Located to the west of Kakadu National Park on the Mary River floodplains, Bamurru Plains is a unique bush camp teeming with bird and animal life. It offers bungalows set amongst native bushland. Guests can enjoy river cruises, 4WD tours and safaris nearby.
During the heat of the day, guests can enjoy the cooling waters of the infinity pool, or relax on the deck. A chef is available to cook delicious meals prepared with local ingredients. The bar is open all day so you can enjoy a crisp white wine, a gin and tonic or sparkling water whenever you wish.
Each bungalow is built on stilts overlooking the floodplains frequented by bird and animal life. Rooms include a cold water thermos, reading material on the local flora and fauna, a species list and binoculars so you can appreciate the wildlife around you. Organic cotton bedding and a pillow menu are provided for maximum comfort.
All meals served in the lodge building are wholesome and often made from fresh local produce. They are shared communally with guests, guides and hosts in an informal setting.
Bamurru Plains is a 25-minute flight or a 3-hour drive from Darwin and 2.5 hours’ drive west of Jabiru in Kakadu National Park.
Bamurru is built amongst the savannah bush fringing the floodplains to provide a high level of comfort whilst giving guests unobstructed views of the surrounding wetlands and their teeming populations of birds and animals.
This beautiful wilderness region of over 300 square kilometres is shared by about 20 guests. The main lodge provides an oasis of tropical calm in the midst of a noisy wildlife spectacle; comfortable wicker sofas; a well stocked library offers a collection of reference books on the Top End and Australia’s natural heritage. During the heat of the day the cooling waters of the infinity pool beckon and later the lodge deck is the ideal place to watch wildlife graze through the camp. An expert chef conjures up delicious meals, peppered with local ingredients. Anytime of the day you can help yourself to a cold drink from the bar – be it a crisp white wine, a gin and tonic or sparkling water – best enjoyed with one of Bamurru’s spectacular sunsets.
Spacious and cool, each of the nine safari bungalows are built on stilts overlooking the floodplains frequented by a myriad of bird and animal life. Mesh screens serve as your walls on three sides of your Safari Bungalow. Being surrounded by semi-transparent screens provides an experience in which you can hear, see and almost touch the wildlife and wilderness around you. The alarm clock in the morning is the call of Magpie Geese, after whom the camp is named, as the orange light of dawn spreads across the floodplain, all is audible and visible without having to leave your bed!
The focus is on a supremely comfortable bed (organic cotton linen, pillow menu) and a spacious ensuite bathroom with high pressure showers. In addition to corrugated iron and lantern lighting, the bungalow décor reflects the region’s earlier indigenous, hunting and pastoral history with buffalo horns, explorer’s maps, Aboriginal art work and fish traps as well as old photos providing a sense of the human heritage of the area. Each room has a cold water thermos, local flora and fauna reading materials and species list.
You won’t find a television, CD player, mini bar or even mobile phone reception here – a true escape to your immediate environment. At night, the only sound is the meanderings of marsupials in the foliage and the croak of frogs.f
Our largest safari bungalow is the Kingfisher Suite with expansive floodplain views through Bamurru’s trademark ceiling to floor mesh walls. It really does feel as if you are right amongst it with an intimate sense of connection to the wildlife and wilderness outside.
With 81m2 space in the bedroom alone, the suite features a king size bed, generous lounge area and space to accommodate a family of five in comfort. For honeymooners looking for a sense of privacy, the size of the Kingfisher Suite allows for an intimate in-room candlelit dinner with only the sounds of the bush as company.
The bathroom features twin basins and showers, within a décor of rustic chic timber and recycled corrugated walls, utterly in tune with the environment and pastoral heritage of the area. For maximum exposure (and only the local Agile Wallabies as company) the suite also offers a shower with full ceiling to floor views across the floodplain and surrounding paperbark forests.
Bamurru has over 300 square kilometres of private concession to be explored by just a few lucky guests. So large is the property that there are four distinct habitats – floodplains and wetlands full of magpie geese and big crocs; stunning melaleuca forests, savannah woodlands where you might bump into brumbies, buffalo, dingos and wallabies; and finally a riverine environment where the silver flashes of fish or sunbathing crocs will catch your eye as you cruise slowly by.
Our expert field guides are the key to unlocking Bamurru’s wild secrets when you explore the property via airboat, open top safari drive, walks, quad bikes and more. Many of the activities below are inclusive
Bamurru’s signature experience is a thrilling ride across the floodplains by airboat. This wildlife-packed journey takes you from wide open grasslands to a lagoon surrounded by peeling paper bark trees. Feel the rush as you skim the surface at speed then float in silence listening to the sound of nothing but the bush.
The Mary River catchment is home to some 236 species of bird, many of which are found at Bamurru Plains. The significance of this particular property comes in the variety of habitat: black soil floodplains, paperbark swamps, savannah woodland, river mangroves and coastal beaches support an extraordinary diversity of birdlife. For serious birders we can arrange for private experiences with ornithologists who specialise in this region of Australia.
Our relaxing river cruise takes you for a meander along the Sampan Creek, home to countless crocodiles and even more birds. This riverine habitat showcases different scenery and wildlife to elsewhere on the property, with mangroves lining the banks of the creek and the occasional barra leaping out of the water.
One of the best ways to see the variety of wildlife that teems here is on an open-top game drive, more akin to an African safari across the savannah. You’ll see agile wallabies, estuarine crocodiles, wild horses, buffalo’s and some of the 236 bird species on the property.
A guided walking safari at Bamurru is the perfect antidote to a busy life. You’re compelled to slow down and absorb the sights and sounds of the bush, understanding how every element has its place. At this pace, nature has a way of showing you what’s important.
Raised six metres above the ground in the tree canopy overlooking the Mary River floodplain, The Hide is the ultimate eyrie from which birdlife and other wildlife can be observed undisturbed in their natural habitat. The Hide gives guests a unique perspective on this fragile environment.
Criss-crossing between floodplain savannah, monsoonal forests and dry, open areas dotted with termite mounds alongside buffalo and brumbies, explore Bamurru from the wheel of your own quad bike.
While technically not a real activity, some of our guests prefer to do absolutely nothing. The best bit is that the wildlife will come to you. Watch hundreds of birds take flight from around the infinity-edge pool, see buffalo roam and Agile wallabies hop past your bungalow as you wake to sounds of thousands of Magpie Geese. If all you want to do is switch off, chill out and get away from the hustle and bustle of life then Bamurru is one of the best places in the world to do it.
Just a short hop by light aircraft across the river systems that separate Bamurru Plains from Kakadu brings you to the heart of this country. Rock art galleries reveal stories of Aboriginal people and their ancient culture. Textures of colours, vistas across savannah woodlands and floodplains provide a sense of the spirituality of this ancient landscape.
Bamurru’s abundance of bird and wildlife, sweeping vistas and stunning sunrises and sunsets offer both the novice and experienced photographers first-class opportunities to take magical photographs. At certain times of the year we run specific photography courses.
In the wet, the Mary River floodplains are full of water and Barra, as are the creeks of the Mary River System which adjoin Bamurru Plains. The highlight for any fisherman at Bamurru however, is fishing out on the floodplains by airboat.
After you’ve woken to the laugh of a blue-winged kookaburra, the soundtrack of the corellas’ cacophony and the chorus of thousands of magpie geese, enjoy a light breakfast such as freshly baked wild berry & wattle seed muffins, ‘bush eggs’ any style on sourdough with bacon, tomato, warrigal green & kutjera relish or house blend bircher museli with Manuka honey, bush apple and a dollop of vanilla bean yoghurt.
Lunch is generally served on the wildlife observation deck overlooking the floodplains, where you might enjoy citrus and fennel warm chicken salad with roasted macadamia nuts while watching a changing cast of birds, brumbies, buffalo and wallabies.
Canapés and sundowners are enjoyed out in the wilderness during your afternoon activity or on the lodge deck just before dinner.
Nightly, a three-course dinner hosted by one of your field guides is served at the long timber dining table as frogs break into a croaky serenade. The menu features Australian bush-inspired recipes. Watch our chef create his favourite bush spiced duck confit in the open kitchen from the dinner table.
Guests can help themselves to drinks at any time from the self-service bar offering a variety of refreshments, including an after dinner tipple for those so inclined.
