Uluru has long staked its claim as one of Australia’s most iconic places to visit, but it recently gained another title that sets it apart from the rest.
Australia’s much-loved Northern Territory icon, Uluru, has been named by travel and luggage experts Bounce as the world’s most beautiful destination to watch a sunset. Uluru is one of Australia’s most culturally significant and beautiful destinations.
Scoring top marks for its sunset scenes, with a score of 9.13 out of 10, Uluru was mentioned in 19,284 sunset Instagram posts and 10,276 sunrise Instagram posts, highlighting its natural beauty. Light pollution at Uluru is also low, at 0.973 μcd/m2, making it the perfect stargazing spot.
Uluru is a magnificent site to behold from any angle at any time. (Image: Emily Murphy)
Located in the heart of the Red Centre on Anangu land, within the stunning Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the enormous sandstone monolith has been sacred to the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people as a living cultural landscape for millennia and attracts more than 250,000 people each year, according to Parks Australia.
Although sunset and sunrise are the money-making times to see Uluru, it’s a magnificent site to behold from any angle at any time. The rock formation cuts its shape through the blue sky with ease; its browns, reds and oranges change hue throughout the day depending on the light.
Uluru has been named the world’s most beautiful destination to watch a sunset. (Image: Anson Smart Photography)
The recent opening of Wintjiri Wiru has attracted new and returning visitors as well. The storytelling experience has been a major calling card for tourists, especially those who want to experience the site through a First Nations lens. The captivating show tells a chapter of the ancestral Mala story using drones, light and sound.
Wintjiri Wiru has attracted new and returning visitors as well.
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Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to check out places like Scotland and North America, her favourite place to explore will always be her homeland.
The Northern Territory is made for road trips, and this one hits all the highlights.
Craggy mountain ranges, inviting waterholes, ochre soil: the landscape of the Northern Territory is asking to be explored by road and foot. There are many iconic road trips to choose from here, but none so all-encompassing than the roughly 3000 kilometres of sealed road that make up Explorer’s Way.
Spend 14 days (or more, to really make the most of it) driving this route from Adelaide, hitting the NT near the small settlement of Kulgera before later finishing in Darwin. Along the way, you’ll find nearly all the territory’s most iconic sights.
Discover some of the top highlights that make Explorer’s Way one of Australia’s most incredible road trips.
1. Alice Springs
See the locals at Alice Springs Desert Park. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT)
Recently hitting the big screen again with the story of The Kanagroo Sanctuary, there’s a lot to surprise you in Alice Springs.
Three distinct desert habitats – desert rivers, sand country and woodland – are recreated over 1300 hectares at Alice Springs Desert Park. Time your visit for a presentation or a free bird show.
Later, turn your attention to the skies above, taking a dive into local astronomy at Earth Sanctuary. You’ll find a range of experiences, from a 90-minute toe-dip into the stars through to an overnight adventure.
Alice Springs packs a surprising punch with its tasty dining options, including pub grub and unique brews at Alice Springs Brewing Co, tapas and pizza at Epilogue Lounge and tasty cafe fare at the quirky Page 27.
2. Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park
Dive into Ormiston Gorge. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ Dom and Jesso)
Beginning 15 minutes from Alice Springs and stretching across 161 kilometres, Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park is packed with striking ancient landscapes and inviting water holes.
Visit Standley Chasm – traditionally known as Angkerle Atwatye, meaning ‘Gap of Water’ – to take in its bold red and orange hues, and to observe the diverse bird species, lizards and wallabies that call it home.
Cool off in one of several picturesque natural swimming holes, like Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge.
3. Uluru & Kata Tjuta
Explore Kata Tjuta. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT)
Visiting the Cultural Heart of Australia is something everybody should experience. There are so many side trips in the Red Centre you could easily spend a week here, but to get the most out of a short time, park the car then get out on foot.
Take the 10-kilometre Base Walk around the entirety of Uluru or join a free, ranger-guided Mala Walk along part of the base, learning about Tjukurpa (creation stories) and geology as you go.
For a change of pace, wait until nightfall and wander through the iconic Field of Light display by celebrated artist Bruce Munro, or see the Wintjiri Wiru lightshow that shares the ancient Mala story using drones, lasers and projections.
4. Tennant Creek
See the ancient granite boulders of Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles). (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ Dom And Jesso)
Tennant Creek was Australia’s third-largest gold mining town in the 1930s, and visitors can discover that history at Battery Hill Mining Centre – and even try their own hand at gold fossicking.
For a completely different side of history, pop into Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre, which preserves and shares Warumungu culture through art, performance, a museum and more.
Just outside town, find the ancient granite boulders of Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles). A site integral to important stories held by the Warumungu, Kaytetye, Warlpiri and Alyawarra peoples, the boulders appear to almost have dropped out of the sky and seemingly continue to defy gravity.
5. Mataranka
Dive into Bitter Springs. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ Ben Savage)
A town made famous by the novel We of the Never Never by Jeannie Gunn (and a movie of the same name), Mataranka is also known for its sandy-bottomed thermal pool, Bitter Springs, within Elsey National Park. Follow a 500-metre loop track around these spring-fed pools that stay a toasty 34°C year-round, before choosing your favourite spot to dive into. Enjoy the local birdlife while you relax.
Elsewhere in the park, find historical sites, several scenic walks and Roper River, which is perfect for boating and fishing.
6. Nitmiluk National Park
Join a sunset cruise with Nabilil Dreaming. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ Lachlan Gardiner)
Nitmiluk National Park is sandstone country, with 13 stunning gorges and plenty of waterfalls waiting to be explored.
One of the most beautiful spots can be found along the 62-kilometre Jatbula Trail, a five-to-six day bushwalk that follows an ancient Jawoyn songline from Nitmiluk Gorge to Leliyn (Edith Falls). Numbers are restricted and book out quickly, so be sure to plan well ahead. Not up for the hike? Drive right up to the falls and enjoy a dip without the challenge.
Elsewhere, explore Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge. Paddle a kayak through the river running through the canyon, or save your energy on a Nabilil Dreaming Sunset Dinner Cruise, discovering the stories and ways of the Jawoyn people while enjoying a candlelit dinner as the cliffs around you shift colour and glow with the changing daylight.
Be awed by giant cathedral termite mounds. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ As We Wander)
Just over an hour’s drive from Darwin lies the beautiful Litchfield National Park. It’s famous for stunning waterfalls and swimming holes, including Buley Rockhole, Wangi Falls, Florence Falls and Tjaynera Falls.
Here you’ll also find hundreds of giant – and magnetic – cathedral termite mounds that are truly a sight to see. Ageing up to 100 years old, you won’t find mounds like these outside the northern parts of Australia. Stroll along the accessible boardwalk to see them up close.
8. Darwin
Darwin art is streets ahead. (Credit: Tourism & Events NT/ Mark Fitzpatrick)
This list wouldn’t be complete without the territory’s capital city: Darwin. Situate yourself upon arrival with a stroll through the main streets, admiring the many art murals by local, interstate and international artists. They’re all remnants of the annual Darwin Street Art Festival, one of Australia’s longest running street art festivals.
Stop to recharge along Darwin’s Waterfront Precinct, an area of delectable restaurants, public swimming pools and free events. And, of course, it would be wrong to leave the city without enjoying a bowl of laksa at Mindil Beach Sunset Market as the sun goes down.
