Cape Crawford

The isolated, small settlement of Cape Crawford serves as a gateway to the Gulf Region and its many attractions. Cape Crawford Tourism is the gateway to These include the Lost City, a unique geological formation in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Northern Territory, Australia, and Poppy’s Pools, a cool oasis in the Australian Outback. Tours out the settlement operate to Vanderlin Island, a beautiful tropical getaway.

Contrary to its name, Cape Crawford is not located beside the ocean. It is named after Lindsay Crawford, one of the drovers who discovered the site in the early 1880?s driving cattle across Australia from the East Coast. The only establishment in Cape Crawford is the Heartbreak Hotel.

Vanderlin Island

The largest island of the Sir Pewlew Group in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Fly by helicopter to the pristine waters of this magnificent island and indulge in Aboriginal Culture at it’s best where you will visit exclusive areas of the island.

Poppys Pools

The pandanus lined creek is an excellent backdrop to the majestic falls, so tranquil and peaceful. The water has a high mineral content and is very therapeutic and remains about 27°C all year round. It is a photographer’s paradise with the many water birds that will be spotted in the area. These thermal pools are situated 70 km from Cape Crawford on Bauhinia Downs Station, traditionally owned by Harry Lansen from the Gudanji tribe. The hot spring water rises under pressure from a large aquifer system 5-7 km deep in the earth’s crust. It emerges to the surface through permeable faulted sandstone rock of the Roper Group, where it cools as it moves downstream and mixes with the water from the cool spring.


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Location: Cape Crawford is 270 km east of Daly Waters, 110 km south west of Borroloola, on the Savannah Highway.


The Lost City

1.4 billion years in the making, the predominantly beehive-shaped rocks of this natural phenomena are some of the oldest in the world. They consist of 95% silica and are held together by an outer crust made mainly of iron, giving them their red colour.The local Aboriginal people regarded the Lost City as a sacred place and in the past, held circumcision ceremonies there. The healing properties of two nearby trees are evidence of this.

Ground tours into the Lost City began operating in 1993 from the humorously-named Heartbreak Hotel and now Cape Crawford Tourism is the only tour organisation offering access to these awe-inspiring sites.

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