Places I Want to Visit in the Northern Territory of Australia

The Northern Territory of Australia is known to be the real Australia. It is mostly occupied by beautiful dessert landscapes and 2 astonishing rock formations which are sacred to the Aboriginal people from there. Just a heads up I advise visiting in between May - October so you can experience it better and it is best to have 4WD. You don’t have to have 4WD to get to all the places but there are some that you can’t get there without it.

Darwin

Darwin was named after the Naturalist Charles Darwin for his expedition on the Beagle. He stopped in Australia from January-March of 1836. You can go to the Northern Territory Library and learn about the Story of Darwin during WWII.

You can also visit Aquascene and visit both the Darwin Military Museum and the Darwin Aviation Museum. There is even a Botanical Garden named George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens you can visit that has amazing selections of tropical plants and over 400 species of palms.

During the winter months they have a market that is buzzing with people on Mindil Beach that would be cool to visit. They also have great food to try as you walk through the market so I would advise you to try something new.

The Waterfront Precinct is a good place for dining and entertainment. Near the Waterfront is the Deckchair Cinema which is an outdoor movie theater. I used to go to the drive in when I was little and see movies with my family so that would be fun to visit.

You can also go to Crocosauras Cove where you get up close and personal with different exhibits. They have reptile exhibit, turtle exhibit, and a saltwater croc in a viewing cage.

National Parks

There are many national parks to visit so I wanted to make it its own category because let me tell you, you can’t go to the Northern Territory and not visit their national parks.

Kakadu National Park

It stretches about 8000 square miles (not exact) making it one of the largest national parks in all of Australia. There are 5 waterfalls in this national park. There is

· Gunlom Falls

o This one is not open right now so keep that in mind

· Jim Jim Falls

o About 70 miles away from the main part of the park

o Has a 200-foot waterfall

o Need a 4WD to access

o Has a campground called Jim Jim Billabong campground

· Mauk

o Has a beautiful waterfall that lands in a beautiful natural pool

o Must do the Maguk walk to get to it

o Need 4WD to access

· Motor Car Falls

o Surrounded by monsoon rainforest, known as a hidden gem

o Around a 4.6 mile (7.5 kms) to the waterfall on the Yurmikmik Walks

o You can also stop and see Boulder Creek, Yurmikmik lookout, and Kurrundie Falls on the Yurmikmik Walks

· Twin Falls Gorge

o 150-foot waterfall

o Has an idyllic pool with a sandy beach but it takes some hard work and willpower to get there

You can also see rock art galleries when you visit Ubirr and Nourlangie. You can learn about the culture of the Aboriginal people, see their stories told, learn about the different types of rock art, and learn how they made the paints used for the art.

Litchfield National Park

Covers about 1,500 km and have many waterfalls to discover

· Florence Falls

o Can swim in a couple different areas

o Has a 2WD and a 4WD camp site

o Florence falls walking distance is around 30 minutes

o Florence creek walk can take up to 1.5 hours

· Tolmer Falls

o About a 45-minute walk

o Get some amazing pictures and views but swimming is not allowed

o Camping is also not allowed at this sight

· Wangi Falls

o One of the most popular swimming holes

o Has a café

o Has camping access for all vehicles

o The walk is about 1 hour long, and you can’t swim above the falls

· Tjaynera (Sandy Creek) Falls

o Walk can take about 1.5 hours to get to the swimming hole

o Has a campground

o Needs 4WD

· Buley Rockhole

o Walk is about 1.5-hour walk

o Has natural flowing water streams

o It is not easy to access the water

o Has a picnic area

Basically, if you are a person who loves the water like me, this is the place to go. There are a couple of other places you can hike and visit but if you want to experience everything, I advise getting 4WD. A little tip I want to give is make you campground reservations online beforehand because that’s how they do it.

Nitmiluk National Park and Kathrine

You can visit both the Nitmiluk Gorge, and Edith falls when you visit Nitmiluk National Park. They are phenomenal places I hope to visit.

At Nitmiluk Gorge you can canoe and camp there, take a boat tour, fish, swim in many different areas and do a couple of walks. It has 13 gorges you can visit and experience.

Edith Falls has campgrounds you can stay on, and it is only a short walk from the carpark, but it is advised to be careful. You can only swim in certain areas, and I would say check for crocs before you get in the water. They give great accommodations but keep in mind like I said earlier book your campsite online.

Kathrine has many thinks you can do and one that sounds interesting to me is a hot spring. I have never been to one, but I have always wanted to. There are also 2 other National parks you can visit

· Elsey National Park

· Judbarra/Gregory National Park

It would also be fun to visit the small town of Mataranka. While I was doing research on Australia and all the place I wanted to visit in the Northern Territory, I found this town and Elsey National Park was made famous by a book called “We of the Never Never.” As a book lover I might have to pick the book up and read it before I visit.

Katherine is the third largest town int the Northern Territory, so they have so many other sights to see. If you love caves go visit the Cutta Cutta Caves nature park. They also have an outback show and horse riding if you’re interested by that type of thing.

Uluru (Ayers Rock)

It is one of the most popular tourist sites in all of Australia and there is a reason for that. Uluru is a big rock formation taller than the Eiffel Tower. It is formed from sandstone and gets its reddish color from the iron minerals in the rock.

There are 6 walking trails you can take but the main one I would want to take is the Uluru base walk. The Uluru base walk is about a 3.5 hour long walk that combines most of the walking trails.

The four main trails around the rock are Mala Walk, North-east face walk, Kuniya walk to Mutitjulu Waterhole, and Lungkata walk. At the end of your base walk you can do the Liru walk that is connected to the Mala walk but technically not part of the base walk.

Like some of the other parks in the Northern Territory they have rock art you can see and admire. A lot of the places in this area of the country have a lot of cultural and religious significance so please be respectful of the sacred space.

If you want a guided tour, you can do one on the Mala walk and learn more about the culture, nature, and the geology of the park.

Tips: I honestly would do is as early as possible specially to see the beautiful sunset that cascades over Uluru. They even have a couple designated Sunset viewing areas so I would definingly check when sunset is. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!! I know some of you need to hear this in your day to day like but please take care of yourself.

Kata Tjuta (The Oglas)

This is another rock formation sight known for its dome like shaped rocks and pretty color. It is also considered a sacred sight to the Aboriginal people. There are a total of 36 dome shaped rocks apart of The Oglas. It is even taller than Uluru which is crazy to think about.

There are 2 walking trails that you can take to experience the place, you can walk the Walpa Gorge walk, or the Valley of the Winds walk.

The Walpa Gorge walk takes about 1 hour to complete and while you walk you can admire the color changing surface if you get there early to see the light change on the rocks. They have sunset viewing areas where you can sit and watch the beautiful view. Please be very respectful when you go to these places.

Now the Valley of the Winds walk all together takes about 4 hours to complete and can be difficult at time so I wouldn’t recommend doing it if you aren’t up for a challenge. It takes you deep into the rock formation with steep spots so be careful.

One thing I feel I need to mention is not taking pictures of the rock formation while on this walk. Please respect the wishes of the Aboriginal people and their culture.

Alice Springs

There is so much to so in this town. You can ride a camel, browse the market, go swimming in the

swimming holes, meet wildlife, and so much more. You can also ride in a hot air balloon over Alice Springs, and I have always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon.

If you ever want to catch a festival as well, I highly recommend researching the different festivals that happen in the place or town you go to. Festivals are honestly just a fun way of meeting new people, doing meaningful things with the family, and learning new things as you go along.

Alice Springs also has a kangaroo sanctuary where you can hold a kangaroo which I think is cute. I love kangaroos, I have ever since I was little because I loved Winne the Pooh (I still do as an adult) but Kang and Roo’s characters have always held a special place in my heart.

Honestly throughout all these blog post that I write I just want you all to know to please do your own research if you want to go to a different country. Looking at a blog post is a good start and a good idea to get in your head places you can visit but really do your research.

Things can change drastically even in just a few days. Some places I write about wanting to visit now may not be available or around so keep that in mind. Please also make sure you book things in advance it will save you a lot of trouble.