Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is one of Australia’s most wild and most unique states and once you visit, you will want to go back again and again.
It’s worth visiting for two primary reasons – incredible National Parks (with beautiful scenery and iconic wildlife) and the chance to experience First Nations Aboriginal Cultures on guided tours and activities in the regions you visit.
Darwin is a fun laid-back city with both a backpacker party culture and plenty of award-winning restaurants. If you are on a short break, it is possible to day trip to Litchfield and/or a day trip to do a crocodile spotting cruise easily, while Kakadu and Nitmiluk National Parks are better visited for at least one night (the more the better) to have more time to explore the parks.
Alice Springs is the heart of the red centre as far as services go and it has some really amazing local museums such as the Womens Museum of Australia, Flying Doctors as well as the Desert Park which is a great place to learn about wildlife and ecosystems to watch out for before venturing out into National Parks.
For non-Indigenous Australians, visiting the Northern Territory is also a chance to reflect on the history of Australia and listen and learn about First Nations Cultures.
Popular Things to do in the Northern Territory
Popular things to do and places to visit in the Northern Territory include:
- Darwin (airport gateway to exploring the Top End of the NT)
- Alice Springs (you can fly here as a base for the red centre or straight to Uluru if that’s your only destination for a trip)
- Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park (a World Heritage Area)
- Watarkka National Park
- Kakadu National Park
- Litchfield National Park
- Nitmiluk National Park
- Mindil Beach Markets in Darwin dry season
- Arnhem Land for remote adventures
Regions to Visit in the Northern Territory
National Parks, Bushwalks & Wildlife in the Northern Territory
The NT has a huge range of parks, from bitumen accessible to remote and 4wd only and everything in between. This is a snapshot of some of the most popular national parks but this is just the tip of the Iceberg.
Kakadu National Park
Australias biggest land National Park (nearly 20,000km’s), the huge Kakadu National Park is a wild place where you can cruise to spot crocodiles, 1.3 metre high birds and tiny birds that look like they walk on water. Bush walk to see waterfalls, incredible rock art documenting one of the longest continues cultures on earth as well as interesting landscapes and ecosystems (as long as you leave the main road).
Litchfield
The favourite of many visitors to the top end of the Northern Territory, Litchfield National Park is popular for its waterfalls, dry season swimming areas (after crocodile removal and and only in areas NT Parks designates are low risk crocodile areas) and huge termite mounds.
Nitmiluk National Park
Nitmiluk is a stunning and dramatic National Park and home to the famous Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. It’s great for all fitness levels as those with less mobility can still see beautiful scenery on a Gorge Cruise while bushwalkers can do walks in length all the way up to multi-day overnight hikes.
