Jabiru region
Quick links
Jabiru is the main township in Kakadu, providing a range of essential services for visitors, and a gateway to all parts of the park and Arnhem Land.
The Bowali Visitor Centre should be your first stop on your Kakadu Adventure. Located just five minutes from Jabiru, the centre can offer visitors friendly advice on what to see and where to stay. Scenic flights, available from the Jabiru Airport, are the best way to see Kakadu's waterfalls in full flow during the wet season.
Services
In Jabiru there is a service station, supermarket, newsagent and post office (Commonwealth Bank agency), Westpac Bank, travel agent, medical centre and chemist (Tel: (08) 8979 2018), police, public telephones, swimming pool, library (internet), hairdresser, golf course, restaurant, café and bakery.
Jabiru map - click to enlarge
Main attractions
Bowali visitor centre
Bowali is a Gun-djeihmi name for the local area and creek on land owned by the Mirrar clan. The building's design was inspired by an Aboriginal rock shelter.
Information staff are available to help you plan your Kakadu visit. Every half hour, there is an audio-visual presentation, giving different perspectives on Kakadu. The habitat display and library have detailed information about Kakadu and how much there is to see and do. Refreshments are available from the Anmak An-me Café.
Bowali Visitor Centre is open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm daily. The Anmak An-me Café is open 9am to 5pm daily. Tel: (08) 8938 1120
Find out more about the visitor centre here
Marrawuddie Gallery
The Marrawuddi Gallery promotes Aboriginal fine art by artists from Kakadu and the wider region. For Bininj/Mungguy, art is an expression of cultural identity and connection to country. Traditional paintings with ochres are commonly done on paper and canvas - a more sustainable practice than on bark, which is used less often now. Didgeridoos, clap sticks, carvings and hunting tools are made from different bush timbers. Women have a long tradition of collecting plant fibres and bush dyes which are woven into ornaments such as baskets, mats and jewellery pieces. Another increasingly popular art form is screen printing traditional and contemporary designs onto fabrics.
Visitors can buy arts, crafts and artefacts made in Kakadu or neighbouring Arnhem Land from a number of different outlets within the region.
Marrawuddi Gallery is open from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm daily.
Jabiru to Bowali walking track
Starts opposite the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn in Jabiru. A four km return rammed earth path winds through woodlands to the Bowali Visitor Centre. Allow 30 to 45 minutes each way.
Illigadjarr walk
Dry season only. Starts at the Malabanjbanjdju or Burdulba Camping Areas and features a 3.8 km circular walk across a small grassy floodplain and along Burdulba Billabong. Allow two hours.
Tours
Several land-based tours depart from Jabiru. Scenic flights, which depart from both Jabiru East and Cooinda, provide an awe-inspiring bird's eye view of Kakadu and its many and varied habitats. Scenic flights
