Northern Territory Archives

One of our awesome Ultimate Travel gurus Holly Walker recently had the trip of a lifetime to the Northern Territory. Flying to Darwin from Sydney, Holly took part in a 4 wheel drive Dragonfly dreaming tour with Wayoutback Australian Safaris.

In Darwin, Holly stayed in the Youthshack hostel before heading into the national parks of Kakadu and Litchfield. Here is a rundown of what she did….

You flew up from Sydney to Darwin, which must be great this time of year as we are just heading into winter but they are just going into dry season?

It was brilliant timing! I left Sydney on a Wednesday and flew the 4 and a quarter hours to Darwin. The weather was absolutely amazing during the day (30-35 degrees) but it did rain for a couple of hours overnight. It’s just coming into dry season so it should stay dry for the next 5-6 months so now is the perfect time to head north.

After you arrived in Darwin and got checked in to your hostel, I hear you did something awesome before the tour even started?

You heard right, this isn’t normally included on the tour but if you were to spend a day either side of the tour in Darwin you could easily fit it in and it was incredible!

We visited Crocosaurus Cove for a ‘Cage of Death’ crocodile experience. This is pretty much as terrifying as it sounds but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with saltwater crocodiles!

We got into our swimming gear and tried to keep down the butterflies that were careening around our stomachs and headed into the cage! This involved being lowered into the water in a tank to get up close and personal to the ‘Kate and Will’ two of the resident crocs at Crocosaurus Cove.

That sounds amazing and terrifying all at the same time! What did you do on that first evening, did you meet up with your group?

Yes, we all got together in the evening and we visited Mindil markets in Darwin to have a look around the numerous food, jewelry, trinket and aboriginal art stalls. We chilled on the beach with a few drinks, eating food from the markets whilst watching the amazing Darwin sunset.

Honestly, I’ll never forget that sunset it was truly spectacular. The way the sun dipped into the ocean was like something out of a bad romantic comedy. I took about 400 photos of it so it looks like a flick-book when you go through my Facebook album!

The next day, your big trip began. Can you give us an itinerary of what you did?

We started off the tour in Litchfield National Park exploring waterfalls such as Florence and Wangi falls. We also went to see some termite mounds between swims which was pretty cool.

We stopped off for lunch at a permanent campsite before heading to an indigenous cultural centre (a wooden construction with a cloth over the top for shade), here our aboriginal guide Graham talked us through the aboriginal history and culture.

He told us stories of ‘dreamtime,’ which is the name for the Aboriginal belief system and he discussed the way of life in aboriginal communities. We were also shown basket weaving and spear throwing.

We arrived at our campsite in the Mary River region early evening for dinner, a good old fashioned BBQ, and spent the evening searching for local wildlife, having a few drinks and counting shooting stars which was absolutely beautiful.

The next morning we went on cruise of the a Mary River wetlands. The wetlands are made up of lagoons, canals and billabongs. We saw crocodiles in their natural habitat, as the Northern Territory has the highest concentration of saltwater crocs in the world, a vast variety of birdlife (trying to not be eaten by the crocs!) and lots of beautiful scenery and flora including the beautiful water lilies and lily pads.

We then did some 4 wheel driving along the dirt tracks in Kakadu National Park which was immense! We reached Gunlom falls and hiked up to the top of the waterfall before spending the next few hours relaxing in the infinity pool and other plunge pools overlooking Kakadu. We then headed towards a different campsite to spend the night. Both campsites are permanent with access to hot showers and toilets. All tents were permanent and equipped with beds.

We started off the last day by taking a short hike up to Nawurlandja lookout overlooking Nourlangie and Anbangbang Billabong. We were then given the option of taking a scenic flight (at own expense) over Kakadu National Park to check out Jim Jim and Twin falls before heading to Ubirr for lunch.

At Ubirr we viewed a wide range of ancient aboriginal art and rock paintings which were interpreted by our guide. This was quite a unique experience, having someone who was able to tell us what these paintings mean after thousands of years was a really powerful moment.

We hiked up to the Nadab lookout for panoramic views over the floodplains and into Arnhemland. En route back to Darwin we stopped off at the famous ‘Humpty Doo Hotel’ for a drink to end our top end tour.

Wow. That sounds absolutely awesome! It’s crazy how much you can fit in one trip! I know it’ll be difficult but does anything stand out as your favourite bit?

Gunlom falls infinity pool is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It is a natural rock formation that has to be seen to be believed. Sitting in the cool waters looking out over a the breathtaking view is something I’ll never forget. The photos look awesome on Instagram too!

The Mary River wetlands cruise was great as well, seeing those crocodiles and imagining what was going on beneath the surface! The stargazing at the campsites (I’ve never seen so many stars!) was incredible too. Kakadu and Litchfield are some of the least populated areas of Australia and you really get a feeling for how vast the country is when you are alone with your group in the middle of nowhere!

Nadab lookout overlooking Arnhemland was awesome too and the sunset at the Mindil markets in Darwin was also amazing. As you can tell, it was a trip with a lot of highlights!

It sounds like it! Did anything surprise you? Did you enjoy anything more than you thought or was it all as you expected?

I was surprised how big Kakadu National Park actually is, it is as big as country (Slovenia, to be precise). You can drive along the dirt roads for hours without seeing anyone else!

I also realised how little I knew about aboriginal culture and learnt lots of interesting facts from the aboriginal cultural centre we visited. I was shocked driving past bush fires at the side of the road and to learn that parts of the national park are burnt by local aboriginal communities to maintain the land as well as being caused by the dry heat within the national parks.

I know you mentioned the crocodiles but you must have seen some other cool wildlife while you were in the outback?

I saw lots of crocs in their natural habitat which was awesome. I came across loads of frogs and toads, a huntsman spider, some wild donkeys and a random albino buffalo!

We also spotted two owls at the first campsite we stayed at and I accidentally ate a mosquito (its family nearly bit me to death after that). All in all there was lots of interaction with wild animals and insects!

If you like the sound of the trip that Holly was lucky enough to go on, get in touch with us on bookings@ultimate.travel

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!