Northern Territory

NORTHERN TERRITORY

An exceptional contrast from the deserts of the red centre to the tropical northern monsoon coast and the boab studded plains and red ranges of the Eastern Kimberleys.

 We have travelled the full length of the Stuart Highway and across the Kimberleys on the Victoria Highway a number of times with a few diversions along the way. We have also travelled from Queensland on the Barkly Highway to join the Stuart Highway at the Three Ways.

 As you travel north along the Stuart Highway from South Australia the Erldunda Road House is a welcome stop for the weary desert traveller. Erldunda is also the intersection of the Lasseter Highway heading west to Yulara. The term ‘Red Centre’ is very obvious as you head towards Yulara and a good free camp at Curtin Springs may be useful to break up the drive.

 Yulara Caravan Park is the base to settle in for a few days and travel into the National Park to visit Uluru and Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). There are some fantastic spots to sit and watch the setting sun shine on Uluru but you can also watch from a distance in the caravan park with a stubbie or a wine in hand. This is also the eastern start of the Great Central Highway which goes to Leinster in W.A. Also do not bypass Kings Canyon with the turn off to the north as you travel along the Lasseter Highway.

Alice Springs for us is the inland capital of Australia. There are a number of caravan parks to choose from with plenty of service and commercial facilities around the city for most needs you may have. The Lasseters Casino is also good for a meal or while away an hour or so. As well as numerous tourist attractions within the city there are many chasms and gorges in the MacDonnell Ranges with short walks well worth a visit. If you wish to experience the West MacDonnell Ranges including various gorges close at hand places such as Glen Helen are a great place for a few days stop over.

 As you travel further north from Alice Springs there are a number of small towns natural features to stop for a photo or an overnight stop. Places such as the Devils Marbles are a must for a photo if not an overnight stop. You will also pass the Three Ways which is the turn off for the Barkley Highway heading to QLD.

 If you want a fantastic evening meal with great bush entertainment where you will have one of the best laughs for a long time the Daily Waters Pub is certainly a must. A little out of the ordinary but you will leave with a smile on your face.

 Mataranka is the place to stop for a refreshing drift down the hot springs and wash out some of that red dust. It was also the home of Geannie Gunn who wrote about her early pioneering life at Mataranka in the book ‘We Of The Never Never’ which was also made into a movie. Also do not forget to try a Mataranka Pie.

 Katherine is a busy town and a good place to replenish your supplies. Road traffic of all types, especially in the dry season, is normally very heavy through Katherine as the Stuart Highway passes through town as well as the turn off for the Victoria Highway heading across to the Kimberleys and the turn off to the close by Katherine Gorge. The main attraction is the Katherine Gorge and when you see it for the first time it really does look like all the post cards you have previously seen. Most take a cruise through the gorge but if you are like us and have your own kayaks, they can also be hired at the gorge, it is one of the best paddles you will do.

 We do visit some cemeteries as they can be a good place to learn about the history of the local area. If you do not normally visit cemeteries the Adelaide River WWII Cemetery is one not to be missed. It will send a chill down your spine when you walk pass the rows of headstones in a pristine serine setting including the military and civilian people killed during the bombings of Darwin.

 When we first visited Darwin we were amazed with the information and details that we never knew about the WWII bombings and how many N.T. and W.A. towns were bombed. To hear that almost twice as many bombs were dropped in the first and one of many raids on Darwin as were dropped on Pearl Harbour by the same fleet that raided Pearl Harbour was a bit of a shock to us. We have also visited Pearl Harbour and this made the experience even more meaningful.

 The ‘new’ Darwin after Cyclone Tracy is now a vibrant city with a long list of tourist attractions in and around the city. The city for us has changed significantly in the past few years and has become a more modern city. If you are lucky to be in Darwin for the anniversary of the bombing of Darwin or Anzac Day you will be treated to some fantastic displays.

 The Kakadu National Park has a wealth of aboriginal history as well as some good river cruises to get up close and not too personal with some of the local wildlife including the many local crocodiles. The beautiful swimming pool at the Jabiru caravan Park is the place to cool down of an afternoon especially around happy hour. We also enjoy a stop at Corroboree on the drive to Jabiru for a river cruise or a mornings barra fishing.

 One of our favourite locations in the N.T. has to be the Litchfield National Park. We base ourselves at the Litchfield Caravan Park as it only a short drive to the very scenic National Park past the magnetic termite mounds and to the magnificent waterfalls. A cool dip in one of the pools at Buley Rockhole or at the Wangi Falls on a warm N.T. day with a picnic lunch is hard to beat.

 The drive across the Victoria Highway from Katherine towards W.A., the Kimberleys and Kununurra for us is one of the best drives in Australia. To drive along beside the magnificent red cliffs, through the canyons and the plains studded with boab trees, occasionally stopping at the various monuments to the early pioneers or at a lookout for the odd photo, is simply out of this world. There are a number of good free camps for overnight stops or at the Victoria River Road House caravan park. If the red cliffs and canyons on sunset or sunrise, sitting in a grove of boab trees at happy hour or catching a barra in the Victoria River for dinner does not appeal to you then you must be difficult to please.

 There are many fishing spots and places of interest to visit in the N.T. with most people being amazed when they visit for the first time. It is a long way from the most populated localities in Australia but well worth the effort of getting there.