The colossal landscape of the
Northern Territory comprises waterfalls and looming gorges, arid
red desert and staggering outcrops. This is a land that perhaps most epitomizes the visitor’s notion of the outback; it’s
Australia’s Wild West. There’s adventure to be had on crocodile-spotting trips, safaris and wilderness 4-wheel drive tours.
Darwin is an intriguing city, a modern town as a result of the cyclone that devastated it in 1974. Attractively laid out, it is one of the best places to experience multicultural Australia, especially
given its indigenous population.
The Northern Territory has immense historical significance to the
Aborigines that inhabit the state, representing nearly one-fourth of its population. Much of the landscape was draped in dreamtime legend to ensure Aboriginal survival. Aboriginal guides can take visitors
bushwalking or
bush tucker tasting.
There remains a raw mysticism to awesome set pieces such as
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Corroboree Rock.
Kakadu National Park is still replete with Aboriginal relics.
The
outback is ’Never Never’ land, a title bestowed because of the book,
We of the Never Never by Jeannie Gunn. Locals claim you either ’never never’ want to stay or ’never never’ want to leave. Just as the territory is divided up into different terrain, the territory also divides opinion.
GeographyA wilderness stretching roughly 1,670km (1,038 miles) north to south and 1,000km (620 miles) east to west, the Northern Territory comprises nearly one-sixth of Australia. The geography of the Northern Territory is the closest to the popular image of the Great Australian Outback.
The northern area, centered on the capital, Darwin, is tropical with rich vegetation and a varied coastline. Beyond Darwin, 251km (155 miles) east, is World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, which is part of the 12,600 sq km (4,500 sq mile) area of Arnhem Land. It is an area of vast flood plains and rocky escarpments steeped in natural and cultural heritage. Aboriginal people have lived here for at least 40,000 years. Katherine township is 314km (195 miles) from Darwin and a further 30km (20 miles) northeast is Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park with 13 gorges towering up to 60m (200ft) high.
The southern part of the Northern Territory is centered on the town of Alice Springs, which is almost at the geographical center of Australia and the starting point of many of the Red Center’s unique and natural wonders, including Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Other notable features of the Red Center are King’s Canyon, Trephina, Ormiston and Glen Helen Gorge, the Olgas near Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Devil’s Marbles at Tennant Creek. There are also other parks and reserves with abundant bird and animal life.
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