The Northern Territory stretches from the Timor Sea in the Top End (where you will find the capital, Darwin) down to the country’s Red Center (home to Alice Springs). It boasts climate extremes that turn deserts into wetlands and produce some of the most dramatic electrical storms in the world. Its population has a higher percentage of indigenous peoples than any other state or territory in Australia. And, perhaps most famously, its landscapes display some of the oldest and most well-preserved rock art known to man.
To give you a sense of how large and yet desolate the Territory is, keep in mind that it is almost twice the size of Texas with a population 100 times smaller. It’s home to Kakadu National Park, which covers nearly five million acres and registers as just a small spot on a map of the NT. That scale of size and desolation requires creativity and dedication to survive, and that’s what I’ll be describing in this series.
I’ll take you from Darwin to Kakadu National Park and down to Alice Springs to see just how unique Australia’s Northern Territory truly is. I hope that you’ll follow along as I explore Outback Australia.
Mike Barish traversed the Outback on a trip sponsored by Tourism Northern Territory. He traveled alone and had no restrictions on what he could cover during his travels. That would explain how he ended up eating water buffalo. You can read future entries in his Outback Australia series HERE.