"The Northern Territory" Northern Territory by bsfreeloader

Northern Territory Travel Guide: 2,386 reviews and 7,985 photos

The Northern Territory is place of wide-open spaces, covering nearly twenty percent of the Australian continent yet having a little more than one percent (200,000 or so people) of its population. Most of the population is centered in and around three cities – Darwin, Katherine, and Alice Springs – making the remainder of the Territory seem even more desolate and isolated. Highlights of travel here are the Top End’s three popular national parks (Kakadu, Litchfield, and Nitmiluk) and the Outback’s natural wonders (best seen at Uluru, Kata Tjuta, King’s Canyon, and the Devil’s Marbles). The Territory is a tough place. The Top End (as the tropical part of the Territory is called) has two distinct seasons, the Wet and the Dry. During the Wet, thunderstorms and occasional cyclones pound the area with torrential rains, causing mass flooding but turning the area into a natural wonderland of lush green bush, magical waterfalls, and plentiful wildlife. During the Dry, rain is virtually non-existent, and the bush is systematically burned off, the rivers and waterfalls run dry, and the wildlife retreats. But the harshness of the Dry is only a poor mimic of the harshness associated year round with the Outback, which covers much of the Territory. In the Outback rain is infrequent, daytime temperatures often soar into the danger zone, and nighttime temperatures can similarly drop dangerously low. Territorians seem to take on the personality of their surroundings and are generally tough, maverick types who relish the harsh environment as much as they do their isolation from Australian “society.” The Territory also is one of the few places where you are likely to encounter Aborigines, although unfortunately most of the ones you will meet are beggars with substance abuse or alcohol problems. Sadly, intimate and meaningful interaction with Aborigines living traditional lifestyles is almost impossible.

  • Last visit to Northern Territory: Nov 2006
  • Intro Written Dec 1, 2006
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (6)

Comments

bsfreeloader

“The more I see and experience, the more I realize just how little I know.”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 7 0 4

Badges & Stats in Northern Territory

  • 15 Reviews
  • 52 Photos
  • 0 Forum posts
  • 232PageViews
  • 3 Cities

Have you been to Northern Territory?

  Share Your Travels  

Friends

See All Friends (2)

Travel Interests

See All Travel Interests (5)

Top Northern Territory hotels

Darwin Hotels
685 Reviews - 2049 Photos
Uluru National Park (Ayers Rock) Hotels
460 Reviews - 1271 Photos
Alice Springs Hotels
384 Reviews - 1215 Photos
Kakadu National Park Hotels
274 Reviews - 971 Photos
Katherine Hotels
72 Reviews - 324 Photos
Jabiru Hotels
1 Review - 20 Photos
Mataranka Hotels
56 Reviews - 295 Photos
Elliott Hotels
See nearby hotels
Batchelor Hotels
13 Reviews - 53 Photos
Barrow Creek Hotels
11 Reviews - 48 Photos
Fannie Bay Hotels
1 Review - 6 Photos
Nightcliff Hotels
1 Review - 6 Photos
Tennant Creek Hotels
3 Reviews - 18 Photos
Port Keats Hotels
See nearby hotels
Pine Creek Hotels
30 Reviews - 147 Photos