Posted in Defensive Driving, Safety

Cahills Crossing the most dangerous crossing in the NT

Cahills Crossing in the north of Australia is notorious for misadventure and vehicles getting washed of the road.  Cahills Crossing is the border between Kakadu and East Arnhem, it provides travellers with the quickest access into East Arnhem from Darwin.  As the crow fly’s Cahills Crossing is positioned 50km inland from the mouth of the East Alligator River.

The river still has a massive tidal influence at Cahills Crossing and this is the main reason people in their vehicles get stuck and into trouble.  The tide patterns don’t generally line up with our travel plans forcing people to become inpatient and choose risky times to cross the croc infested river.  There is no golden rule for safe crossing times at Cahills, it may be safe to cross 6 hours either side of the low tide during some parts of the dry season and in the wet the crossing might even be totally closed.  Your best bet is to plan your trip at the peak of the low tide if the crossing is open then you will be rest assured you can cross in a suitable vehicle.

I have seen people cross at risky times and make it through but this just isn’t the kind of place to be taking risks as the opportunistic salties are most certainly there in numbers.  There have been numerous croc attacks over the years at Cahills Crossing mostly due to negligence, risk taking and people becoming complacent. The south, east and Mary rivers are home to the densest population of salties in the Northern Territory, you only have to you tube Cahills Crossing to get an understanding of what we are dealing with.  Learn more about 4WD training

Cahills Crossing November 2017 Troop carrier washed off the crossing 

Scott McDonald, 4WD trainer and experienced bushman, See Scott's profile