Northern Territory Australia – The Wilderness Outback

 

Continuing from our journey in Northern Territory Australia – Treats & Thrills In Darwin City, we now head down south inland where we experienced the wilderness of the great outback in Nitmiluk National Park and venture into the magnificent natural structure of Katherine Gorge.

The journey from Darwin City to Nitmiluk National Park in Katherine will take a good four hours drive via the National Highway 1 (Stuart Highway). On the half way mark of the journey, there is a stop over station called Adelaide River Inn, which is not just your ordinary stop over. Upon entering the inn, be welcomed by the display of various crocodiles and buffalo souvenirs which can be bought off the shelves. At that very corner of the bar stands “Charlie” the buffalo who became a cultural treasure after his role in a scene in the 1986 international hit comedy movie, Crocodile Dundee which stars Paul Hogan. “Charlie” died in 2000, his body was stuffed and preserved which later became a popular attraction, welcoming tourists and hikers passing by the inn.
 

 

 

 

Just before reaching Nitmiluk National Park, enter into Katherine Town Centre and this will be the last chance for some last minute stocking up at Woolsworth, Target and other stores. Beyond Katherine Town Centre, it will be plain wilderness without any convenient store round the corner to “save” you.

 

Cicada Lodge

If accommodation is your primary concern, try out Katherine’s latest lodge addition, Cicada Lodge. Situated right in the heart of Nitmiluk National Park and on the riverfront of the picturesque Katherine River, experience luxury in the outbacks with a glass of champagne & table spread of appetisers to greet the sunset.

 

Aimed to provide the highest standards of non-intrusive, world-class service to its guests, Cicada Lodge still keeps an open concept where wallabies (smaller cousins of kangaroos) can be found sneaking into the compound from the wild at night. The rooms are fully air-conditioned and elegantly furnished in style with modern Australian and Indigenous design elements. Accommodation at Cicada Lodge starts from A$645 night.  Luxury does not come cheap.

 

 

Katherine Gorge

The spectacular Katherine Gorge towers more than 70 meters high and has been formed 23 million years ago as torrents of water poured along tiny cracks in the earth. To enjoy the beauty of the gorge, take a cruise down the winding Katherine River. The cruise  includes a 600 meters walk between the two gorges with some nice spots for photo taking and engulf in the wonders of nature.

 

Just a 30-minute hike from Cicada Lodge, visit the lookout point on top of the gorge to catch more breeze.  Here, you will see hundreds of birds & bats flocking pass to welcome the sunrise. Also look out for cute wallabies hiding behind the bushes.

If cruising and hiking is not enough, you can rent a helicopter and take a bird’s eye view of Katherine Gorge from the sky.

 

A road trip will never be complete without a quick self packed lunch under a beautiful banyan tree. Just grab some ham, vegetables and kebab dough from Woolsworth at Katherine Town Centre before heading back. Find a nice rest stop and lunch will be settled.

While traveling in the car, do look out for the endangered Red Tailed Cockatoos. It is a beautiful & rare sight to see hundreds of these cockatoos gathering on the trees. Be very quiet, closing the car door heavily will send the cockatoos flying away in a matter of seconds.

 

 

Litchfield National Park

On the way back from Katherine to Darwin City, make a detour to Litchfield National Park to check out another creation of nature – termite mounds. Built like the shape of an old cathedral, these termite nests called Cathedral Termite Mounds can be an intimidating five meters or more high. With termites actively working in the mounds, a slight damage to the mound will be repaired by the worker termites in the matter of minutes.

Shaped like a stone tablet, the Magnetic Termite Mounds are all aligned north to south to minimise the exposure to the sun. When viewed from far, a group Magnetic Termite Mounds on the field can be easily mistaken as a cemetery.

 

With time to spare? Litchfield National Park is home to the gorgeous Florence Falls which is a double waterfall situated in the middle of the monsoon forest. Take a swim in the falls and try beating the strong current from the falls by swimming towards it. *Only recommended for strong swimmers as the swimholes are deep and wide.  

 

With the wonderful vast blue sky and beauty of Australian Outbacks, one can never resist to take a few more shots of themselves through out the trip. It is one-of-a kind leisure trip to get away from civilisation, to explore and appreciate these natural marvels.