Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn is a unique hotel situated in the heart of the Kakadu National Park. Covering nearly 22,000 square kilometres at the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory, Kakadu National Park is a cultural landscape, a World Heritage site and the largest national park in Australia.
Just two and a half hours' drive from Darwin, Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn is the most central hotel to the attractions of Kakadu National Park and provides an ideal base for exploring Kakadu's Nourlangie and Ubirr Aboriginal rock art galleries, Yellow Water Billabong, the towering 400-metre sandstone escarpment, or Arnhem Land along with Kakadu's most famous attractions, including Jim Jim and Twin Falls.
Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn is unique in Kakadu as the hotel was designed in the shape of a crocodile, clearly visible from both land and air, and was created by Darwin architect, John Wilkins in consultation with the Gagudju, the local Aboriginal people. The design of the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn hotel was chosen by the Gagudju Association because 'Ginga', the giant crocodile, is of great cultural significance to the Gagudju people. The hotel is 250 metres from head to tail and 30 metres across the belly, the crocodile's jaws encompass the hotel entrance, which leads to the hotel's expansive marble foyer designed to represent a cool, green billabong.
The crocodile's body section houses 110 hotel guest rooms that overlook a central courtyard with a recreation area of natural billabongs and the hotel's shaded swimming pool, designed to represent the crocodile's heart.
Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn at Kakadu offers hotel guests a range of dining alternatives to meet individual tastes and budgets. The hotel also features two conference rooms that can hold events for 300 guests theatre style and Room Service is also available.
Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn is owned by Kakadu Tourism, ownership of which is shared by the Gagudju Association (the traditional landowners) and Indigenous Business Australia (IBA), formerly the Commercial Development Corporation (CDC). In 1978 the traditional Aboriginal people of the Kakadu region formed the Gagudju Association, which is also the owner of a large part of Kakadu National Park.
Accommodation
Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn is the only hotel of its standard in Kakadu National Park. Most rooms are located overlooking the central courtyard that boasts a billabong and shaded swimming pool.
Facilities include:
- Remote-controlled television
- Complimentary Satellite channels Sports, News, Movies & Childrens
- Radio
- STD / IDD phones
- Air conditioning
- Tea and coffee making facilities
- Iron and ironing board
- Hairdryer
- Room voltage: 220V
Check-in: 2:00 pm Check-out: 10:00 am
Restaurants & Bars
At Escarpment Restaurant, guests can choose from the à la carte menu or the sumptuous nightly buffet. Ginga's Tavern features a selection of light snacks, full meals or takeaways. Escarpment Cocktail Bar is the perfect place to relax with friends and enjoy your favourite drink. Room Service is available for guests wishing to dine in the privacy of their rooms.
Escarpment RestaurantThe Escarpment Restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Choose from the ever-changing à la carte menu or the sumptuous nightly buffet. Experience the flavours of the outback, such as oven-roasted kangaroo and succulent barramundi, along with traditional bush spices. Seats up to 200 people. Open: Breakfast - 6:30 am to 10:00 am Lunch - 12:00 noon onwards Dinner - 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Opening times may vary slightly in the tropical summer
Escarpment Cocktail Bar
The Escarpment Bar offers a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a drink and listen to the resident musician Paul Francis, who entertains guests seven nights a week from March to December. Dress standards apply. Open: 11:00 am to 12:00 midnight
Room Service
The hotel provides a Room Service option for guests. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered as well as a range of light snacks.
Leisure
The Reception team is able to book the many and varied local tours that depart daily from the hotel foyer. Tickets can be purchased for the majestic Yellow Water Cruises.
The local art for sale throughout the hotel constitutes a veritable art gallery, with collections of large works in the gallery walkway and smaller pieces, along with timber carvings, in the hotel's foyer gallery.
During the day, enjoy a picnic at the base of Ubirr or by Anbangbang Billabong. The hotel Chefs are pleased to prepare your choice of picnics in an insulated carry bag:
- Jim Jim Pack: Either ¼ roast chicken or selection of cold meats, accompanied by salad, crusty roll, Pringles, cheese and crackers, orange juice, bottled water, serviettes, refresher towels and cutlery
- Nourlangie Pack: Either a freshly cut sandwich or crusty roll, with a choice of ham, cheese and salad; salami, cheese and salad; salad only. A piece of fruit, yoghurt, orange juice, bottled water, serviettes, and cutlery
Back at the hotel, relax in the central courtyard
with the shaded swimming pool in a tropical setting. The courtyard is
designed like a natural billabong, with a fish-filled, meandering stream fed
from a bubbling brook.
Other facilities:
- Outdoor barbecue
- Room Service
- 24-hour Reception
- EFTPOS
- 24-hour guest laundry, coin-operated
- Safety-deposit box at Reception
- Gift and souvenir shop
- Babysitters
- Foreign exchange
- Facsimile
- Car parking
- Porter
Location
The hotel can be accessed via road or by air, with Jabiru Airport only six kilometres away; transfers from the airport to the hotel can be arranged directly through Reservations.
- Jabiru Airport (JAB) - 6 km / 4 miles
- Darwin Airport (DRW) - 270 km / 168 miles
Driving from Darwin
- Take the Stuart Highway
- 35 kilometres out of Darwin, turn left onto the Arnhem Highway
- Jabiru turnoff is 220 kilometres down the Arnhem Highway
- Two kilometres from the Jabiru turnoff, take the second turn on the left to Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn
Driving from Alice Springs, Tenant Creek or Katherine
- Travel north on Stuart Highway
- 90 kilometres north of Katherine, turn right at Pine Creek onto the Kakadu Highway
- Travel 198 kilometres to the T-junction with the Arnhem Highway
- After two kilometres, take the Jabiru turnoff to the right
- Two kilometres from the Jabiru turnoff, take the second turn on the left to Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn
These driving directions are provided as a rough guideline only. Please contact the hotel to verify the location and directions.
