maguk gorge

We are a family with 3 kids age 12, 8 and 4. We set on a 4wd adventure as Maguk that we wanted to visit is only accessible by 4wd vehicles. After some adrenalin inducing moments, we successfully managed to get over the sand dunes and dirt road crevices. The 1km track in the tropical forest along the stream and its rock pools was hard to hike. But the rock pools were beautiful and well worth the effort. At the top, we were in for a real treat: the Maguk waterfall was filling the picturesque plunge pool surrounded by rocks. What a privilege for us to experience such a magical place - we spent the afternoon swimming in the Maguk plunge pool (crocs usually can’t climb so high up over the rocks), diving off the rock walls, and generally totally appreciating the serene beauty of this place.

Do yourself a favour. Go here and bring your bathers! After trooping around the sites in 40 degree temperatures, full sun and near 100% humidity that Kakadu during the build up is famous for, this place is a god send. The track in is unsealed but you can do it in a normal car no probs. A 5-10 minute walk in from the car park through some beautiful forest and waterways, and you're there. The rock pools are simply stunning, clean and cool. It is in a crocodile control area so it's as safe to swim as you can get I guess, but the water is so clear and the pools are smallish in size so you can see everything in them which gives you confidence. That said I challenge anyone to walk in here and not want to swim. It's one of the best places I've ever swam. Awesome.

To see the levels of our existence in the walls of the canyon is inspiring and a real indication of how long we've been on this planet.

Beautiful swimming & spectacular waterfall. So glad we took the time to see it & very happy to have had swimwear & worn some shoes. Nice walk along the creek too. A few rocks to get past but walk wasn't really that long & absolutely worth it!

Maguk Gorge is one of the places where you can take a swim. It is a nice walk to get there and the gorge itself is nice & peacefull.

On a day trip to Maguk and Gunlom, enjoyed the 15 min walk to the falls at Maguk. Interesting attractive walk, some boulders ( so not good if mobility an issue but no climbing) and a lovely swim in the gorge pool at the end ( fortunately free of crocodiles so we were assured!!). Well worth a visit.

The waterhole is the prize at the end of the track. There is a large number of rocks and boulders to overcome. Our tour guide ensured we were wearing good enclosed walking shoes, it is easy to slip on the rocks otherwise. There was a number of people swimming when we reached the end. We swam out to the waterfall and rested on a submerged rock, the water temperature was 31 degrees. A truly amazing experience. No crocodiles, yes I read the notice about crocs after I swam!

If you have a bit of extra time then this is worth the effort. About 50k out of Cooinda it's an easy drive to the turn off and then 10k of corrugated road. Just take your time. In the dry a 2wd can do easily. The gorge is a short easy walk.

We had camped in magok for a night, and the area was awesome, there is some natural pool nearby , just a 15 mins drive from this camp place., and this area have less insects, compared to other places

Loved the walk and also the swimming hole at the end. Nice easy walk with plenty of shade. One of the best swimming spots in Kakadu.

To sum up maguk in one word , spectacular ! I had no idea what this place was , my husband had done the research and said we should stop here and take a look. So we parked the car and asked someone in the car park how long it takes , it's prob over a km, on a track which you may or may not see crocs . So off we go following the somewhat path , that turns into rock climbing , and just when you feel like giving up in the heat you hear water fall and know you are close , and then there it is beautiful falls with a clear gorge , we jumped in to cool off just beautiful little kakadu secret , not many people , a true experience , just watch out for crocs!! We did not see any but that does not mean they are not there!!

The walk was great, signage was quite visible and very clear directions with at the end the Maguk gorge which was very impressive and was a nice place to swim (didn't see any crocodiles)

Were not planning on stopping here but it was only 10km off the highway. A moderate walk in over a billabong,along a river bank past small pools finally ended up (about 1km in) at a huge deep waterfall and swimming pool.If you want to get to the one above look left just before you cross the river and there is a goat track leading you up to the other side of the river and so you end up looking down on the gorge.Large Barramundi (Maguk) fish and trumpet fish. Take your googles and floaties as the swim is about 100 metres long.

To get to Maguk (Barramundi) Gorge you travel for 10 km along an unsealed road with a very small section of deep sand (dried creek crossing). If you were lucky like we were to have the grader go through the drive is a breeze, otherwise except a teeth rattling journey along the corrugations.From the car park it's a beautiful 1 km walk along the monsoon forest following the crystal clear creek, then a small water crossing and some decent rock hopping. After the last hurdle, this amazing large pool emerges. Make sure you wear good walking shoes and your swimmers.

A 12 km dirt track with about 200 metres of sand in the middle of the journey. Road was in good condition - 4wd first time! Then a 30 minute walk over rocks and through water (during dry season) but only knee deep at the most. Arrive to a magnificent waterfall and waterhole. People swimming here - not us!