Darwin - with a population of nearly 100,000 - is the capital city for the Northern Territory  and its main air hub. This city is approximately 4050km from Sydney, 3500km from Brisbane, 3200km from Adelaide, 4500km from Perth and 1482km from Alice Springs. Due to such large distances, it is usually not practical for international visitors to drive to Darwin from other state capital cities.
The most direct route to Kakadu National Park from Darwin is along the all weather Arnhem Highway. From Katherine, the Kakadu Highway is also an all weather sealed road. It generally takes three hours driving from Darwin to arrive at the Kakadu Visitor Centre in the heart of the park.  Along highways entering Kakadu there are dispensers from which visitors can collect a free of charge park guiding booklet. It is wise to study this carefully and plan your visit to ensure that none of the park’s features are missed. Many people hire four wheel drives when visiting Kakadu. Whilst this does open up more possibilities, improved roads in the region means that most of the important destinations are accessible to cheaper two wheel drive vehicles. Be advised also that car hire companies do not cover vehicles with insurance if the drivers take them off sealed roads.
On arrival in the centre of the Park at Jabiru, visitors are encouraged to spend some time at the Bowali Visitor Centre. This extensive information center is staffed every day of the year from 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM. It is a great place to have coffee at the café and plan your time in Kakadu.
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