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Jabiru

Jabiru is the major township at the heart of the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, about 250km south east of Darwin, at the gateway to Arnhem Land. Jabiru was established at its current site in 1982 to service the nearby Ranger uranium mine.

The town provides visitors with access to a range of tourist and accommodation options, and services such as fuel, dining, automotive repairs, a health centre, a supermarket, a nine-hole golf course, 50-metre swimming pool with a mobility lift, and a recreation park with playground and barbecue facilities on Lake Jabiru.

Jabiru Area School takes students from Preschool to Year 12 from the town of Jabiru and surrounding Aboriginal outstations and homelands.

TEABBA Radio operates 98.9FM frequency in Jabiru which has an approximate radius of 20km around the township and into some of the surrounding homelands and outstations.

 

Community overview

Population

755 (2021 Census).

Location

250km east of Darwin along the Arnhem Highway.

Languages spoken

English, Kunwinjku, Kundjeyhmi.

Services

Jabiru is the main service town for Kakadu National Park, and you will find most facilities you would expect in a small regional town including a school (Pre-school to Year 12), childcare centre, health clinic, fuel and mechanical services, police station, supermarket, bank facilities, library, newsagent, food and accommodation options and church services.

Recreation

50-metre Olympic-sized swimming pool with a mobility lift and kids splash pad, undercover gym, golf club, public tennis and basketball courts, public barbecue facilities and children’s playgrounds, sporting ovals for AFL, rugby, soccer and cricket, Jabiru Lake, access to Kakadu National Park, walking, hiking, and boating.

Access

All-year road access via Arnhem Highway to Darwin and Kakadu Highway to Pine Creek; all-year access via air charter.

More information

Jabiru Council Office on (08) 8979 9444 or email info@westarnhem.nt.gov.au.
 

See the Jabiru Town Map
Read the Welcome to Jabiru Handbook
Read more about Kakadu National Park

Jabiru Childcare Centre

West Arnhem Regional Council operates the Jabiru Childcare Centre, a licensed long daycare provider that caters for children from birth up to 5 years of age.

The centre strives to instil a love of life-long learning through play-based learning experiences.

It provides nutritionally balanced meals to meet the national daily nutrition intake requirements, as approved by the NT Health Department’s qualified nutritionist. An eight-week rotating menu is available for viewing at the Centre. Meal and snack times provide children with positive learning experiences, include multicultural foods to reflect each family’s diversity and encourage healthy eating habits.

Weekly visits to the library with the toddlers and pre-schoolers are scheduled to instil a sense of belonging within the community and to support early literacy development.

Staff are friendly, supportive, nurturing and trained in early childhood development and health and safety.

 

The centre provides quality care for children in three categories:

Birth – 2 years old – Gecko Room
2 years old – 3 years old – Possum Room
3 years – 5 years old – Barramundi Room

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday: 7.30am – 5.00pm

Find out more or phone Jabiru Childcare Centre on (08) 8979 2247.

Jabiru Public Library

West Arnhem Regional Council operates a public library service in Jabiru. Membership is free for permanent residents of Jabiru. Benefits include:

  • Free internet
  • Loan up to 20 books, and magazines, 4 DVDs and CDs at a time
  • Access to free audiobooks and resources via Borrowbox
  • Access to a range of online research databases

Opening Hours

Monday: 10.30am - 4.30pm
Tuesday: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Wednesday: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Thursday: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Friday: 10.30am – 4.30pm
Saturday: CLOSED

Sunday: CLOSED
Public Holidays: CLOSED 

 

Phone Jabiru Public Library on (08) 8979 9460 during opening hours for more information or email library@westarnhem.nt.gov.au

What can I borrow?

• Books – Adult fiction, Young Adult and Junior fiction
• Large print
• Graphic novels
• Non fiction and reference
• Audio Books
• DVDs
• Music CDs
• Audio books
• Magazines and newspapers

Search our entire library collection



 

Storytime with the Mothers & Carers

Storytime with the Mothers & Carers group are held on Thursday mornings at 11am and all parents and carers are welcome with 0-5 year olds. Come in and check out the playroom with puzzles and toys for most preschool age groups.

BorrowBox – Free downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks

Library members can now access bestsellers free, across devices, online. Download the free BorrowBox App from the Apple Store or Google Play, then select NT Public Libraries.
Log into Borrow Box with your library card number and password.

How to get BorrowBox

E-Information for library members

Library members have access to many online databases from the library or from their own computer. Encyclopaedias, health and business information, Australian and overseas newspapers, magazines and much more.

If you wish to view your library records from your own computer, contact the library to arrange access.

Alberto Luglietti Memorial Swimming Pool

The Olympic-sized Alberto Luglietti Memorial Swimming Pool is the largest outdoor swimming facility in Kakadu which also features a mobility lift.

Pool Features

  • Shaded 50-metre pool with swimming lanes and gym
  • Kids’ wading pool and splash pad
  • Access to a mobility lift
  • Children’s playground including a bouncy pillow and monorail
  • Family barbecue and shaded picnic facilities
  • Kid’s 12 years of age and under swim free!
     

There is also an aqua fitness class at the pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6.15pm – 7.00pm. Pool passes are available at the Pool canteen and Council office.

The pool is located on the corner of Kichela Road and Civic Drive.

Opening Hours

Monday: 1.30pm – 6.30pm
Tuesday: 1.30pm – 6.00pm
Wednesday: 1.30pm – 6.30pm
Thursday: 1.30pm – 6.00pm
Friday: 1.30pm – 6.00pm
Saturday: 1.30pm – 6.30pm
Sunday: 1.30pm – 6.30pm

Public Holidays 1.30pm - 6.30pm

Additional 'Wet Season' Opening Hours

(1 October – 30 April)

Tuesday, Thursday: 6.00am – 8.00am
Saturday: Morning sessions available

 

Phone Alberto Luglietti Memorial Swimming Pool on (08) 8979 9447 during opening hours for more information or email info@westarnhem.nt.gov.au

Dog registration & dog control

West Arnhem Regional Council is responsible for registering domestic dogs in Jabiru in accordance with the town’s By-Laws.

It is an offence to keep an unregistered dog in Jabiru.

The Council can impose fines for unregistered dogs kept in yards and can also seize registered or unregistered dogs which are not properly secured. If this occurs, all applicable fees need to be paid before the dog can be released from the pound.

Each household may keep up to two dogs which must be registered. Register your dog here.

Description of service Fee (inc GST)
   

Registration of entire dog – without microchip - Jul to Dec

Registration of entire dog – without microchip - Jan to Jun*

$69.00

$34.00

Registration of entire dog – with microchip - Jul to Jun

Registration of entire dog – with microchip - Jan to Jun*

$57.00

$29.00

Registration of dog – desexed, without microchip - Jul to Dec

Registration of dog – desexed, without microchip - Jan to Jun*

$34.00

$17.00

Registration of dog – desexed, with microchip - Jul to Dec

Registration of dog – desexed, with microchip - Jan to Jun*

$22.00

$12.00

Registration of dog – trained for the blind or hearing impaired FREE
Tag replacement fee $11.00
Impoundment release fee (includes first day charge) $114.00
Pound charge (per day, after day one) $57.00
Additional release fee outside business hours (prior arrangement only) $375.00

* Evidence the dog has been desexed is required for the discount to apply

* Option available only for new dog registrations made between January and June 

 

You are not permitted to have a dog in Kakadu National Park (except in Jabiru) without a permit issued by the Park.

For more information, please contact (08) 8979 9444 or email info@westarnhem.nt.gov.au

Events

Kurrung Sports Carnival and Mahbilil Festival

Every Dry Season since 2010, West Arnhem Regional Council has held its Kurrung Sports Carnival in conjunction with Mahbilil Festival, which is run by Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation.

Kurrung is a local Aboriginal word for the season when the afternoon breeze, mahbilil, rises, and magpie geese fly in huge numbers across the wetlands to lay their eggs.

The premiere sporting event in the region, Kurrung brings together men’s AFL and women’s basketball teams from all four Aboriginal communities across West Arnhem, as well as teams from Darwin and beyond. The carnival showcases the incredible sporting talents of locals, and gives them the opportunity to participate in a popular, grass-roots sporting competition in a healthy, safe atmosphere.

The two complementary events create a whirlwind of sports, arts, music and culture right in the heart of a World Heritage-listed national park.

Mahbilil is the key cultural event on Jabiru’s calendar, attracting a range of local Aboriginal and balanda (non-Aboriginal Australian) arts and crafts, food stalls, entertainment, parades, market stalls and installations.

Kakadu Triathlon - Saturday, 11 May 2024

Take the plunge, ride it out, and do the hard yards!

One of Jabiru’s most popular community events, the Kakadu Triathlon is held in May each year, celebrating the start of Kakadu’s tourist season. In 2018, West Arnhem Regional Council proudly took over the coordination of this event to secure its future for a long time to come. Participants, spectators and volunteers converge for the early morning event which kicks off at the Alberto Luglietti Memorial Swimming Pool in Jabiru with a 250m swim, followed by a 7.5km bike ride and a 2.5km run.

Since its inception in 2013, the Kakadu Triathlon has raised funds for the aeromedical charity CareFlight while promoting healthy lifestyles.

To receive notifications, and to be in the running for the next Kakadu Triathlon, join the Kakadu Triathlon facebook page.