Northern Territory
Rugged, wild and extreme, ‘The Territory’ is Australia writ large. This is the land of endless red deserts and lush, expansive wetlands, of thundering waterfalls and star-drenched skies. Its tropical ‘Top End’ is home to laidback, multicultural Darwin (the NT’s capital city) and Australia’s largest national park, Kakadu.
Further south, green gives way to ochre in the fabled Outback, home to magnetic Uluru and Kata Tjuta, ancient landforms steeped in Aboriginal mythology.
Air: Domestic flights from across Australia service Darwin, Alice Springs and Ayers Rock (Connellan) airports, with a handful of direct international flights also servicing Darwin. Small regional airports are also found in Katherine and Tennant Creek, with air strips dotting Arnhem Land.
Bus: Greyhound Australia runs daily services between Darwin and Adelaide (1 day & 21 hours), with stops en-route including Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. It also runs daily between Darwin and Broome (26 hours).
Train: The Ghan travels between Adelaide and Darwin (2 days & 3 hours to 2 days & 7¾ hours) via Alice Springs and Katherine. It’s possible to interchange to the Sydney-Perth Indian Pacific service in Port Augusta, South Australia.
Car: The best way to explore the Territory is by car or campervan. Properly equipped 4WDs are required for some unsealed roads and Outback tracks, though most major tourist sites can be accessed in a 2WD via sealed roads.
The Stuart Highway connects Darwin to Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and, further south, leads to South Australia and Adelaide.
From the Stuart Highway, the Barton Highway shoots east towards Queensland, while the Victoria Highway heads west towards The Kimberley and Broome in Western Australia.