Borroloola - NT

Although Borroloola belongs to the Barkly Tablelands area of the Northern Territory it's an area which, in both its vegetation and climate, is more typical of the tropical Gulf Savanna which stretches around the Gulf of Carpentaria from North Queensland.

Turn east off the Stuart Highway, a few kilometres south of Daly Waters, onto the Carpentaria Highway. Follow this highway for approximately 380 kilometres, until you reach Robinson Road. Turn left onto Robinson Road and travel 2 km to the town.
Most of the route is one lane bitumen with some well-maintained gravel sections. During the wet season it is important to check road conditions before leaving for the trip.


This historic town is considered the gateway to the Gulf region and is famed for its excellent fishing. Borroloola can be accessed via the Carpentaria Highway from Daly Waters in the Northern Territory or on the road through Garawa Aboriginal Land Trust from Queensland. Once a frontier town, Borroloola is now the capital of the Gulf region. Today, the town is still a bit wild and unruly at times, but the people are friendly and easy going.

Borroloola has a population just under 1000 people, with a median age of 26 years old. Borroloola also consists of Garawa Camp One, Garawa Camp Two, Yanyula Camp and Mara Camp.

Borroloola is quite a large town with a predominantly Aboriginal population. There are a range of shops and markets and you can get good supplies here.

Travellers usually enjoy getting out of town a little, and just north is a fishing club and camp at King Ash Bay. This is no resort! It is a strange looking assortment of fisherpeople and make-do camps that these serious fisherpeople call home for many months at a time. You can camp in the main area near the boat ramp or select a riverside camp further downstream. The banks along the McArthur River are extremely steep and if you selected a camp downstream you'd need to launch your boat from the main ramp and then leave it tied up below your camp at night.

In the peak dry season these camps are usually fully booked, with members names and rego numbers marking certain scrub sites for a nominated period of time. Generally, after mid September the season is winding down and you are more likely to find a vacant spot.

The fishing from the banks is not terribly successful, especially for barramundi but these waters produce some of the best catches in the region. If you have a boat, its the ideal location and maybe some advance booking will ensure an even better trip. The area is not restricted to 4WD access but it is definitely only a dry weather spot, with people clearing out as soon as there is any mention of rain.

Borroloola has three fuel outlets, with another at KingAsh Bay [40km]. Three supermarkets [small by city standards] with another at KingAsh Bay. The caravan park is complemented by a guest house and a hotel [no bar licence at present - rooms and restaurant only]. Airstrip in town is used by smaller planes, the RAAF and the RFDS. Main strip for scheduled flights is at the mine, 60km along the sealed Carpentaria Highway, toward the Stuart Highway. We also have a clinic, a Police station, a women's shelter, an aged-care centre, an adult-education study centre, and a population of over 1000. There are two good boat-ramps in the town, in addition to Mule Creek, KingAsh Bay an Black Rock Landing. We have a Shire Service Centre for Roper-Gulf Shire, after the recent amalgamations of councils throughout the NT. There is a dump point near the town airstrip. It is a 'town', not a 'community', so no entry permit is required. The 'track' mentioned by a previous writer is a fully-sealed section of Highway #1. At Heartbreak [Cape Crawford] you can choose either Tablelands Highway South towards Barkly Highway or West on #1. Some parts are still single-lane, but each year sees improvement. However, going East toward Queensland, you run out of bitumen at the town boundary and you have good wide gravel formation, with a couple of deep creek crossings which might challenge caravans. Seek local knowledge before proceeding East, as grading is not always up-to-date.