Northern Territory/ NT (Darwin)

The facts
The Northern Territory is at the top of Australia and is renowned for its natural wonders and Aboriginal history and culture. The Territory is large, with 1.35 million square kilometres but only 220,000 residents. Most people live in the capital, Darwin, which sits on the coast of the Timor Sea. The other major towns are Katherine and Alice Springs.

The days are hot all year round. Darwin has a tropical climate with average temperatures in summer of 25 degrees overnight and 33 degrees in the day, and in winter, 21 degrees overnight to 31 degrees in the day.

What makes the NT unique?
The Territory is where you’ll find the sights of outback Australia – striking red earth set against the endless blue sky and Uluru (Ayers Rock). There are many national parks with amazing scenery. The Aboriginal culture is the longest surviving continuous culture in history, and the Territory is where you’ll find evidence of this through ancient artifacts and rock carvings.

Darwin is a multicultural city with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Attractions include the Botanical Gardens, the Territory Wildlife Park, the Museum and Art Gallery and Mindil Beach markets. International students attend institutions in Darwin and Katherine. Katherine is a great city for experiencing Aboriginal culture and art before heading south to Alice Springs and Uluru.

Kakadu National Park boasts hundreds of species of wildlife and over 5,000 Aboriginal rock art sites dating back almost 20,000 years. Kings Canyon, though in the middle of the desert, is a magnificent gorge where you will find an area full of lush palms. Near Alice Springs is Uluru (Ayers Rock), the largest monolith in the world and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) - giant rounded rocks jutting out of the ground .

University campuses in the NT
Charles Darwin University

Getting there and getting around
Darwin has an international airport. Buses are available in Darwin, Katherine, Alice Springs and some of the other larger towns. Travel between towns is by bus, train or plane.

Find out more
www.travelnt.com (tourist information)
www.nt.gov.au (NT Government services)
www.ntnews.com.au (Darwin's newspaper)
www.citysearch.com.au (nightlife and events)