Northern Territory Travel Guide

Northern Territory, Australia — Things to Do

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4x4 Safaris

A most memorable way to experience the remote Northern Territory is to take to the road in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Roads in the vast state include sealed, unsealed and rough 4x4 adventure routes, and the Northern Territory Tourism Commission has some exciting recommended itineraries for those wishing to explore. The main tourist attractions, like Alice Springs, Uluru, Tennant Creek and the national parks, are accessible by good sealed roads, such as 'Explorer's Way', which follows the path of John McDouall Stuart, famous explorer who was first to traverse the continent in 1862. A shorter journey, called 'Nature's Way', winds from Darwin through a wetland wilderness steeped in Aboriginal culture and pioneering history. While exploring this route, a must is the unsealed 'Jim Jim' four-wheel-drive track, which is 27 miles (43 km) south of Jabiru in Kakadu National Park and is 37 miles (60 km) long. This track is only open during the dry season from May to October and travelers will require a high suspension four-wheel-drive. It's advisable if hiring a vehicle to check with the company if the vehicle is allowed on the track. The 'Twin Falls' track lies a further 6 miles (10 km) from Jim Jim Falls and features a few river crossings which the vehicle may require a snorkel to cross. Another favorite is the 'Red Center Way' which takes travelers west from Alice Springs along the Namatjira Drive to view the West MacDonnell Ranges before meeting the Mereenie Loop at Glen Helen Gorge. From here the Kings Canyon and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park can be reached.

Bushwalking

No visit to the Northern Territory is complete without undertaking a bushwalk through the spectacular scenery of the Outback. Hikers can choose to walk for days, or hours, along challenging rugged tracks or well-worn easy paths. The Northern Territory Tourist Commission, and the area's national parks, offer a variety of itineraries that can be followed. The Larapinta Trail, for example, is a 139-mile (223km) hike through the West MacDonnell National Park near Alice Springs, which can be walked in 12 stages over one or two days. The Jatbula Trail through Nitmiluk National Park takes four days to walk, offering close-ups of wildlife, cultural sites and deep sandstone gorges. A fascinating four-hour trek is to follow a six-mile (10km) circuit around the base of the mysterious Uluru rock, or to keep cool take the 24-mile (39km) Tabletop Track linking the waterfalls that cascade from a sandstone plateau in the Litchfield National Park.

Ballooning

One of the most exciting and popular ways to see the spectacular Red Center is from the air on a hot air balloon flight. Various companies in Alice Springs offer balloon flights, usually arranged in the early morning accompanied by a champagne breakfast. The sight of the sunrise over the spectacular red plains, and the wildlife scattered across the outback landscape, particularly big red kangaroos, is an awesome experience. A camera is essential to capture memories of this experience.

Fishing

The Northern Territory is a sport fisherman's paradise, offering a vast range of fishing experiences on the inland billabongs, tidal rivers, mangrove-lined estuaries and in the clean and clear coastal waters. Particularly exciting are encounters with the barramundi, a predatory fighting fish found in the rivers and billabongs, renowned for its strong runs and high jumps. Among the prey in the ocean and Darwin harbor are black jewfish and snapper. There are plenty of fishing lodges and boat charters on offer, as well as guided fishing safaris.