Kakadu National Park to officially reopen on June 19, says Parks Australia
VISITORS will have to wait a little longer before they are allowed to head back to Kakadu National Park after Parks Australia confirmed its official reopening date today
Lifestyle
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VISITORS will have to wait another two weeks before they are allowed to go to Kakadu National Park after Parks Australia confirmed it will officially reopen on June 19.
Parks Australia released an official statement today that confirmed Kakadu National Park will begin a staged reopening from June 19 after close consultation with the Kakadu Board of Management and Northern Land Council.
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National Park Director Dr James Findlay said that the combination of high visitor demand after a long period of isolation, the need to protect visitors and those working in the park, and the unique cultural and safety considerations in the park required a cautious approach that ruled out opening at an earlier date.
“As we have seen in national parks throughout Australia, there is high demand from visitors to get back to the great outdoors. We are carefully planning how we will maintain physical distancing, support good hygiene and comply with guidance on public gatherings, particularly in highvisitation sites,” Dr Findlay said.
“To support this, most walks will be one-directional and will be clearly signposted.
“We’ll be conducting additional cleaning of high contact areas and extra hand wash stations will be set up at key locations throughout the park.
“Tour operators working in the park will also be required to have a COVID-19 safety plan from the Northern Territory Government.
“At the same time we are undertaking some urgent infrastructure repairs across the park,
including at the Bowali Visitor Centre, district ranger stations and staff housing, which are a
priority in supporting visitation. We will use the next two weeks to formalise our plans to address these critical repairs.
“We understand this is a difficult time for the tourism industry and that they are keen to get back to business as usual.
“Next week, we will share a more detailed overview of the park’s reopening plans, including the areas that will be accessible to visitors from Friday 19 June and those that will remain closed.
“In the meantime, Kakadu residents will continue to have limited access to the park for essential recreation.
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“I know this will come as a disappointment to many Territorians but we are looking forward to reopening Kakadu as soon as it is viable to do so, and to welcoming visitors again,” Dr Findlay said.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park will also remain closed until at least 11.59pm Thursday 18 June.
Details for the park’s reopening will also be made available once plans have been finalised in
consultation with the Muṯitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation and the Central Land
Council.
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