The Northern Territory spans an area of 1.4 million square kilometres. It’s bigger than New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania combined. Even by international standards, it’s an enormous expanse—the NT is larger than countries like Turkey, France, Egypt and Great Britain. Heck, it’s even bigger than Texas.

But size isn’t all the NT has going for it. From its wide-open red desert landscapes and epic star-filled night skies to the profusion of native wildlife and ancient Indigenous culture, the NT is like nowhere else on Earth.

Keen road trippers will be familiar with the saying, “getting there is half the fun.” When it comes to the NT, hiring a car on arrival is recommended so that you can devote as much time as possible to exploring the region by road.

With Tourism NT offering up to 20% off NT road trips, plus discounts on a range of other adventure experiences, now’s the time to tick “NT road trip” off your bucket list.

Alice Springs to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park: waterholes, red rocks and freedom

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Uluru is a magical place. Perhaps this seems like a truism, but travel documentaries and aerial photographs will never do the monolithic red rock justice. At its peak, Uluru is 348 metres above the ground. At sunrise and sunset, the rock takes on a dazzling red glow. Uluru sits on Pitjantjatjara country and the local people, the Aṉangu, regard it as a place where earth and memories exist as one. In other words, there are some serious vibrations in the Uluru region.

An ideal way to experience Uluru and surrounds is by hopping in a car at Alice Springs and taking the loop road into the Red Centre. This road trip is best conducted over the course of five or more days. Moving at a leisurely pace will not only allow you to soak up the sublime majesty of Uluru and the equally stunning Kata Tjuṯa (40km west of Uluru), but also to visit the many waterholes of the Tjoritja/West MacDonnell Ranges and take a walk along the red rock cliffs of Kings Canyon (about a three hour drive from Uluru). 

Visit gorges, falls, and go camping in the Katherine region

Located three hours southeast of Darwin, Katherine is one of the Territory’s biggest municipalities outside the capital. It’s a diverse area, with approximately 25 per cent of its six thousand residents being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. There’s also a decent Filipino contingent, as well as plenty of day trippers and rovers from all over Australia and New Zealand. 

Katherine itself is worth a visit, but more significantly for road trippers, there are loads of nature-based activities within driving distance. Nitmiluk National Park, home to the magnificent Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, is a 30km drive north-east of Katherine town centre. Nitmiluk National Park consists of 13 gorges situated amid ancient sandstone. Images of Nitmiluk Gorge have successfully been luring overseas tourists to Australia for decades.

Katherine’s a 60km drive from Leliyn (Edith Falls), an ideal camping spot that offers swimming, walks (including the 62km Jatbula Trail, which connects Leliyn to Nitmiluk), and a well-stocked kiosk to satiate travellers after a long drive. 

From tropical, cosmopolitan Darwin to the bird-filled savannahs of Kakadu

The easiest way to get to the NT is by flying into Darwin. And while Darwin is more than capable of delivering a satisfying holiday, it’s an apt lift-off point for some great drives. After sampling some of Darwin’s outdoor dining options during the tropical summertime or enjoying the hot winter nights in Darwin Festival’s Festival Park, hop in the car and head along the Arnhem Highway in the direction of Kakadu National Park (170kms east of the city).

The drive through Kakadu takes you past wetlands filled with lily pads and bird life. Kakadu has been deemed an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International and its savannahs are home to such rare species as the brilliantly colourful Gouldian finch and the Red Goshawk, thought to be Australia’s rarest bird of prey. 

Kakadu is also home to the Aboriginal rock art galleries, Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). The World Heritage-listed rock art at Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) offers a glimpse of how life used to be for the Bininj people of western Arnhem Land. The art at Ubirr includes prominent examples of x-ray painting and paintings of the Narmarrkan Sisters and Rainbow Serpent.

The possibilities are endless

We’ve barely even scratched the surface. 100km south-west of Darwin is Litchfield National Park, where you’ll find swimming holes at Florence and Wangi Falls and manicured lawns and shady picnic areas at Berry Springs Nature Park. For the more adventurous, Explorers Way takes you all the way from Adelaide to Darwin (and back again), allowing you to feel the adrenalin rush of the open road while passing through outback towns, cruising past the sacred Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles boulders) and taking in the astronomical expanse while camping out under the stars. 

Perhaps the best thing about an NT road trip is that it’s near impossible to get wrong. No matter what direction you travel, it’s certain to be distinct from any other road trip you’ve taken.

Tourism NT are offering up to 20% off NT road trips, plus discounts on a range of other adventure experiences.

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