Australia’s most sparingly populated province is six times bigger than Britain and the very definition of a sunburnt country and a land of broad plains. It has rough mountain ranges, drought, flooding, far horizons, and sparkly seas. But it is a land where adventure comes easy. From the steamy Top End coastline where the shimmering blue of the Arafura Sea traces the fine white Arnhem Land sand south to the jagged ochre ridges of the MacDonnell Ranges stretching across the heart and soul of the Red Centre.
It’s an area rich with colour. The deep purple that splashes across Uluṟu during a rare thunderstorm, the vibrant pink covering Kata Tjuṯa when the low evening sun hovers over the domes, the clear turquoise water of the thermal Mataranka ponds, the eerie white of Hermannsburg’s eucalypts, the rusty ochre of the Kakadu ridge, and the unbelievably deep blue of a cloudless outback sky.
Yellow Water, Mataranka, Nhulunbuy, Finke Gorge, Karlu Karlu, Simpson Desert, Tiwi Islands, Wangi Falls and Buley Rockhole, Maguk, Ubirr, Larapinta Trail, Bare Sand Island and Nitmiluk National Park are some of the famous locations that prompt daydreaming about exploring unique and remote regions.
Read on to discover the top places to visit in the Northern Territory this year.
ULURU – KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK
It is very easy to spend hours inside this cherished national park. Strolling trails that wind through fields of desert wildflowers, seeing indigenous artists at work in an art gallery, hearing a story of geology from a local ranger – and without a doubt every visit should start and finish with the sun.
Sunrise and sunset are exciting times to see Australia’s most famous landmark with an extraordinary serenity settling on the landscape as the colours change with every blink of the eye and the low light casts long shadows from the spiny spinifex grass.
At dawn colour tiptoes across the countryside as the sun drags itself into the sky at the start of another day, and the cool night air is replaced by the first murmurs of dry heat, while in the evening the seared red is replaced by pastel hues that announce the imminent arrival of a celestial sea of stars.
These are daily Red Centre encounters that have been drawing visitors for years, but the pandemic pause means those discovering Uluru in 2022 will find it easier to catch extra space inside one of the park’s viewing areas.
GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings offer Half-Day tours scheduled around the sun with the morning Uluru Sunrise & Kata Tjuta walks around the spectacular domes of the Red Centre’s other famous address after discovering the dawn while Uluru Sunset with BBQ Dinner adds gourmet goodies and stargazing to an evening encounter.
INTERESTED IN TRAVEL? Contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.
TIWI ISLANDS
The Tiwi Islands – the legendary “islands of smiles” floating in the Timor Sea 90km north of the Territory’s capital city – do not top the to-do lists of many travellers, but Bathurst and Melville islands offer a rare opportunity to experience a distinctive slice of Top End life.
The people that call the Tiwi Islands home are famous for preserving traditions. As well as creating talented Aussie Rules footballers – with this destination boasting an enviable arts scene driven by indigenous painters and weavers creating colourful fabrics, charming canvases, and complex baskets.
GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings say travellers haven’t really seen Australia until experiencing the Tiwi Islands with the company – which has been taking holidaymakers to the hidden corners of this country for more than 100 years – offering a day tour from Darwin that shines a sustainable spotlight on the people and their proud culture.
INTERESTED IN TRAVEL? Contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.
KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
Kakadu National Park – the World Heritage Site with dual-listings described as “a living cultural landscape with outstanding natural and cultural values” by the folks at UNESCO – is responsible for drawing generations of travellers to Australia’s dreamy Top End.
Australia’s largest national park is praised for preserving “the greatest variety of ecosystems on the Australian continent”. With savanna woodlands, billabongs, open forest, floodplains, mangroves, tidal mudflats, sandy coastlines, rocky escarpments, pointy gorges, towering waterfalls, and monsoon forests.
Kakadu also features a remarkable assortment of colourful flora and fauna. With the fact it’s now deemed to be “one of the least impacted areas of the northern part of the Australian content” just one reason for the dual UNESCO designation.
It is harsh but not remote, covering almost 20,000 sq/km of the vibrant landscape a three-hour drive from Darwin. Home to more than 5,000 Aboriginal rock art sites with the local Bininj/Mungguy people calling this country home for more than 65,000 years.
GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings Kakadu National Park Explorer Day Tour helps discover this active destination and includes a cruise on the Yellow Water billabong to spy parading water bird and ambling crocodiles, a stroll around Burrunggui/Nourlangie Rock to see the indigenous art, and a visit to the Warradjan Cultural Centre.
INTERESTED IN TRAVEL? Contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.
LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK
Kakadu gets all the praise, but Litchfield National Park is tops with Territorians who retreat to this protected parcel of land a 60-minute drive south from Darwin when the weather is hot and there are waterfall ponds to cool down in.
Litchfield is one of the Northern Territory’s true mysterious gems. And is best described as a “water wonderland” with visitors invited to swim in plunge pools hiding at the base of steep waterfalls. Like Florence Falls and Wangi Falls or bathe in the gentle tiered pools at Buley Rockhole.
Swimming isn’t allowed at Tolmer Falls, but it’s still worth seeing. It sits close to Tolmer Falls is at the park’s western edge. Showcasing a 1.6km walking trail that winds through sandstone country to pass rock pools and the tributaries of Tolmer Creek.
GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings Litchfield National Park Waterfalls Day Tour ventures into the heart of the Tabletop Range to the west of Bachelor and includes a guided stroll through the monsoonal forests, a stop to see the tall fascinating termite mounds that stand like sentries around the plateau, and cooling bathe at Wangi Falls.
INTERESTED IN TRAVEL? Contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.
ALICE SPRINGS
The Red Centre’s major settlement – Alice Springs is home to more than 25,000 people living along the streets extending from the Todd River’s typically dry riverbed – is nicknamed the “headquarters of the outback” and a holiday destination offering numerous opportunities for exploration and adventure.
Start the day by floating over the parched landscape in a hot-air balloon and finish with a sunset camel safari, walk a section of the Larapinta Trail, tour the Royal Flying Doctor Service base, visit The Kangaroo Sanctuary, stroll the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, and admire the view from Anzac Hill.
GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings makes traveling simple with A Town Like Alice a Half-Day tour that includes stops at the School of the Air and RFDS headquarters while also promising animal encounters at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre and time to discover the early days of European settlement at the historic Telegraph Station.
INTERESTED IN TRAVEL? Contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.
KINGS CANYON & WATARRKA NATIONAL PARK
Watarrka National Park – home to the famous Kings Canyon – is a three-hour drive from Uluru. The relaxing journey provides the distance for the dry desert and sun-baked rocks. Around Yulara to be replaced by sharp sandstone walls and crevices packed with expansive palm trees.
A trip to the sanctuary at the western end of the George Gill Range must. Include walking and a climb to the canyon’s rim to take in the view of the complex of sun-baked rocks that are reminiscent of an ancient settlement’s ruins and now known as the Lost City.
For those wanting something with a little more shade can walk through the valley below. Where permanent spring-fed waterholes are surrounded by the luscious cycad palms and flourishing eucalypts that create a serene oasis in this arid Central Australian wilderness.
If Watarrka National Park sounds like something you would like, GrownUps Holidays travel partner AAT Kings offers the Kings Canyon Scenic Climb. This half-day tour departing Kings Canyon Resort extends the opportunity to complete the three-hour circuit of the valley. Or a more relaxed amble across the gorge floor that’s hosted by the excursion’s expert driver/guide.
For more information on AAT Kings and to order yourself a FREE brochure contact GrownUps Holidays on 0800 842 685 or email grownups@ttc.com.