and hiring the gators or a boat for use on the river is a fun activity with the kids (pack the fishing gear and chuck a line in). Finish the day with a dip in the pool and a couple of glasses of vino.

The next day we usually pack up and head out to Kakadu to chase waterfalls (Tread coming shortly).