Head to the Northern Territory

Do you want to visit one of the world’s best tourist destinations? Head to the Northern Territory! National Geographic has just listed the NT as one of the 20 Best of the World for 2014. Ultimate Oz could not agree more and there’s too many reasons why to mention, so we’ve picked just a few for you:

Darwin

Darwin is a great place to start your Northern Territory adventure. The combination of the night markets, museums, incredible history and breath-taking sunsets all adds up to a blend of culture that will intrigue and excite you.

Why not checkout the Pearling Exhibition or the Military Museum, or many of the other cultural delights on offer, before heading to the Wave-Pool and Lagoon on Darwin’s waterfront. When you’ve dried off from the pool, grab a deckchair and head to the outdoor cinema to catch one of the many diverse range of films on offer.

If you’re sampling the night life on offer in Darwin, there’s a bar to suit any mood:

If you want a bar with a great beer garden, head to Wisdom Bar on Mitchell Street. Head across to Shennanigans Irish Bar, also on Mitchell Street , for a good sing song on the karaoke. The Hippy Club is great for a game of pool and you can grab some good cheap grub at The Blue Heeler. For a nice chilled out glass of wine, head to the stylish and relaxed Monsoons Bar, found in Darwin’s original cinema building.

Beyond Darwin, the culture continues as you head in to World Heritage-listed national parks and rich indigenous lands.

If you get the chance to head to Kakadu, Australia’s biggest national park 3 hours east of Darwin, you’re in for a treat! Take a few days to explore the sights on offer. You can learn the cultural and historical significance of the local Aboriginal rock art before you four wheel drive to Koolpin Gorge or Jim Jim Falls and Barramundi Gorge for a swim. From Kakadu, you can take the Nature’s Way touring route to Litchfield National Park where you will be greeted with rock pools along the Katherine River. Then finish your experience off with a hike up to the top of Gunlom Falls, which you may recognise from the film Crocodile Dundee. After, head to the base of the Arnhem Land cliff to cook a well-deserved meal by campfire before you settle for the evening.

If you want to experience a bit of the outback during your time in the Northern Territory, Alice Springs is possibly the most famous outback town in Australia, boasting a vibrant history, rich Aboriginal traditions and incredible landscapes for you to explore.

Ride a camel through Ilparpa Valley to see the Macdonell Ranges, visit the Sounds of Starlight Theatre and Araluen Cultural Precint or take an Outback Quad Adventure to Undoolya Cattle Station. If you’re in Alice Springs for the last Sunday of August, check out the Henley-on-Todd Regatta … an annual sailing and rowing regatta held on a, erm, dry river bed – it needs to be seen to be believed! You wouldn’t experience this anywhere else in Australia!

For a night out, you cannot go wrong with Bojangles! The seats are saddles, the toilet doors open from the opposite side (confusing when you’ve had a few!) and they have webcams on the bar that link to their website … your friends from all around the world can log on and join in the party with you so make sure you give them a wave!

Uluru

You cannot come to Australia and skip out seeing Uluru … we won’t allow it! Words will never do Uluru justice, seeing is definitely believing! Often described as the spiritual and physical heart of Australia, see the sun rise and set on the magical Aboriginal sacred site and marvel at the colours changing right before your eyes. Home to the Anangu people, you can take a guided tour around the base and view some stunning Aboriginal art. Learn about the captivating history surrounding the tribes of Uluru and why the famous rock is significant in dreamtime legend. You can also visit Kata Tjuta, Uluru’s sister formation, meaning ‘many heads’, which also has a spectacular light display on offer as the sun sets.

There’s all this and so much more in the Northern Territory just waiting for you to see. Why not contact us for help with arranging your trip to all these wonderful places. We can help you build your trip, arrange your travel and accommodation and, because our Ultimate Oz staff have all travelled Australia themselves, you’ll get some great inside tips from people in the know!