The town was established as a service centre for Nabalco's bauxite mining and treament plant and has now grown to a sizeable community of 4,000 people. If you don't have the day or two it takes to cover the unsealed road to Nhulunbuy from the Stuart Highway north of Katherine, simply take a 45 minute flight from Darwin. In the vicinity of the town of Nhulunbuy, there are a number of recreational areas available for visitors to access and bush camp on the spectacular coastline. However, permits are required for this. The area is also a stronghold of traditional Aboriginal art and craft and there are two excellent centres close by.
Anglers love it here and keep coming back and there's great diving too.
You'll find no shortage of tour operators and equipment hire operations out of Nhulunbuy, eager to show off the marvels of the deep. Watch for the Oenpelli Open Day in August where the local Aborigianl community will welcome you with music, dance, art, chopper flights and fireworks. On the Gove Peninsula, events revolve around the sea. Long distance yacht races are held throughout the year and in late November, the Traveland Gove Game Classic begins for the diehard game-fishing lovers. Information and photographs used on these pages supplied courtesy of The Far North Queensland Promotion Bureau.