Travel The Northern Territory with B&B Accommodation
The Northern Territory is the most barren and least populated state of Australia, for many people it is the "real" Australia, for it presents two different faces: the vast, arid Red Centre, best known for the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the monsoonal Top End identified by the world heritage Kakadu National Park.
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Northern Territory visitors are confronted with meteorite craters, eerie canyons, lost valleys of palms, hot springs, raging waterfalls and home exuberant Australian outback festivities.
The Northern Territory can be breathtakingly beautiful and the almost mystical aura of the ancient land of Australia is captured needing to be experienced to be believed.
The Northern Territory climate varies with tropical & humid monsoonal weather conditions in The Top End with only minor temperature variations between summer and winter. The Wet season is between November and April and the Dry is between May and October.
The inland and Central Australian areas of the NT offer four distinct seasons. Temperatures in some remote inland areas can be extreme with Summer days reaching up to 42° C and Winter nights dropping to as low as 2-3° C.
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Kings Canyon Central Australian Outback NT
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It makes sense to be well prepared when on holiday in the Northern Territory and what better way to travel than with the hospitality and local knowledge offered by the friendly bed and breakfast accommodation operators of the NT.
Darwin - Capital City of the Northern Territory (NT) Australia
Cullen Bay Darwin NT
Northern Territory Australia
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Darwin is probably Australia's most cosmopolitan city and has a population of 86,000. It is a lively, modern place with an easy going way of life.
The population ebbs and flows because Darwin is a major stopping off point for travellers making trips to Kakadu and other Top End attractions. Darwin is also a stop over point for the jump into Bali and other Asian countries.
An oasis in the tropical heat it has a pleasant deep water harbour and lots of colourful nightlife.
The Darwin markets are not to be missed and sunsets are spectacular.
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Culture, People, Sport of Northern Territory (NT) Australia
Aboriginal people make up 52,000 of the Territory's 190,000 population and since the 1976 Aboriginal Lands Rights Act was passed in Canberra, Aboriginal people now own about half of the Northern Territory including Kakadu and Uluru (Ayers Rock) - Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) National Park.
A melting pot of nationalities with anything between 45 and 60 ethnic groups, Darwin is a trading port and link to Asia and as such has many Asian residents who are fourth generation Australians.
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Major Aboriginal events and festivals include Tiwi Island Grand Final, the culmination of a season of Australian Rules football between Aboriginal communities from around the Top End.
The Barunga Wugularr Sports & cultural Festival in June when Aboriginal people from all over the Territory gather to display traditional arts and crafts as well as dancing and athletic competitions.
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Aboriginal Dance and Music Red Centre Dreaming Alice Springs NT
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The Merrepen Arts Festival in July on the banks of the Daly River, the Yuendumu Festival when people from central and western desert regions meet in August for a mix of sporting and cultural events both traditional and modern.
Oenpelli Open Day in Arnhem Land displaying local artefacts, sports and dancing, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award at the Museum & Art Gallery in Darwin and the Alice Springs Beanie Festival to celebrate works of indigenous artists.
General events include the Beer Can Regatta in July/August featuring sporting events and contests, the Festival of Darwin in late August, the Arafura Games an international sporting event held every two years, the Royal Darwin Show, the Rodeo & Country Music Concert in August and the Darwin to Bali Yacht Race in July/August.
In Alice Springs there is the Camel Cup in July and the "dry river" boat race - Henley-on-Todd - in September.
Natural Attractions of Northern Territory (NT) Australia
Geographical Highlights
Eighty per cent of the Northern Territory is in the tropics for the Tropic of Capricorn cuts across north of Alice Springs in Central Australia. While much of the Northern Territory is arid Australian outback desert and semi arid plains, the Top End is a distinct region of savannah woodlands and thick tropical rainforest.
In the NT's north-east is the Arnhem Land plateau which rises abruptly from the plain and goes all the way to the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria where there are stretches of mangrove swamps.
National Parks, Regions & Towns of the Northern Territory
The Tiwi Islands - Bathurst and Melville NT Australia
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The Tiwi Islands are two large flat islands about 80km north of Darwin. You need a permit to visit so take a tour run by the local Tiwi islanders. Most Tiwis live on Bathurst Island and follow a non traditional lifestyle. The main town is Nguiu and visitors can see the famed burial poles, carved and painted with symbolic and mythological figures.
Recently the Twis have started producing bark painting, textile screen printing, batik and pottery using traditional designs and motifs which are for sale. Melville is also home to descendants of Japanese pearl divers and peoples of mixed Aboriginal and European parentage.
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Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Tiwi Islands Top End NT
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Mary River National Park Northern Territory Australia
The Mary River National Park is made up of a number of wetland areas and has excellent fishing and wildlife spotting. There are also said to be the greatest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the world in this area.
Litchfield National Park Northern Territory Australia
Litchfield National Park is 140km south of Darwin encompasses much of the Tabletop Range and is a wide sandstone plateau surrounded by cliffs. Four waterfalls drop off the edge of the plateau and there are surrounding rainforests to explore.
Australian Northern Territory Wildlife Park & Berry Springs Nature Park
The Territory Wildlife Park & Berry Springs Nature Park is 400 hectares of Australian bushland 48km from Darwin and home to a wide variety of northern Australian birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. Run by the NT Parks and Wildlife, the habitats are beautifully re created with wetlands and tropical rainforest environments.
There's an aquarium, a reptile house, nocturnal house, aviaries and nature trails and a free shuttle train goes around the park every 15 to 20 minutes or you can walk between exhibits.
Daly River Northern Territory Australia
The Daly River is 109kms west of the Stuart Highway and most of the population belongs to the Naniya Nambiyu Aboriginal community which is 6kms away from the rest of the town. Visitors are welcome without a permit.
Pine Creek Northern Territory Australia
Pine Creek has interesting Australian historical attractions and was the scene of the NT gold rush in the 1870s. Some old timber and corrugated iron buildings survive, as well it's a popular spot for bird watchers as the area claims to have the largest variety of bird species in the Northern Territory.
Kakadu National Park Northern Territory Australia
The Kakadu National Park is world heritage listed and is one of the world's best natural wonders. The Kakadu stretches more than 200kms south from the coast and is 100kms from east to west. It has a variety of landscapes, swarms with wildlife and features some of Australia's best Aboriginal rock art.
There are several Australian Aboriginal settlements in the Kakadu National Park and one-third of the rangers are Aboriginal people. It also has one of Australia's richest and most accessible repositories of rock art with over 5000 sites dating from 20,000 years to 10 years.
Arnhem Land Northern Territory Australia
Arnhem Land has a 100m to 200m high sandstone cliff line which forms a natural boundary of the rugged Arnhem land plateau which winds 500km through eastern and south eastern Kakadu. The coastline has long stretches of mangrove swamp and is an important breeding ground for marine and bird life.
Nourlangie is a mysterious isolated outcrop on the Arnhem Land escarpment, a long, red, sandstone bulk striped in places with orange, white and black. At its base is one of Kakadu's best known collection of Australian Aboriginal rock art.
Katherine Northern Territory Australia
Katherine is the only town of any size between Darwin and Alice Springs and has some historic buildings and a productive Aboriginal arts community.
Katherine is a bustling place which has grown rapidly in recent years mainly because of the large Tindal airforce base south of the town. It is a good stopping off place if you are visiting the spectacular Katherine Gorge, 30kms to the north east.
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park Northern Territory Australia
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park is remote, beautiful and consists of 13 gorges separated from each other by rapids and carved out by the Katherine River which begins in Arnhem Land.
Swimming in the gorge is safe except when it floods. Usually the only crocodiles around are freshwater ones and they are often seen in the cooler months. The country around the gorge is excellent for bushwalking.
Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park Northern Territory Australia
The Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park features limestone rock formations in caverns 27km south east of Katherine. Inside are orange horseshoe bats, a rare and endangered species which roost in the main cave 15ms below the surface.
Tennant Creek to Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia
Tennant Creek to Alice Springs - most visitors stay overnight in Tennant Creek, a small town on route to Katherine or the Alice. About 105kms south of the town is Devil's Marbles Conversation Reserve a haphazard pile of giant round boulders scattered on both sides of the road for miles.
According to Aboriginal mythology they were laid by the Rainbow Serpent. Scientists say they are granite remains of molten lava.
Alice Springs Central Australian Northern Territory
Alice Springs is a pleasant town with good shops and restaurants with a population of 27,000. It caters mainly to a steady stream of tourists who come to visit Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kings Canyon and the West MacDonnells National Park. A major attraction in the town is the Alice Springs Desert Park, showcasing the desert and semi-arid habitats of Australia. Worth a visit is Anzac Hill, Adelaide House now preserved as a memorial museum to flying doctor founder John Flynn.
The Residency which dates back to 1926 was the home of the first governor of central Australia, the Old Courthouse which houses the Australian National Pioneer Women's Hall of Fame, Stuart Town Gaol which opened in 1909 and Hartley St School which houses the Australian National Trust office.
Also worth a visit is the Royal Flying Doctor Service base, the Araluen Arts Centre which contains many Albert Namatjira paintings as well as his mentor Rex Battarbee and the Museum of Central Australian and Strehlow Research Centre with its fascinating collection of superb natural history and Arrernte tribal exhibits.
Mac Donnell Ranges Northern Territory
The Mac Donnell Ranges are full of gorges, waterholes and walking trails which stretch like a spine to the east and west of Alice Springs. The scenery is wonderful and the rocky cliffs and sheer walls are spectacular.
Artlunga Historical Reserve Northern Territory Australia
Artlunga Historical Reserve is located at the eastern end of the MacDonnell Ranges and is an old gold mining ghost town that has been made into an Australian historical reserve. All that remains are old mine shafts, a couple of cemeteries and old buildings long deserted.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Northern Territory Australia
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - Uluru or Ayers Rock as it was once called is the world's biggest monolith and towers 348m above the sandy scrubland. It is believed that two-thirds of the rock lies beneath the sand. The entire area is of deep cultural significance to the local Aboriginal people who now own the national park in which it stands.
Ularu changes colour as the setting sun turns it into a series of reds before it fades to charcoal, a performance which is reversed at dawn. Kata Tjuta or The Olgas are a collection of smaller, more rounded rocks which stand 30kms west of Uluru. These monoliths are equally impressive as Uluru, the tallest standing 546kkm above the ground.
More State Information for Northern Territory (NT) Australia
 On 12 July 1961, Sturt's Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum) was proclaimed floral emblem of the Northern Territory by the Australian Commonwealth Government which was then responsible for the administration of the Territory.
The species was first collected by Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869) in the beds of the creeks on the "Barrier Range" during his journey to central Australia in 1844-45.
Fauna emblems - Wedgetail eagle & the red kangaroo
Fauna & Flora in the Northern Territory (NT) Australia
Central Australia abounds in wildlife: kangaroos, wallabies and threatened species such as bilbies and mala (rufus hare wallabies) not to mention the plethora of bird species and thousands of wild camels.
Two types of crocodile, the freshwater variety and the estuarine crocodile are both found in the Top End of the Northern Territory and are a protected species. In Litchfield National Park there is a field of magnetic termite mounds which look like a bush graveyard.
In the Kakadu National Park there are over 1000 plant species, many of which are still used by the local Aborigines for food and medicinal purposes. Also there are 25 species of frogs, 60 types of mammals, 51 freshwater fish, 120 types of reptile, 280 bird species and at least 10,000 kinds of insects.
Among the mammals are several types of kangaroo and wallaby, sugar gliders, bats and destructive wild pigs.
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