If you want to tick some experiences off your bucket list, the Northern Territory is definitely the place to go! Experience one-of-a-kind dining experiences at Uluru in the Red Centre or fly over some of the best waterfalls in Australia. Or why not face your fears in the Cage of Death at Crocosaurus Cove - the only place in Australia where you can swim with a crocodile!
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Dine with a view of Uluru
The Red Centre provides many opportunities to dine under a starry night sky with Uluru providing a stunning backdrop. When night falls, the desert is transformed into an altogether different place. Experience the Red Centre under the cover of darkness with one of the desert dinners organised by Ayers Rock Resort. With the Outback night sky as its canopy, the Sounds of Silence dinner starts with sunset drinks on a viewing platform overlooking Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park followed by a buffet dinner.
Swim with the crocs
Crocosaurus Cove, situated right in the heart of Darwin, does things a little differently to your average zoo. This is no regular crocodile park. You can go fishing for crocodiles, swim with the "salties", hold a baby croc or watch the big fellas at feeding time. Here you’ll enjoy 360 degree viewing of some of the largest Saltwater crocodiles plus plenty of smaller creatures to captivate you including reptiles and fish as well as a variety of animal-based shows throughout the day to keep you entertained.
The Cage of Death at Crocosaurus Cove is submerged underwater in a crocodile enclosure, allowing you to get up close and personal with your new scaly pal in a safe environment. For those after an adrenaline-pumping experience, the Cage of Death is the way to go as you’re lowered into the same enclosure as some of the largest Saltwater crocodiles on the planet for a unique fifteen minute, face to face encounter!
Visit some of Australia's oldest art sites
See for yourself why Kakadu's rock art is world class and one of the reasons for its dual World Heritage status. Visit Kakadu’s rock art galleries at Ubirr, Nourlangie and Nanguluwur and see their fascinating record of Aboriginal life over thousands of years. You’ll see images of animals, Dreamtime figures, traditional x-ray art and paintings of early contact with European people. Some paintings are 20,000 years old. Join some of the free activities throughout Kakadu, including daily art site talks, walks, cultural activities and night-time slide shows. They also offer cultural and wildlife tours for those who want to learn more about the area.
Immerse yourself in Aboriginal culture
There are boundless opportunities in the Northern Territory with which to truly experience and learn about Aboriginal culture. Bawaka, located in North East Arnhem Land, provides the backdrop to many cultural experiences, an area providing spectacular beaches and natural sites that will take your breath away.
In Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land areas, embark on unique and exclusive experiences including the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise, Guluyambi Wet Season Cultural Cruise, Magela Creek System and One-Day Arnhemlander Cultural and Heritage Tour. Spend your time guided around the NT's natural landscape by Aboriginal guides who provide interesting insights into their culture, the river’s abundant food chain, traditional uses for many plants and animals as well as bush survival skills.
In the Katherine region the Top Didj Cultural Experiences and Art Gallery gives the opportunity to take part in a more hands-on experience to gain an in-depth understanding of Aboriginal art and culture. Here you will learn how to paint using traditional techniques (and get to keep your artwork as a souvenir), learn to make fire with sticks, and test your physical abilities as you learn to throw a spear and woomera. You will also hear local Aboriginal artists tell their story and showcase their traditional activities as you learn about their local culture and way of life. Located in a peaceful bush setting just minutes from the town centre, the experience immerses you in the rich culture of the region.
Swim under incredible waterfalls
What better way to spend a sunny day in the Territory than frolicking under a waterfall? Wangi Falls is the best-known and most popular attraction in Litchfield National Park - a park renowned for its accessible and pristine natural beauty. Enjoy the cool waters of the plunge pool surrounded by lush rainforest then make your way to the falls for a refreshing drenching of water. There are also various walking tracks, including a three kilometre track that takes you up over the falls and back to the car park, as well as a kiosk and picnic facilities.
Located in Litchfield National Park, the spectacular Florence Falls cascade into a plunge pool, set in a paradise pocket of monsoon forest. Take a refreshing dip in the crystal clear waters of the pool and swim right up under the gushing falls, then enjoy a scenic walk to the viewing platform high above the falls for panoramic views of the open valley and the waterhole below. Take a walk from the car park to the lookout for a great view of the gorge and excellent views of Florence Falls. Don't forget to take in the interesting contrast between the wet monsoon forest and the dry sandstone plateau.
Find yourself mesmerised by the Field of Light
No trip to the Red Centre is complete without a visit to this must-see light installation. As night falls, and Uluru is thrown into silhouette, it’s the Field of Light’s time to shine. The internationally famed light installation, aptly named Tili Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku (Looking at Lots of Beautiful Lights), is overwhelming in size and spans more than seven football fields.
Immersing you in a fantasy garden, the installation is made up of 50,000 spindles of light whose stems sway through a desert-influenced spectrum of colour. Now a global phenomenon by internationally acclaimed artist Bruce Munro, the Field of Light has come ‘home’ to the place that inspired it - Uluru.
Fly over some of Australia's most impressive waterfalls
Nothing compares to a chopper ride or scenic flight over Kakadu National Park to see the gushing Jim Jim and Twin Falls and experience their beauty from a new perspective. An aerial view provides one of the best ways to witness the immense power of these falls, especially in the Tropical Summer when Litchfield National Parks raging waterfalls are their most impressive. There is so much water cascading down the falls, and these Tropical Summer sights make for enviable Facebook and Instagram snaps! A bonus is that on these flights you'll get to experience the overwhelming beauty of the NT's vast landscape while also trying to spot the active local wildlife that are out and about.
Attend some of the most unique festivals and events in Australia
Established in 1974, the Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta at Darwin's Mindil Beach is probably one of the most authentically Aussie events in the country. Set on Mindil Beach, just in front of the iconic Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, the regatta sees groups of competitors building, racing and battling each other in boats which are, of course, made out of beer cans, with sometimes disastrously humorous results. Alongside the day's main event are sandcastle competitions, running races, thong throwing competitions, kayaking races, team events, a bar for the adults and a beer can boat race on the sand.
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival has been delighting both tourists and locals alike since 1997 and began as a simple beanie party. From here it grew (thanks to its dedicated volunteers, otherwise known as beanie-ologists) to become a mainstay event on the Northern Territory calendar, drawing crowds from all around Australia. The festival began as a way to sell beanies crocheted by Aboriginal women in remote communities and is now a unique event where both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists can showcase their work while developing Aboriginal women’s textiles, promoting women's culture and the beanie as a regional art form, as well as promoting handmade textile arts.
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Cool off in world-class swimming holes
The Northern Territory has some of the most luscious and refreshing water holes you can find in Australia! Breaking up the truly Aussie desert landscape is a range of beautiful, oasis-like watering holes that are ready to give you a break from the midday heat. Buley Rockhole, located in Litchfield National Park, is one of the NT's most popular spots for both tourists and locals alike as it's only a 90 minute commute from Darwin making it perfect for a day trip or weekend spot.
The Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges near Alice Springs provide a great range of swimming spots to escape the outback heat. Swim in the ranges’ pretty waterholes at Glen Helen Gorge, Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge or Redbank Gorge. Explore the desert country and its escarpments, such as Standley Chasm, whose walls glow bright red at noon and Simpsons Gap, home to a colony of rock wallabies. Make it a day trip or pack a tent and camp at one of the many campsites.
Tackle one of the world's best treks
Ranked as one of the planet's top 20 treks, the Larapinta Trail is a 223 kilometre path that follows the rocky spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs Telegraph Station to Mount Sonder. Challenge yourself to hike the whole trail or tackle one of its 12 sections, all of which vary in difficulty and length. Each section can be reached by four-wheel drive, so you can join or leave the trail at any of the trailheads.
The Trail encompasses some of the key attractions of the ranges including Simpsons Gap, and the permanent waterholes at Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen. It weaves past some of the world's most ancient metamorphic and igneous rock and nearly 600 species of rare flora. The Trail also links in with other walking tracks within the West MacDonnell National Park, allowing side trips to explore more of the Park.
Click here for our holidays including the beautiful Northern Territory or contact Holidays of Australia & the World on 1300 854 897 or holidays@holidaysofaustralia.com.au for more.
Image credit: Tourism NT - Peter Eve, Shaana McNaught, Paddy Palin
