Cutta Cutta Caves, near Katherine, reopened for one day before closing ‘until further notice’ due to COVID-19 restrictions

Tourists to Katherine have been left disappointed after a popular tourist attraction closed for the past year was reopened for just one day before being shut again over the Easter long weekend.

TOURISTS to Katherine have been left disappointed after a popular tourist attraction closed for the past year was reopened for just one day before being shut again over the Easter long weekend.

The Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park, about 30km southeast of Katherine, was reopened for tours on the morning of Thursday, April 1, but later that day Nitmiluk Tours announced on its Facebook page the caves had been closed again “until further notice” “due to COVID-19 protocols”.

It came after the caves, which can only be accessed on tours with qualified guides, were closed throughout 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Tourists inside the Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park, near Katherine. Picture: Shaana McNaught

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A Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security spokeswoman said the decision to close the caves for tours had been made by “a commercial operator”.

“Public access to the Cutta Cutta Cave system is provided by a commercial operator. This was a commercial decision,” she said.

Katherine Visitor Information Centre manager Annika Berendes said the caves’ closure was disappointing news for Katherine tourism, especially as prospective visitors had been booking tours for weeks in the lead-up.

“It was a little bit of a shock for us down here, because since last year, the caves have been closed and everyone has been looking forward to them reopening,” she said.

“We had bookings from people who just wanted to go back to the caves, and they were disappointed it’s not going ahead.

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“Most of the customers appreciate that the tours can’t run due to COVID-19 protocols, and that they have to put safety first … but it would have been better if this decision could have been made earlier, so the caves didn’t open and then close again.”

Nitmiluk Tours, which is believed to be the only company that operates tours in the caves, was contacted for comment.

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