Northern Territory Australia

The Northern Territory comprises one sixth of Australia’s total land mass, and is Australia’s most sparsely populated state.
However it can lay claim to being the home of the country’s most significant natural features.

This is a state rich in natural attractions and the culture of Indigenous Australians.
The Northern Territory with its deep red interior is regarding by many as being the genuine Australian outback and as home to Uluru (Ayers Rock) it is the most important state for large numbers of visitors.

There are two distinct geographical regions that make up the state – the Top End, which includes its capital city Darwin, and Central Australia, which is home to Uluru and Alice Springs.

The Top End features low coastal beaches and mudflats flanked by thick mangrove plantations. This is tropical territory and there are only two climatic seasons up here – wet and dry.

During the wet, from November to March, there can be true tropical conditions with high temperatures and massive amounts of rain. Some parts of the region experience annual rainfall totals of 1500mm!

Once the wet season passes the Top End experiences sublime weather with balmy temperatures and little if any rainfall.

The weather in Central Australia is largely predictable with little rainfall, warm summer temperatures in excess of 40C and in winter clear days giving way to cold nighttime temperatures.

Darwin as the service centre for the Top End is a vibrant city with a cultural diversity that surprises many visitors. Darwin is the closest Australian city to Asia and its airport handles many international flights on Asian routes.
Darwin is a modern city, much of it rebuilt as a result of the destruction wreaked by Cyclone Tracy, which tore through the city on Christmas Day, 1974, destroying 5,000 homes and other buildings.

Many visitors use Darwin as the gateway to the Kakadu National Park, one of the world’s largest national parks and a World Heritage listed park.
Kakadu consists of around 20,000 square kilometers of widely contrasting landscapes, with a huge array of wildlife and some of the finest examples of Indigenous rock art.

Many parts of Kakadu are only accessible by four wheel drive vehicles, and during the wet season many parts of the park are closed to all visitors.
Kakadu is a great place to see crocodiles, but visitors should be aware of the very real dangers that these creatures pose.

There are two types of crocodiles in the Northern Territory – saltwater and freshwater – and both are found in the many waterholes and waterways in the park.

Park rangers warn against swimming in the park and go so far as to warn against wading or dangling your feet in areas where crocodiles might be present.
Uluru is one of the world’s largest monoliths and is of great symbolic importance to many Australians.

Standing 340 metres above the desert and circled by a 9 kilometre track, Uluru is the focal point of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

Uluru is 450 kilometres from Alice Springs, so it is an extremely remote part of Australia. However the stunning views of Uluru – especially at sunrise and sunset – make the difficulty in getting to this special part of Australia worthwhile.