People come to Nitmiluk for the gorge, and that’s never going to change. But spend a day or two here and you start to notice everything that happens around it. The coffee that’s ready before your early cruise. The cold drink waiting by the pool when you get back from a walk. The dinner that runs a little longer than planned because nobody wants to leave the table.

September was a month for all of that, and we were proud to see it recognised.

Cicada Lodge takes out Gold Plate again

At the end of August, Cicada Lodge was named the Lion Beverages Best Contemporary Restaurant at the 2026 Hospitality NT Gold Plate Awards. It’s the second year in a row the restaurant has taken out the award.

The Gold Plates are the Territory’s big night for food and hospitality, and the room is always full of venues we admire. To be named one of the Territory’s and the Katherine region’s premium tourism dining experiences, two years running, means a great deal to everyone here.

The award belongs to the Cicada Lodge team. The chefs who are at work long before guests sit down. The front of house crew who remember your name, your drink and the story you told them yesterday. Everyone behind the scenes who makes dinner on the edge of the national park feel easy and unhurried. Thank you to every one of them, and to every guest who has shared a meal with us.

If you haven’t eaten at Cicada Lodge yet, consider this your nudge.

Jatti Bistro and Pool Bar

If Cicada Lodge is the special occasion, Jatti is the everyday heart of the visitor centre. It’s where people grab breakfast before an early cruise, wander back for lunch in the shade after a walk, and settle in by the pool once the heat goes out of the afternoon.

In September we celebrated Father’s Day with a special for the dads, a good excuse to get the family together for a long lunch with the gorge country turning gold in the background.

Dinner on the water

If there’s one evening to plan your trip around, it’s our sunset dinner cruise. It’s often called the jewel in the crown of a visit to Nitmiluk, and it’s easy to see why. You cruise through two gorges as the sun starts to drop, hearing the stories and ways of the Jawoyn people while the sandstone walls change colour around you, from gold to orange to a deep, glowing red. As the night sky comes out, dinner is served by candlelight: three courses of fresh, local Australian produce, cooked right there on the boat by your onboard chef, with a glass of sparkling to start.

Photo: @_mahlibrookes

A little luxury at Cicada Lodge

For guests who want to slow right down, Cicada Lodge is a quieter, more indulgent way to stay at Nitmiluk. With just 18 rooms, it feels more like a private retreat than a hotel, somewhere to get back to nature at the end of a big day without giving up any of the creature comforts. The rooms open out to the bush, the pool is made for long afternoons with a glass of bubbles, and the pace is entirely up to you. Add dinner at an award-winning restaurant a short walk from your door, and it’s easy to see why so many guests wish they’d booked another night.

The gorge from above

The school holidays brought families from all over, and helicopter flights were one of the big highlights. Seeing the gorge system from the air changes how you understand it. From the water it feels enormous. From above, you see the gorges running one after another, deep into the escarpment, and you start to realise just how much of this country there is to explore.

The people who make it

None of this works without our people. Nitmiluk National Park is owned by the Jawoyn people, made up of 17 clans who share a common vision of sharing their Country. Through the Jawoyn Association, businesses like Nitmiluk Tours provide employment and training for local people, and everything they earn is reinvested back into the community through services, jobs, education and partnerships in tourism and caring for Country.

So when you visit Nitmiluk, you’re part of that vision too. Our guides, chefs, drivers, housekeepers and reservations team are the faces of it, and plenty of them are happy to share a story if you ask.

Come and see it all for yourself. Book your stay at Cicada Lodge.