Last Updated on 1 August 2026 by Rob
If you are looking for a true “outback oasis” along the rugged Nathan River Road, Butterfly Falls Campground is the perfect base for exploring the heart of Limmen National Park. This shady, sandstone amphitheatre is famous for the thousands of Common Crow butterflies that cling to it. It offers much more than just a refreshing, croc-safe swim. Staying here puts you in the ideal position to tackle the 4WD tracks leading to the Southern Lost City, with its towering spires of ancient rock, as well as providing a launching point for the more remote trek out to the Western Lost City.
The only place to swim in Limmen National Park is at Butterfly Falls. Toward the end of the dry season, the water may become stagnant.
Due to the park’s remoteness, you need to be self-sufficient to stay at Butterfly Falls Campground. There is no fuel or potable water available within the park, but toilets are provided at the campground.
Being a national park, pets are not permitted at this campground.
Tents are permitted
Fires are permitted in the supplied fire pits.
Butterfly Falls Campground Quick Facts
| Campground Name | Butterfly Falls Limmen National Park |
|---|---|
| Nearest Town | Roper Bar / Borroloola |
| GPS | 15°37'38.93"S 135°27'37.50"E |
| Access Road | Unealed |
| Number of sites | 15 |
| Toilets | Yes |
| Water | No |
| Dump point | No |
| Power | No |
| Pets | No |
| Tents | Yes |
| Fires permitted | Yes |
| Telstra coverage | No |
| Optus coverage | No |
| Cost | $10 per person per night |
| Booking | online |
Campground Layout and Features
Butterfly Falls Campground has 15 marked campsites that must be booked online before arrival. There is no phone coverage at the campground. It is possible to book on arrival if you have a service such as Starlink.
The campsites are located on both the inside and outside of a loop road. Other than the overflow sites, each site is bounded by plastic posts. On these sites, a firepit and, on some, a small platform are provided outside the posts. These sites range in size from small to large.
In addition to the 12 normal sites, there are three very large sites designated as overflow camps. These sites do not have a fire pit.
Each site has varying amounts of shade. Below is what we observed during our stay on the size of each site and the amount of shade.
Summary of each site:
- Site 1: A long site, some shade
- Site 2: Small, shady
- Site 3: Small, shady
- Site 4: Large, shady
- Site 5: Very small, shady
- Site 6: Medium, shady
- Site 7: Medium, sunny
- Site 8:Medium, sunny
- Site 9: Medium, sunny
- Site 10: Medium sunny
- Site 11: Very small, shady
- Site 12: Large, some shade
- Overflow 1: Very large, shady
- Overflow 2: Very large, sunny
- Overflow 3: Very large, sunny
Drop toilets are provided. There is a single toilet in one location and a set of three toilets in another. Overflow 2 is close to the single toilets, and that site may get some odour from it. During our visit, the toilets were well stocked with toilet paper.
The booking system allows you to pick a particular site for the normal sites. However, the allocation of overflow sites differs. You can not pick a particular overflow site. It appears that they are assigned in order. By that, we mean that if none have been booked, the first person to book will get overflow camp 1, the next overflow camp 2, and so on. A consequence of this is that if you extend your stay you may be allocated a different site.
The maximum number of people bookable on the overflow sites is 10 (across all three sites). We are unsure what would happen if two sites were booked with ten people between them. We suspect that the third site would not be bookable.
You can stay at this campground for up to 14 days.
You must book your stay online. Remember that there is no phone reception in the park.
Butterfly Falls Campsite Location
Butterfly Falls Campground is located a short distance from the unsealed Nathan River Road. With the road unsealed, the road conditions are highly variable. A 4WD vehicle is recommended. There are a reasonable number of river and creek crossings. On our trip, they were not very deep.
The map below shows the location of the campground. You can zoom out for a more general location.
What to Watch Out For at Butterfly Falls Campground
During our stay, we did not encounter any issues.
This site may not be the best in wet conditions.
Final Words
We enjoyed our three-day stay at this campground.
The Western Lost City is about an hour and a half drive from the campground. Once you get to the gate, complete the logbook. The lock on the gate may appear locked, but pull on it, and it should open.
The Southern Lost City is a much easier drive. This site can be visited either before arrival or upon departure, depending on the direction you are travelling. It is possible to take a caravan to the Southern Lost City. There is one boggy sand to get through, so stay in 4WD and be prepared to quickly gain a bit of speed. There is a campground (closed at the time of our visit due to fire damage) at the end of the road, so turning around is easy.
The campground is featured on our NT Savannah Way Itinerary.
Closeby Campgrounds
For those heading east on the Savannah Way, you may like Wearyan River on the other side of Boroloola. If you are looking for something near Boroloola, there is camping at King Ash Bay.
If you are travelling towards Darwin, Towns River Campground provides a great place to spend some time.
