Australian Northen Territory
Few people who visit Australian Northen Territory leave untouched by the experience. While it’s the most barren and least-populated area of Australia (only 1% in the nearly 20% of the country’s area) this is where many people find the country’s soul. It is in the Centre – the Red Heart – that the picture-book, untamed and sometimes surreal Australia exists.
The Territory is essentially divided in two different areas: the arid, red Centre and the monsoonal Top End, with best-known attractions of these areas, the iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Kakadu National Park. There are meteorite craters, eerie canyons, lost valleys of palms, hot springs, raging waterfalls and outback festivals.
Distance aside, getting around the Territory is straightforward – the Stuart Hwy travels its spine, connecting Alice Spings and the north coast. As you head up ‘The Track’ you’ll notice the gradual contrast between the arid Centre and the tropical Top End. At the end of this 1500 km drive is cosmopolitan Darwin. To its east, the wetlands and escarpments of Kakadu National Park are a trasure house of wildlife and Aboriginal rock paintings. most of Arnhem Land belongs to traditional Aboriginal owners and is off limits to visitors, but there are many opportunities in the Territory to learn about Aboriginal culture.
Source: Lonely Planet
Suggested book: The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
