Northern Territory police have established a crime scene near Lee Point Beach, about 20km north of the CBD.
The remains were discovered on Wednesday and a large number of bones, including a skull, have been recovered.
"He had a dog with him that might have bumped it out into the open," Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Day told reporters on Friday.
"There is certainly a lot of leaf litter and shrubbery. He just saw a part of the remains and when he took a closer look it was quite clear it was a skull."
Det Supt Day said there was "no indication of any trauma to the skull" or any of the other larger bones, at this stage.
"There have been multiple bones and bone fragments recovered. Probably enough to indicate one entire body (but) there is nothing to indicate more than one," he said.
Det Supt Day said it was not known how long the remains had been at the site and crime scene examiners were working to "time stamp" them.
"The scene has been painstakingly processed with the use of medical experts, including a forensic pathologist," he said.
"We (also) have archaeological experts working with us and at this stage, they haven't indicated it is a traditional burial site but those options still remain open."
The NT police cold case and missing person units, along with the major crime squad, were working to identify the person.
"Everything remains a criminal investigation until proven otherwise. It is way too early, at this stage, to say one way or another how this person has died," Det Supt Day said.
