Van-Tastic NT Adventures

What's so Van-Tastic about the Northern Territory?

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Pick up: Adelaide, Drop off: Darwin

Follow in the footsteps of one of the world’s greatest explorers, experience the world’s oldest living culture and find yourself in the vast expanse of wilderness that’s remained the same as it was for hundreds of millions of years.

Trust us, when you cross the border into “the NT” you’ll know you’re in Australia’s legendary outback. Out here, people love a chat! And their stories will stay with you for a lifetime.

Where else will you be serenaded by a singing dingo? Where else can you meet the world’s tallest standing Aboriginal? Where else will you find a boat race in a dry river bed? Where else will you meet members of the most useless club in the world - the “Rocksitters”? And where else can you swim with crocodiles (albeit in the “Cage of Death”)?

Ever since a tough-nut by the name of John MacDouall Stuart found the path from Adelaide to Darwin in 1862, the interior of Australia has blown away almost all who visit. So much so that nearly 200,000 have decided to hang around and call this incredible country home.

Our Van-Tastic partners will look after you! Check out these FREE activities on offer for our NT Team....

	Is that THE rock?. Put your credentials as a well-travelled globetrotter on the line at Curtin Springs . Let’s see if you make the same mistake as thousands of tourists…is that really Uluru (Ayers Rock) or a geological cousin? It’s our shout, so call into the pub owned by Peter Severin, a legend of these parts and a man who carved a life out of this arid desert. Pull up a pew, chill out and whet your whistle.
	Sunrise over Uluru In a country this big, the leg from Curtin Springs to Yulara is a breeze. Thanks to our friends at Voyages Ayers Rock Resort tonight’s dinner is on the house. You’ll have to cook it though, but we’re sure you’ll love a big steak that’s fresh off the outback barbie. Sleep well because tomorrow you’re up before the birds to take in one of the world’s truly iconic sights – sunrise over Uluru (Ayers Rock) – with Australia Ecotours. Feel like an adrenaline rush? Then jump in the saddle with Uluru Motorcycle Tours for a cruise through the desert and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas).
	Kings Canyon Next stop is the Garden of Eden at Kings Canyon and a working cattle station at nearby Kings Creek Station. Here, you can experience authentic outback life riding a camel, in a helicopter or on a quad-bike. As you head to Alice Springs, drop into Stuart’s Well Roadhouse for a bathroom break with a difference!
	The Alice The "Alice” as locals call it is home to Australia’s pioneering heart and the most art galleries per capita than anywhere else in the country. Visit the School of the Air and the legendary Royal Flying Doctor Service. Learn the art of Aboriginal dot painting at the Many Hands Art Centre before enjoying a bike ride through the desert with a Traditional Aboriginal Owner, Jungala Kriss. Experience Rainbow Valley, the new rock-on-the-block, with another Traditional Owner, Ricky Orr.
	The Roadhouse experience As you head north up “the track” (Stuart Highway) call into the Aileron Roadhouse 130km north of Alice Springs and say g’day to owner Greg Dick, who single-handedly financed and built the world’s largest standing Aboriginal: Anmatjere Man, and his wife and child
	Devils Marbles As you near Tenant Creek keep an eye out for the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve and call into one of the most remarkable natural and cultural landscapes in the NT. Experience the last great Australian goldrush at Battery Creek Mining Centre before learning about the local Warumungu people who have called this land home for tens of thousands of years.
	Katherine Gorge Just as this amazing landscape begins to change from arid desert country to the lush tropical north, pull over to have a dip in the Matarakna Thermal Pools. Dust off the desert and get ready for the breathtaking Katherine Gorge where you’ll get up close and personal with this ancient landscape in the company of expert guides from Nitmiluk Tours. Now it is off to the famous Daly Waters Pub, an icon of the NT! Rest up and join the locals for some of the most unique nightlife you’ll experience anywhere in the world.
	The mighty crocs and Kakadu Kakadu National Park offers a succession of ridiculously beautiful water holes at Gunlom, Koolpin and Maguk. Don’t be fooled by the serene and inviting nature of these water holes, as the fearsome saltwater crocodile calls them home at the time of year you’re travelling. Don’t worry, a stunning Yellow Water Cruise at Cooinda will get you close enough to appreciate this evolutionary masterpiece of Mother Nature
	Darwin “If ever a city could be described as both vibrant and laid-back in the same breath, it would be Darwin.”(Christina Pfeiffer) Now that you’ve followed in the foot-steps of Stuart and experienced Australia’s outback, it’s time to chill out and enjoy the charm of Australia’s northern most capital city. While you’re at it, take a dip with a crocodile and experience the infamous “Cage of Death” at Crocosaurus Cove . Explore the Word War II heritage of Darwin with the Bombing of Darwin Heritage Tour and learn how the same Japanese force that attacked Pearl Harbour levelled the city a few months later in early 1942.

Where could you go on your Van-Tastic NT adventure?

Drive the Red Centre Way An adventure into the heart of this ancient land, the Red Centre Way drive navigates through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Kings Canyon, the West MacDonnell Ranges and Alice Springs. The Red Centre Way is the gateway to an abundance of natural and aboriginal attractions through the ancient heart of the Australian outback.

Drive the Explorer's Way Follow the same route of famous Australian explorer John McDouall Stuart and travel through red desert country via the real Australian outback en route to the Territory’s lush northern tropics. This road links the Territory from top to bottom, encompassing some of its best-known natural icons; the Devils Marbles, Litchfield National Park, Nitmiluk National Park, Cutta Cutta Caves and Bitter Springs. In the south, the road is straddled by the East and West MacDonnell Ranges.

Drive the Nature's Way Eye candy for every driving holiday traveller, the Nature’s Way meanders through World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park and Nitmuluk National Park. It’s a drive through the Territory’s stunning and lush northern tropics, steeped in nature, aboriginal culture and outback pioneering history. For the adventure traveller - canoe down the Katherine River, swim in waterfalls at Litchfield and discover the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal rock art at Kakadu National Park.