What to Do in Australia The Aboriginal Art Snake
Twice the size of California Aboriginal Art Snake, and the least populated state in Australia, the Northern Territory is considered to be the real Outback. Of its culturally diverse 200,000 residents, approximately one-third are native Aborigines. It is home to World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, the spectacular Katherine Gorge, and Uluru (Ayers Rock).
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, located on a harbor twice the size of Sydney’s, and surrounded by the sea on three sides. Litchfield National Park and Kakadu National Park are both just a short drive from Darwin. It is a great destination for outdoor lovers!
Some of its highlights of Darwin include
o Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory houses a great display of Aboriginal art, a maritime museum, an exhibit about Cyclone Tracey (the fierce cyclone that devastated Darwin in 1974), and natural history displays. Admission is free! Open year-round, except for major holidays.
Mindil Beach Aboriginal Art Snake is famous in Australia, offering a variety of unique arts and crafts, food, and local indigenous music and art. Located on Mindil Beach, the market has a tropical feel, with beautiful sunsets every night. They are open seasonally from May – October.
Crocodylus Park is home to over one thousand crocodiles
From baby hatchlings to massive adults. The park also includes a comprehensive crocodile museum through which the results of over three decades of crocodile research are extended to the public. Open year-round, except for Christmas day.
Sunset Cruises. Australian Harbor Cruises and Darwin Harbor Cruises both offer relaxing sunset cruises of the Darwin Harbor, departing from Cullen Bay Marina.
Kakadu National Park is located 150 miles east of Darwin. This massive park covers an area of about 11,000 square miles and extends from the coast to the north through sandstone plateaus and wooded savannahs.
Some of the highlights of
The park includes magnificent artwork in rock shelters, plunge pools, and waterfalls. It is also home to a diverse range of animals, including wallabies, Dingo, crocodiles, geckos, frogs, fish, and a wide variety of birdlife.
Litchfield National Park is an easy 1 1/2-hour drive from Darwin and covers approximately 950 square miles. It features waterfalls, magnetic termite mounds, the Tabletop Range, and the sandstone pillars of the Lost City. The park offers many great swimming spots, picnic tables throughout, and camping sites.
Alice Springs, which is surrounded by a dramatic red desert
Is referred to by locals as the Capitol of the Outback. Some of the most popular activities include mountain biking, four-wheel driving, trekking along the Larapinta Trail, bush camping, and swimming in lush waterholes. Some of the top attractions in Alice Springs are:
Alice Springs Desert Park offers the opportunity to discover many of the secrets of the Central Australian deserts, you even have the option to experience desert habitats as they are at night in their nocturnal tour. Open year-round, except for Christmas day.
Alice Springs Reptile Centre is not very big
But it features over 30 species of reptiles, including snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. You can even get up close and have a chance to feed some of them. Live shows run a few times daily. Open year-round, except for major holidays.
Larapinta Trail. This 155-mile trail begins just outside of Alice Springs and runs through the red desert, high mountains, and a national park. It can also be hiked in shorter, more manageable sections.
Approximately 270 miles southwest of Alice Springs is where the most famous attraction in the Northern Territory can be found. Uluru/ Ayers Rock is located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
This famous sandstone
The monolith stands over 1100 feet high and is over 500 million years old. The best ways to see this park are via an Aboriginal lead walking tour, helicopter tour, or on the back of a camel. Be sure not to miss the spectacular Sounds of Silence Gourmet Dinner under a clear night sky.
The Ghan. Take this famous Australian train from Darwin or Adelaide for the ultimate journey through the heart of Australia, including Alice Springs, to experience one of the best train journeys in the world. The accommodations on board range from basic to luxury, something for every traveler!
Look for our series of articles on the five other states of Australia including Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland.
Contact a Professional Travel Agent today to book your dream vacation to Australia!
Trisha has been working with the Travel Team for over 10 years. She has traveled extensively across the world and has been booking travel to Australia for 8 years.
Get an Authentic Experience and Culture of the Australian Outback
No, silly, “the outback” is not a restaurant chain where you can get “shrimp on the barbie” and a “bloomin’ onion,” although their cuisine is to die for! The Australian outback is a complex landscape comprised of rich clay soils and greenery, contrasted with miles of arid desert with hardly a plant in sight.
Grazing camels, wild dingoes, snakes, spiders, and emus can all be spotted in the outback realm of Western Australia. As travelers, all we really want is that “authentic” experience of a distant culture and place.
If you take the Stuart Highway running north from Adelaide to Darwin, then you’re likely to run into most of the tourist attractions in Australia’s outback. At the halfway point of this journey.
You will find Alice Springs
Which is a good starting point for the weary traveler with limited time. The Alice Springs Desert Park is a one-stop shop for all things outback, such as a botanical garden, a zoo, and an Aboriginal cultural center.
Nestled at the foot of the MacDonnell Mountain Range, this park will teach you all about the outback while pleasing the senses with wildflowers and wildlife. The Nature Theater has an excellent “Birds of Prey” show, the Spectator Nocturnal House allows a glimpse of rare endangered animals, and “The Changing Heart” documentary takes you through 4.5 billion years of desert evolution.
Kagaku National Park is another unforgettable experience in the Australian outback. Jabiru’s Bowali Visitor Center is a good starting point for your Kadaku trip that’ll provide you with videos, maps, and information about the various trails, tours, and experiences since the park is so massive. In the South Alligator Area, you can watch birds in the Red Lily, Bucket, and Alligator Billabongs.
See Australian Aboriginal rock art
In the South Alligator Area at Ubirr Rock. You can find more aboriginal art sites at Gunwarrddehwardde Lookout in the Nourlangie region. The 150-meter spectacular Jim Falls is only accessible via four-wheel drive during the dry season, but it’s an amazing sight nonetheless.
The Yellow Water Wetlands offers a bird-watching boat cruise. Kagaku is an interesting area because it shows the diversity housed in the outback, which many perceive to be all brush or all desert. For the ultimate Kadaku experience, Maguk and Gunlom in the southernmost point, both feature waterfalls, clear plunge pools, and exhilarating walks.
Kangaroo Island is not technically
In the Australian outback region, it’s the experience most travelers are looking for when they say they want to go to the outback. On this South Australian island, you’ll find national parks and five wilderness protection areas.
Isolated from mainland Australia, wildlife abounds, including kangaroos, bandicoots, wallabies, possums, echidnas, fur seals, bats, frogs, dunnarts, koalas, platypuses, and the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo.
Murray Lagoon is a bird watcher’s paradise, while Seal Bay houses a growing population of sea lions. The Little Sahara sand dunes are a point of interest, as is Flinders Chase National Park, with the Remarkable Rocks, Admiral’s Arch, cape lighthouses, and multiple walking trails.