A man has been found dead after a suspected crocodile attack at the notorious Cahill's Crossing in the Northern Territory, where he tried to walk across the East Alligator River in actions police have described as "foolish".

The 47-year-old man, thought to be from the remote community of Gunbalanya, was at the crossing with two women about 4:00pm yesterday when the trio decided to try to make it across.

A photograph emerged last year of a fisherman knee-deep at Cahill's Crossing, despite warnings. ( Supplied file photo )

Cahill's Crossing is not a footbridge, and at the time of the attack a recommendation on the NT Government's road report website said only high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles should cross.

"Cahill's Crossing is notorious for crocodiles and to walk across it to me is just foolishness," NT Police Duty Superintendent Bob Harrison said.

"You are tempting fate, knowing the size of the crocodiles in that area."

He said the women made it across safely and did not witness the attack but raised the alarm after they realised the man had gone.

Map Map showing where crocodile attack occurred at Cahill's Crossing

The man's body was recovered last night about 2 kilometres downstream along with a 3.5-metre crocodile that may have attacked him, Superintendent Harrison said.

The crocodile was shot and killed.

Superintendent Warren Jackson said despite police earlier reporting the man was killed by the crocodile, the circumstances of his death were still being investigated.

"We are unsure if there was actually an attack or how the incident actually occurred," he said.

"The rangers will recover the crocodile and then testing will be undertaken ... to see if there is any evidence to suggest it was an attack, or whether it was after the fact."

The East Alligator River runs through Kakadu National Park and intersects with Cahill's Crossing. ( ABC News: Sara Everingham )

Fixing crossing 'no easy task'

Mayor of the West Arnhem Regional Council, Lothar Siebert, knew the dead man and described him as someone who was "very witty".

"Actually it has hit me pretty hard that I have lost that fella," Mr Siebert said.

He said people regularly walked across Cahill's Crossing, including children, and it was lucky a child had not died there yet.

Mr Siebert said something needed to be done about the crossing, but because it joined public land with Aboriginal land that required a permit to enter, it was not a simple task.

The current is strong at Cahill's Crossing and has previously overturned a vehicle. ( ABC News: Sara Everingham )

"The Northern Land Council, National Parks and traditional owners have been having a chat.

"We as a council don't have an input in this. It is a land issue and it has to be solved by them," he told ABC Radio Darwin.

Mr Siebert said a bridge would be the answer but in a decent wet season people would still not be able to cross the river there safely.

"They put the boom gates down. They just get smashed one after another," Mr Siebert said.

"You are wasting public funds doing something like that."

People continue to go into water despite signs

Kakadu National Park rangers help a group of five adults and two children who were stuck at Cahill's Crossing earlier this month. ( Supplied: NT Police )

"There are signs saying not to swim or even go in the water at Cahill's Crossing," Superintendent Harrison said.

"There has been a lot of media attention around that crossing, but people continue to do it and unfortunately on this occasion somebody paid with their life."

Cars regularly get stranded at the crossing, and in 1987 a 40-year-old man was decapitated by a large crocodile while he waded in the water fishing.

There has been images previously of people standing in the waters there at Cahill's Crossing, and in October last year a woman used a thong to attempt to shoo away a large crocodile that appeared to be stalking her on the river's edge.