NT

The Red Centre’s untouched rugged range MacDonnell Ranges, NT Stretching almost 650 kilometres through the Red Centre, the MacDonnell Ranges has spectacular gorges, namely Redbank Gorge.

In the rivers, billabongs and waterholes of the Top End there is pretty much one simple rule: don’t swim unless you want to become a crocodile snack. Thankfully, the waterfalls and river pools of Litchfield National Park are the exception to this. Here, there are several major freshwater swimming holes fed by beautiful waterfalls, most of which are open for swimming and almost all accessible by conventional 2WD vehicles. You can visit all of the most spectacular ones on a day drive from Darwin.    The first thing you’ll see when you enter the park is a large group of...

Each issue Australian Traveller captures a stunning Aussie location. This time, we look at Gunlom Falls Top Pool, in the south of Kakadu National Park, NT. While everyone in the country’s south is rugging up in winter woollens and cuddling hot water bottles, sunshine and blue skies are dominating the Top End during its dry season. Temperate weather makes it an ideal time to see some of the outback’s most beautiful places, like the one pictured – Gunlom Falls Top Pool, in the south of Kakadu National Park, NT. This natural plunge pool is located at the top of a waterfall: between the...

AT reader Jansen Spencer heads to the NT and finds a moment of absolute bliss at Buley Rockhole  We land in Darwin at 6.15am, after a very comfortable flight from freezing-cold Melbourne, excited and eagerly awaiting the last state or territory in Australia I am yet to visit. With my father Paul and brother Kristian, we find our way to the Avis desk, sign a few forms and are on our way. There is a mighty whoosh as we walk though the door and into the car park. Even at 6.50am, the temperature already feels like 30 degrees on our fragile,...

Where is it? Off Namatjira Drive, 135km west of Alice Springs in West MacDonnell National Park  How to see it for yourself? This shot of Ormiston Gorge was taken from the banks of the creek, a very short walk from the car park. The visitor centre is about 8km from the Ormiston Gorge turn-off on Namatjira Drive, and although roads are sealed, they can become impassable after heavy rain. However, the best way to see the gorge is to walk one of the many trails available, ranging from the five minute Waterhole Walk, which has wheelchair access to the end of the paved path, to the Ormiston Pound Walk, which takes up to...

Where is it? On Swim Creek Station on the edge of the Mary River floodplains, 250km east of Darwin, near the boundary of Kakadu National Park  How to see it for yourself? The view pictured was taken just out the front of Bamurru Plains Lodge. The Mary River Floodplains extend towards the coastline, which is just beyond the trees in the background. Visitors can self-drive there but the property is a working buffalo station, so you’ll have to leave your vehicle at the entrance, and get picked up by staff for the remaining 20-minute drive to camp. One of the most exhilarating ways to see the wetlands is on an airboat tour,...

Where is it? Just off the Stuart Highway,  near Davenport, 395km north of Alice Springs and 760km south of Katherine  How to see it for yourself? Known as Karlu Karlu and a sacred site to the traditional Aborginal owners, the Devils Marbles can be explored on foot after a short drive off the  highway. There is a 15-minute self-guided walk commencing at the car park, as well as a network of other tracks. During the cooler months, guided walks and talks are available – contact the Tennant Creek Visitor Information Centre for details. Why I love it “As a strange collection of boulders strewn across a spinifex valley in imposing,...

Where is it?  106km south-west of Borroloola, Cape Crawford How to see it for yourself? Jump on a helicopter with Cape Crawford Tours at the air base opposite Heartbreak Hotel then fly to these ancient sandstone columns. Why I love it “Going from flat land to 25m-high natural skyscrapers is an experience you don’t expect. It feels like there’s a history here that we will never really know about.” – Nelson Hall, Tourism NT Image by Tourism NT...

 If you’re in search of a “real” outback experience, you can’t get much more authentic than Mount Borradaile. It’s a safari camp run by Max Davidson, who came to Arnhem Land in search of buffalo and instead found a strong affinity with the land and its traditional owners. Words and images by Ewen Bell It’s a 350km drive from Darwin to Mount Borradaile, but most arrivals here are by light aircraft. A dirt strip has been hacked out of the scrub; a dusty red runway lined by a dozen species of flowering trees. Frogs and snakes loiter in the foliage, usually...

Elisabeth Knowles visits Wildman Wilderness Lodge in the lead-up to the wet season, and finds a beautiful green landscape with plentiful native wildlife. It’s mid-afternoon and I am sitting on my balcony watching two wallaroos engaged in battle. Sized midway between a kangaroo and a wallaby, these muscle-flexing macropods do indeed look like cartoon boxers – but not the red-leather-gloved kind. These two are more your bare-knuckled, Muay Thai-style kickboxing type of guys. Heads up, chins raised, the two fighters come at each other in a tangle of forearms, locking together and stumbling across the ground until one suddenly kicks...

Amy Kimber from Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) Research, explains why we need to step up and protect the waterways in Australia's Top End. Most people who have travelled to northern Australia will agree that the lush vegetation and extraordinary wildlife of the wet-dry tropics are a highlight among the country’s stunning natural landscapes. With the largest intact savanna ecosystem and greatest concentration of free-flowing rivers in the world, it’s not surprising that northern Australia contains more than half the continent’s rich biodiversity. The region’s inland tapestry of aquatic habitats is home to a host of species including freshwater...

Ayers Rock Resort will undergo a $50 million refurbishment and expansion project to cement the region as a repeat destination. By Victoria Dalzell Over the next five years Ayers Rock Resort will undergo a up $50 million refurbishment to boost tourism and transform Uluru into a repeat holiday destination for both domestic and international travellers. The first stage of the project began in May 2011 when the resort was bought by the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) who appointed Accor to run and manage it. The resort currently encompasses several accommodation facilities ranging from luxury resorts and lodges to campground amenities,...

Darwin listed in top ten cities to see in 2012 across the globe...and Australian Traveller reveals why. By Victoria Dalzell Yesterday Lonely Planet released their best travel destinations for 2012, revealing Darwin capital of the Northern Territory in their top 10 cities across the globe.  The team at Australian Traveller Magazine couldn’t agree more with this choice. Darwin is one of Australia’s best kept hidden treasures that always promises’ adventure, excitement and surprise. Its attractions and sheer natural beauty are unlike any other place in Australia. Once a forgotten Australian city, Darwin is home to a variety of attractions to...