With its green tropical Top End, and the remote Red Centre, Northern Territory has got the best of both worlds. Fartherst north are the world-famous Kakadu National Park, Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park and the state's tropical capital Darwin. Further south along the Stuart Highway are Daly Waters, Tennant Creek, Devils Marbles and Alice Springs with some of Australia's greatest national parks around it: East and West MacDonnells, Watarrka National Park and the amazing Ayers Rock in Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park. Here is some information on the state's attractions, and in the end of the page is an interactive map.
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Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Along Barkly Highway - Northern Territory Information Northern Territory is the only state in Australia with a speed limit of 130km/h so enjoy your drive but do remember to fill your petrol tank at every little roadhouse along the road. On my last visit, I didn’t. I left Mount Isa in Queensland with a full tank, then forgot to fill it up in Camooweal, and pulled into the Barkley Homestead Roadhouse more than 400km later, on what was very likely to be the l-a-s-t drop of petrol. It was a lonely desert road, I was driving alone, it was burning hot outside and my petrol light had been on for 60km. I started expecting Barkley Roadhouse behind every corner at least 20km before I got to it, and you can imagine how I felt when I finally saw it! It was an adventorous drive to say the least but nothing I'd recommend to anyone.
Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Darwin Travel Information - Northern Territory Information But let’s start with the capital of Northern Territory. Darwin is different from all the other cities in Australia, in that there are virtually no buildings here that would have been built before 1974. In the early hours of 25 December 1974, as the rest of Australia was waking up to Christmas Day, a tropical cyclone (hurricane) called Tracy hit the town, wiped out 90% of buildings and killed 66 people. The whole town had to be rebuilt, and you can see it today – Darwin has got that 70s-look about it. But this doesn't make any difference - Darwin is one of the greatest cities to visit in Australia. It is tropical, cosmopolitan and friendly, and it is famous for its great sunsets and the colourful Mindil Beach Markets. It is also one of the most multicultural cities in Australia, but unlike others it has hold on to its small-town feeling.
Darwin. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Kakadu and Litchfield - Northern Territory Information Darwin is in the tropical Top End of Northern Territory, and there are a few great tropical national parks around it. South of it is Litchfield National Park with its giant termite mounds and many beautiful waterfalls. East is the famous Kakadu – Australia’s largest mainland national park and one of the best ones in Northern Territory. Do not do what I did here on my first visit: stayed in a caravan park in Jabiru where you can order drinks to the pool, visited Yellow Waters the following day to realise it was closed due to floods, and kept going. You can easily spend weeks in Kakadu National Park - bushwalking, visiting waterfalls, watching wetlands’ wildlife, and camp in places like, say Alligator Billabong. Crocs are present in the park so take care, and if you want to see them while staying safe, I would recommend you take the crocodile cruise at Yellow Waters.
Kakadu wetlands. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Katherine Australia - Northern Territory Information South from Kakadu National Park is Katherine - a nice small town where I happened to travel through on Australia Day in 2002. As I went to get some fuel at the BP petrol station, I noticed some photos on the wall - with the petrol station crew sitting on the roof of the building, and the water level not much below their feet, with floating debris and possibly crocodiles.. and you would think such events are so rare that it must have happened long time ago, but the sign said it was Australia Day 1998 - exactly four years earlier. I realised it was an interesting time of the year to be up here, but I haven’t heard of floods in Katherine since so I’m sure it’s safe to visit, and the main attraction in the area is the pretty Katherine Gorge in Nitmiluk National Park which is fun to kayak between rugged rock walls, formed 25 million years ago. Other known attractions are Cutta Cutta Caves and the hot thermal swimming holes in Mataranka.
Katherine Gorge. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Along Stuart Highway - Northern Territory Information South from here is the most exciting part of Northern Territory - the outback. As you drive south along the Stuart Highway, the lush vegetation will disappear, the roadsides will turn red, and the petrol stations will become very scarce. Between Larrimah and Dunmarra you’ll see a sign: Daly Waters. It is only a few kilometres off the main road and you will not regret if you turn in. Further south, past a few lonely roadhouses you’ll come to Threeways where Flinders Highway from Queensland meets Stuart Highway of Northern Territory. South from here is a small town Tennant Creek and the famous rock formations Devils Marbles. Further south are more lonely roadhouses in Mungkarta, Wauchope, Wycliffe Well, Barrow Creek and Tea Tree, before you come to Alice Springs.
Devils Marbles. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Alice Springs Australia - Northern Territory Information Alice, as the locals call it, is a surprisingly big place considering its location. After you have driven thousands of kilometres past lonely roadhouses along the Stuart Highway, you don’t expect much, and as you are still approaching the middle of the continent, in fact you think things will only get smaller. But then you arrive in Alice Springs, and there is a city 25,000 people call home, with cinemas, Woolworths and Kmart, and a great amount of things to see and do. The old Telegraph Station is an interesting place to visit, but there are also the School of the Air and the Royal Flying Doctors Service, and Australia's best reptile park.
Alice Springs. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
West MacDonnell National Park - Northern Territory Information Around Alice Springs are some of Australia’s best bushwalks through some colourful landscape with great rock formations, views and cooling waterholes. West of Stuart Highway are the magnificent West MacDonnell National park. There are some incredible surprises here like Standley Chasm, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen, which you can visit whether you chose to drive, or buskwalk the long Larapinta Trail.
Finke Gorge and Kings Canyon - Northern Territory Information Further south, Larapinta Drive takes you to Hermannsburg and Finke Gorge National Park with its gorgeous Palm Valley. If you have got a 4WD, you can drive the Merenee Loop Road from Hermannsburg to the beautiful Watarrka National Park where you can stay at a resort and walk around the amazingly red Kings Canyon. (If you don't have a 4WD and still want to go to Kings Canyon, Luritja Road goes there from Lasseter Highway further south).
Uluru. Courtesy of Tourism Northern Territory
Ayers Rock Australia - Northern Territory Information East of Stuart Highway are the less visited but beautiful East MacDonnell Ranges, Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar Historical Reserve. South along the Stuart Highway you’ll come to the turnoff to Lasseter Highway (and Uluru) just after Desert Oaks Resort on your right hand side. You still have about 250km to drive to Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park - and I know it has been a long drive but it's worth it. No matter how many times you’ve seen Uluru on posters and postcards, it is amazing to stand next to it and watch it changing colours in sunset. Kata Tjuta is fantastic as well, and there are some nice bushwalks around both. Take time to enjoy Northern Territory’s Red Centre. It is amazingly beautiful.
Here is a map of Northern Territory Australia, where I have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
