Melville Island Lodge is located at the northern tip of Australia, a scenic 30 minute – 100 kilometer light aircraft flight from Darwin. Melville and neighbouring Bathurst Island are collectively known as the ‘Tiwi Islands'; the home of the Tiwi people.

Known for its tropical climate, its friendly people and its great fishing, Melville Island is Australia's second largest island after Tasmania. There is little infrastructure on the Island, and it is not open to the public for tourism, except on organised trips such as those operated by Melville Lodge.

This remote and remarkable area consists of 5,700 square kilometers of eucalypt, paperbark and monsoon vine forest, coastal wetlands, secluded waterfalls and deserted beaches. An extensive and magnificent array of barely touched mangrove lined river and creek systems, sand flats and coastal reefs, all abundant with marine life, means Melville Island is also an unspoiled fisherman's paradise. In addition to its natural beauty and marine life, which also includes crocodiles, dolphins, sea turtles and dugong, Melville Island is also home to a stunning array of bird and animal life, such as buffalo, wallabies, bandicoots, flying fox, kingfishers, jabiru, parrots, eagles, falcons and hawks plus countless varieties of water and wading birds.
Melville Island Lodge operates from two remote, yet very comfortable locations on Melville Island; our Melville Lodge headquarters overlooking beautiful Snake Bay, and our ultra remote Johnson River Camp located in the picturesque upper reaches of the Johnson River.

Getting here:

Access to Melville Island is via Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. From Darwin , you will be transported to Melville Island by light aircraft, a scenic 30 minute flight. Upon arrival you will be met by your hosts and transported to the Lodge or Johnson River Camp.

Transferring to Melville Island Lodge by Sea
As a leisurely and scenic alternative, why not transfer between Darwin to Melville Island Lodge by high speed Jet Cat on board the 25 meter Arafura Pearl. The Arafura Pearl trip takes approximately two hours to Nguiu on Bathurst Island, plus to there’s an additional one hour of road traveling time between Nguiu and Melville Island Lodge. This is a fantastic experience and a great alternative to flying, if you’ve got the time...

Transferring to our Johnson River Camp by helicopter

The fastest way to transfer between Darwin and our Johnson River Camp is by helicopter. Doing this adds a modest additional cost to your trip, but it’s a beautifully scenic flight and the convenience and thrill of arriving and/or departing directly from this ultra remote location is fantastic experience..!