5 places to connect with country in the NT

By Alexis Buxton-Collions
Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2020

There’s a wild magic to the ancient landscapes of the red centre and top end. It’s what draws visitors back time and again.

For tens of thousands of years, these lands have been home to vibrant and continuously evolving cultures.

Here are 5 experiences that’ll get you acquainted with the heart and soul of Australia as well as its traditional owners.

1. Uluru

Uluru is one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks and is also a place of deep spiritual importance to the Anangu people. Their Tjukurpa, or law, explains both how Uluṟu was formed and how it should be cared for today.

The ranger-led activities in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park are currently on hold, but you can still walk around the iconic sandstone monolith. As well as realising just how large it is (the full walk is slightly over 10km), you’ll have the opportunity to learn some of the stories that have been passed from generation to generation for millennia.

For guests at Ayers Rock Resort, a range of free daytime activities delve into the food, art and traditions of Indigenous groups around Australia.

Uluru. Image: Tourism NT, Jackson Groves

2. Nitmiluk

Katherine Gorge has long been a vital resting place for the local Jawoyn people. They named the area Nitmiluk after the omnipresent “nit-nit-nit” of cicadas that are drawn to the lush environment.

You’ll hear plenty of them as you travel up the Katherine River, between vertical walls of spectacular orange sandstone adorned with lush hanging gardens and ancient rock-art sites. At the other end of Nitmiluk National Park, a series of cascades fill an enormous waterhole surrounded by flaking paperbarks and pandanus palms.

Day tours from Darwin will take you to both sides of Nitmiluk National Park. Cruise up the Katherine River, where you’ll learn about the traditional uses for local plants.

Katherine Gorge. Image: Tourism NT, Charles Hill

3. Kakadu

Boasting more than 5000 recorded rock art sites, Kakadu has a collection to rival the world’s most prestigious galleries. The paintings depict wildlife (including some species that are now extinct in the area), humans and supernatural beings, all in incredible detail.

Kakadu’s rock art acts as a continuous record of life in the region. Created tens of thousands of years ago, these images show how the environment changed after the last ice age, and more recent paintings show the arrival of Europeans. Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) and Ubirr are among the most celebrated (and accessible) sites.

Tours from Darwin allow you to get up close to the most spectacular rock arts sites, hear about their significance and get up-close to local wildlife.

Ubirr rock art. Image: Tourism NT, Peter Eve

4. Arnhem Land

Home to some of the last great remaining wilderness in the world, Arnhem Land’s untamed expanses provide plenty of space for both nature and Indigenous culture to thrive. Visiting requires a permit and means leaving the paved road behind, but the reward is a chance to connect to this majestic landscape and its traditional owners.

Vast wetlands and rocky escarpments have provided food and shelter for countless generations of Bininj and Yolŋu people. Their art is inescapably linked to this country, from superb galleries of rock art to mats, baskets and bags woven from pandanus palms and coloured with vibrant dyes derived from local plants.

Both traditional pandanus weaving and rock art can be seen on a day tour from Darwin that also explores the stunning natural landscape.

The Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. Image: Tourism NT

5. Tiwi Islands

Australia’s Indigenous cultures are as rich as they are diverse, and nowhere is this more evident than on the islands off the coast of the Northern Territory.

Ancient and modern life sit side-by-side across the Tiwi Islands. Here, traditional stories and ceremonies are still a part of everyday life, but more than 85% of residents are Catholic. The result is an unforgettable fusion, from silk artwork displayed in arts centres to church interiors decorated with vibrant traditional art and pukumani (painted funeral poles).

Get to know the locals on a day tour from Darwin that includes a welcome ceremony as well as a chance to tour the islands, see artists at work and learn about the unique culture from a local perspective.

Aboriginal artist in the Tiwi Islands. Image: Tourism NT, James Fisher

A local artist on the Tiwi Islands. Image: Tourism NT: James Fisher

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