Northern Territory Travel Tips

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
The Northern Territory can be reached by international flights to Darwin from Bali, Brunei, East Timor, Europe, Singapore and the UK. There are several international carriers operating to the Northern Territory, including British Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Qantas, Tiger Air and Royal Brunei.

There are several domestic airlines, including Airnorth (website: www.airnorth.com.au), Qantas  (website: www.qantas.com.au) and Virgin Blue  (website: www.virginblue.com.au), that cover the territory from all capital cities within Australia with connections from most other towns. Smaller commuter airlines connect some of the remoter areas within the territory.

Departure Tax
None.

Main Airports
Darwin Airport (DRW) (website: www.ntairports.com.au) is 13km (8 miles) from the city center (journey time - 20 minutes). The airport receives international flights. To/from the airport: Airport buses and taxis operate services to the city. Facilities: ATM, car hire, bars, restaurants, small shops, bureau de change, tourist information, Internet access.

Alice Springs Airport (ASP) (website: www.ntairports.com.au) is 15km (9 miles) from the city center (journey time - 25 minutes). To/from the airport: Airport buses and taxis operate services to the city. Facilities: Left luggage, bureau de change, bars and car hire.

Uluru/Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) is 7km (4 miles) from the Uluru (Ayers Rock) resort.
 
Katherine Airport (KTR) is 11km (7 miles) from Katherine.

Getting There by Water
Main port: Darwin (website: www.nt.gov.au/dpa), the Northern Territory’s only large port.

Getting There by Rail
The main rail service to the Territory is by the Ghan from Adelaide, which travels to Darwin via Alice Springs; see Getting Around in the main Australia section for more information. There is no internal network.

Getting There by Road
From Alice Springs, the nearest major town in any direction is Tenant Creek, 504km (313 miles) away, and consequently any car or caravan must be in prime mechanical condition. During the tropical summer from November to April, travel in the outback is advisable only in suitable cross-country vehicles, as many conventional roads become impassable for 2-wheel drive cars.

There are three main highways serving the Northern Territory: the Stuart Highway, south to Adelaide is a fully sealed road accessible all year; the Barkly Highway, east to Mount Isa and Queensland; and the Victoria Highway, which runs west to join an unsealed road running across the top of the Western Desert which runs on to Perth. Off these roads there are many uncharted rough tracks often only suitable for 4-wheel drive vehicles, and often ending in impassable desert. The dangers of traveling off main roads in the Northern Territory without a qualified guide cannot be stressed too strongly.

The national coach services are run by Greyhound (tel: 1 300 473 946; website: www.greyhound.com.au), which serves the main townships within the Territory with direct services to most capital cities. Well-equipped coaches take 66 hours to cover the distance from Darwin to Sydney; from Darwin, coaches depart daily to Katherine (journey time - 4 hours) and to Alice Springs (journey time - 22 hours).

There are local bus services in Darwin (running Monday to Saturday); most suburban services leave and arrive from Bennett Street in the city center. There are also local buses in Alice Springs.


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