Alice to Darwin: the best road trip

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Open leg route
1737.3KM / 1079.5MI

Camel racing, bottomless boat competitions and a desert-load of activities make Alice Springs unlike anywhere else in Australia.

Get your bearings at ANZAC Hill, where you can pay your respects to fallen soldiers while getting a 360-degree view of the town below. After, stop by the Alice Springs Telegraph Station to see where Europeans first settled in the town to relay messages between Darwin and Adelaide along Australia’s Overland Telegraph Line. As for the colourful competitions, arrive in August and you can watch the Henley-on-Todd dry river ‘boat’ regatta. Get there in July and you can cheer on the cameleers kicking up dust at the annual Alice Springs Camel Cup. Photojournalist Jennifer Pinkerton describes the competition as “one crazy soup of a race”. Other top attractions include Alice Springs School of the Air, where you can tune into a lesson broadcast to a student in a remote outpost, and Alice Springs Desert Park, where you can learn about traditional Indigenous hunting and gathering techniques.
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Alice Springs

Camel racing, bottomless boat competitions and a desert-load of activities make Alice Springs unlike anywhere else in Australia.

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Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
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For Alice's colourful competitions, arrive in August and you can watch the Henley-on-Todd dry river ‘boat’ regatta. Get there in July and you can cheer on the cameleers kicking up dust at the annual Alice Springs Camel Cup.
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Wycliffe Well

For the quirk factor alone, road-trippers should call into Wycliffe Well.

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Wycliffe Well, Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Wycliffe Well376KM / 233MI ~ Approximately 3 hours
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A holiday park, animal sanctuary, restaurant, lake and performance stage rolled into one, Wycliffe Well's claim to fame is being Australia’s UFO capital and it has been labelled an ‘oasis in the desert’ by Tourism NT.
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Devils Marbles

The first major stop you should make after leaving Alice is Karlu Karlu, otherwise known as the Devils Marbles.

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Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Devils Marbles28KM / 17MI ~ Approximately 17 minutes
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More than a collection of large, balancing boulders, the Devils Marbles are believed by the Warumungu Aboriginal people to be the fossilised eggs of the mythological rainbow serpent.
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Tennant Creek

Tennant Creek makes for an interesting stop on the Stuart Highway.

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Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Tennant Creek107KM / 66MI ~ Approximately an hour
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Tennant Creek Telegraph Station, which was built in 1872, was the site of Australia’s last major gold rush (in the 1930s) and served as a refuge for travellers from the outback’s harsh conditions.
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Daly Waters Pub

You can’t pass through this part of the NT without calling into iconic Daly Waters Historic Pub.

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Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Daly Waters Pub407KM / 253MI ~ Approximately 4 hours
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With copious bras, hats, t-shirts and foreign currency adorning the walls, this watering hole is as Aussie as pubs get. Time your visit for lunch and then aim to spend the night in Katherine, 275 kilometres north-west.
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Katherine

Katherine: where the outback meets the tropics.

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Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Katherine275KM / 171MI ~ Approximately 2 hours
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It’s the surrounding attractions that put Katherine on the map, and the most notable is Nitmiluk National Park. Picture towering Jaffa-coloured cliffs, silky green water and pandanus trees lining the banks of Katherine River. With 13 gorges throughout the park, including the world famous Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, the most popular way to explore is on a cruise and there are numerous companies to choose from. You can also get a bird’s-eye view from a helicopter or follow walking trails to waterfalls and rock art.
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Mataranka Thermal Pool

After a quick pit-stop in Katherine, check out Mataranka Thermal Pool and the surrounding waterholes.

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Mataranka, Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Mataranka Thermal Pool115KM / 72MI ~ Approximately an hour
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Mataranka Thermal Pool (116km south-east of Katherine) is a popular attraction during the busy winter season thanks to clear water and mild temps. Left to its more natural setting is Bitter Springs, two kilometres from Mataranka. Also thermal pools, there’s a slight current that makes for fun floating down the creek. For a dip closer to town, visit the Katherine Hot Springs.
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Litchfield National Park

Litchfield National Park, about 120 kilometres from Darwin, certainly attracts a lot of visitors and it’s worth spending a few days here.

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Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Litchfield National Park307KM / 191MI
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Stay at Florence Falls Campground, with a creekside path to the falls. The spring-fed plunge pool gets crowded, so arrive early. If you’re not staying overnight, there’s a car park and lookout at the top, with a staircase to the water. The much larger Wangi Falls is also worth spending a couple of hours at. It’s more of an established tourist attraction, with viewing points, a walking trail and plenty of space to swim. There is a cafe and campground nearby. Tick off the trifecta by enjoying a dip at Buley Rockhole. This is a fun spot, especially for children, as there are multiple pools and rocks to slide down.
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Berry Springs Nature Park

Berry Springs is a wonderful morning excursion about 50 minutes from Darwin’s CBD.

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Northern Territory, Australia
Arrive via car from Berry Springs Nature Park68KM / 42MI
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With three peaceful pools and a sprawling picnic area, make sure Berry Springs Nature Park is on your itinerary.Crocodiles can frequent the park, so swimming during the wet season (November–April) is off-limits and warnings should be heeded year-round.
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Darwin

Crocs, markets, military history, swimming pools and a tropical climate that rivals Thailand’s – Darwin is a city with wow factor.

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Arrive via car from Darwin56KM / 35MI ~ Approximately 40 minutes
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There are a couple of places you can see them. Crocodylus Park is home to the famous jumping crocodile feeding tours, while at Crocosaurus Cove you can get an eye-full of the fearsome creature underwater in the ‘cage of death’. Next up, visit at least one local market. The most famous is Mindil Beach Sunset Market, where every Thursday and Sunday (4–9pm April–October) travellers and locals mingle as they listen to music and chow down Asian-style street food; arrive early for a park. Then there’s the military history. Wrap your head around it all at Darwin Military Museum, which houses a fantastic collection of memorabilia, and Darwin Aviation Museum, with its extensive display.

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