9 unmissable Northern Territory destinations

From its red heart to its sparkling coastline lapped by shimmering blue seas, the Northern Territory with kids is an unforgettable holiday destination.

Northern Territory is one of the most magical places in Australia. From the calming hot springs to the deep orange sunsets, the warm tropical nights and the incredible outback landscapes, there’s just no other place like it. The best way to see the Northern Territory is by campervan. Explore from Darwin to the Never Never, hitting all the spectacular national parks and swimming holes along the way. It’s the ultimate outback playground for kids – a never-ending adventure in a completely new sensory environment at every stop.

When travelling with babies or toddlers, plan your visit for the dry season, between May and August, to avoid the high humidity. Make sure you hire a campervan with air conditioning and book into powered campsites, so everyone can have some relief from the heat if it all gets a bit too much. Plan long drives around nap times – that’s one hour less you won’t have to entertain them on the road.

1. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

A trip to the Northern Territory is not complete without a visit to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The timeless place is rich with Indigenous culture and spirituality. The star attraction is, of course, Uluru, the enormous rock that dominates the landscape with its 9.4-kilometre circumference. Families can explore it by foot, bike or camel. Outback Cycling rents out bicycles, including ride-along bikes, baby and toddler seats, and bikes for kids, while Uluru Camel Tours offers a unique desert experience suitable for children aged five and over.

Experience stargazing at its finest with Outback Sky Journeys Astro Tours to gaze at billions of twinkling stars while learning how Indigenous Australians use them to navigate. Or get creative with Maruku Arts, where the kids can learn about Aboriginal art, symbols and tools, and create their own masterpiece to take home in a dot painting workshop.

Leave time to roll your troops out to the mysterious 500-million-year-old rock formations of nearby Kata Tjuta for a guided walk through the extraordinary Valley of the Winds.

2. Katherine Gorge and Nitmiluk National Park

No Northern Territory holiday is complete without experiencing Katherine Gorge and Nitmiluk National Park. Katherine is the place where the outback meets the tropics. It is the gateway to Nitmiluk National Park and its colossal network of gorges. The series of 13 deep sandstone gorges were carved by the Katherine River. When travelling with babies and small kids, jump on the NitNit Dreaming Two Gorge Tour or the Malappar Traveller Canoe Adventure with older kids, to explore the stunning gorges.

Swim in refreshing waterholes, soak in the natural thermal Katherine Hot Springs (right i the heart of town)  or paddle though the Katherine River’s ancient sandstone walls. Explore by foot, canoe, boat or helicopter with Nitmiluk Tours.

Families will enjoy connecting with the local Indigenous culture. The Top Didj Aboriginal Cultural Experience led by local artist Manuel Pamkal is fantastic. After a traditional welcome, the tour will see you learning to throw a spear, light a fire with sticks, feed baby wallabies and discover the art of rarrk painting. The area’s traditional owners, the Jawoyn people tell enchanting Dreamtime over a firelit camp dinner. Spend an afternoon at the Katherine Outback Experience for a very unique look into life in the Top End.

3. Explore Yulara, the gateway to Uluru

The township of Yulara is the gateway to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and is the home of Ayers Rock Resort, an Aboriginal-owned enterprise providing services, accommodation for all budgets, from camping to five star, tours and activities. A guest activities program includes cultural guided walks, art markets, dot painting workshops, Indigenous storytelling and a Bush Tucker Experience and tours. But as billions of stars paint the outback sky, it is the opportunity to join a resident astronomer to hear how ancient cultures used the night sky for orientation and as the basis for their mythology that will leave kids truly spellbound.

4. Alice Springs (Mparntwe)

Alice Springs, or as locals simply refer to it, ‘Mparntwe’, is a desert playground and Red Centre wonderland.

Explore the scenic beauty of the expansive Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park, adventuring as far as your little one’s feet will allow before cooling down at Ellery Creek, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen or Redbank Gorge. Ellery Creek has a gorgeous picnic area, while Redbank Gorge is where many travellers bring inflatables and float through rock formations and tree-lined creeks.

Discover the outback locals at Alice Springs Desert Park, including dingoes and native birds of prey. See the range of giant megafauna that roamed eight million years ago through fossils and life-sized replicas at Megafauna Central. Hold a kangaroo joy as the sun sets at The Kangaroo Sanctuary. Or head to the Alice Springs Reptile Centre to meet frilled-neck lizards, thorny devils and Terry the saltwater croc.

Earth Sanctuary is an innovative eco-tourism attraction offering night and day tours. They focus on sustainability and reducing our impact on the earth. And don’t miss the ‘World’s Largest Classroom’. The School of the Air in Alice Springs, where kids can see first-hand how children living in Australia’s most remote regions receive their education via internet and radio.

Delve into the history of the town at Alice Springs Telegraph Station, a museum dedicated to the ins and outs of Australia’s connection to the rest of the world via telegraph in 1871. The site also marks the starting point of the Larapinta Trail, one of the country’s best treks

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light

Parrtjima – A Festival in Light is held in April each year. The only Aboriginal light festival of its kind, it takes over Alice Springs each year with striking installations, storytelling, art and music.

The program of artworks, performances, workshops, film, talks and nightly projections is set against the ancient MacDonnell Ranges. Visitors will hear ancient songlines and Indigenous perspectives of what country means – while learning of the First Peoples’ deep connection and philosophy of land, water and sky country.

5. Kakadu

Inside Australia’s biggest national park you will find pretty rainforest, thundering waterfalls, rock art galleries up to 20,000 years old. At its very heart are sweeping wetlands home to saltwater crocs and all manner of birdlife, from whistling ducks to blue-winged kookaburras. As you drive from Darwin to Kakadu you can break up the drive with a Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River. In Kakadu, stay at the Ngurrungurrudjba (Yellow Water) Campground & Caravan Park, a great spot with a pool and restaurant on-site, right in the heart of Kakadu. Hop on a sunrise Yellow Water Cruise to watch the billabong come alive with crocodiles, buffalo, wild horses and all kinds of unique bird life. Head to Ubirr for some of the most detailed and wellpreserved Aboriginal Rock Art in the Top End. Stop for a dip at Maguk Waterhole, a rewarding spot to cool off after a walk through the rainforest. Nawurlandja Lookout is a great sunset spot, where you can watch Nourlangie Rock light up in spectacular shades of red and orange as the sun sets.

Top 5 things to do in Kakadu

1. Get your bearings at Bowali Visitor Centre. The kids will be happily distracted by the walk-through displays about the park’s plants and animals.
2. Discover Kakadu’s renowned Aboriginal rock art galleries in Ubirr, Nourlangie and Nanguluwur. You’ll see a fascinating record of Aboriginal life over thousands of years. Allow enough time to navigate the rocky path to the lookout to witness a spectacular sunset, especially if you have young kids in tow.
3. Take a Guluyambi Cultural Cruise, where you will travel with an Aboriginal guide up East Alligator River and learn about local traditions, food chains and bush survival skills.
4. Enjoy the absence of crocodiles at Gunlom Falls, an 85-metre-tall waterfall flowing into a natural plunge pool. At the bottom, a little beach provides a safe splash area for kids, while at the top, there is a stunning natural infinity pool, more rock pools for the kids and a lookout – if you can manage the one-kilometre return climb.
5. Steer through the crocodile-inhabited waters with Yellow Water Cruises, and book a sunset tour for some spectacular magenta-tinged views.

6. Darwin

The Northern Territory’s multicultural and dynamic capital, is packed with fun for families. Easy to fly into and explore by foot, car or bike, Darwin is your gateway to the Northern Territory. Make sure you take time to discover this vibrant city. Stop for a dip at the Darwin Waterfront, no crocodiles guaranteed at the lagoon beach, as well as plenty of great places to eat. Take a self-guided street art walking tour through the city to find laneways bursting with colourful murals. In the afternoon head down to the Mindil Sunset Markets (on Thursdays and Sundays), grab dinner from one of the food trucks and a spot on the beach to watch an iconic Darwin sunset. On another night, pop in for a movie at the Deckchair Cinema, with kids’ movies on Sunday nights and dinner before the movie served from local businesses. Base yourself at Discovery Parks Darwin.

Read: The best things to do in Darwin with kids

7. Mataranka

The heart of the Never Never, Mataranka is home to the most incredible natural hot springs within Elsey National Park. Stay at the Mataranka Homestead, where you can walk from your campervan straight to the thermal pool, with peacocks roaming around and live music at the restaurant. Just down the road, Bitter Springs is the natural spring, where you can float from one end to the other with the natural current. It’s a stunning oasis surrounded by tall palm trees.

8. Litchfield National Park

With waterfalls flowing all year round and croc-free waterholes (at certain times), it’s easy to see why Litchfield National Park is such a favourite. Buley Rockhole is a great place for kids, with plenty of small rock holes to jump between and lots of shallow pools to take a refreshing dip. Wangi Falls is also a favourite, with a sandy shore that runs right into the pool under the waterfall. Florence Falls is one of the best waterfalls in the park, and you can’t miss the giant cathedral and magnetic termite mounds too, some of which are more than 100 years old. There are unpowered campgrounds within Litchfield National Park, as well as plenty of options for powered sites just outside the park.

From Litchfield National Park, the drive back to Darwin is around one hour and 15 minutes. Stop for a dip at Berry Springs on your way back and grab a bite to eat at Berry Springs Tavern before returning to your digs in the city.

9. Tiwi Islands

Take a trip north of Darwin with SeaLink to the Tiwi Islands, where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. Made up of two main islands, Bathurst and Melville Islands, along with nine smaller uninhabited islands/

The Tiwi Islands are home to a thriving Indigenous community where art, culture and a passion for Australian Rules Football collide. Enjoy a taste of their creative spirit at one of the many art centres or on a cultural tour with a Tiwi local where you can create your own masterpiece in an art session. The islands themselves are as colourful as the art, with lush green rainforest, white clay cliffs, brilliant blue water, riotous red-sand beaches and vivid orange sunsets.

This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.

Keep reading:

• The best holiday parks in the NT
• Northern Territory family-friendly travel guide
• From Uluru to Kakadu: The best spots to explore in the Northern Territory

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