NT

 

Barranyi (North Island) National Park
Access is by vessel only, via a 35km journey along the McArthur River and Carrington Channel to reach Gulf waters. The closest launching site for vessels visiting the Park is at King Ash Bay, accessed via Borroloola along a formed gravel road. Barranyi (North Island) National Park lies within the Sir Edward Pellew group of islands around 30km from the mouth of the McArthur River and Carrington Channel entrances (refer to marine chart AUST 305). The island is the traditional home of the Yanyuwa Aboriginal people. The Park plays an important role in the preservation and protection of their culture and tradition.

 

Charles Darwin National Park
Named after the world famous scientist Charles Darwin, this National Park provides stunning views across the mangroves and harbour to the city of Darwin.  It is an ideal place to catch a late afternoon storm in the early wet season or to watch the morning light bathe the city.  Thirty-six of the Northern Territory's 51 mangrove species grow here and there is an abundance of wildlife.  

 

Elsey National Park 
The Park has three access points. To access the main Thermal Pool, take the Homestead Road turnoff (1.5km south of Mataranka on the Stuart Highway) and follow it for around 7km. To access the facilities along John Hauser Drive, turn off the Homestead Road around 4km from the Highway. The Bitter Springs access is via a sealed road leading directly from the Mataranka township. The Roper River begins within the boundaries of the 13,840 hectare Elsey National Park. Numerous springs within the Park feed the Roper River which, in the Dry Season from April to September, flows gently through large waterholes and then tumbles over rocks and tufa dams. During the Wet Season, flood waters cause the river to swell and rage on its journey to the sea.

Finke Gorge National Park
The Park is 138km (about 2 hours drive) west of Alice Springs. Turn south off Larapinta Drive just west of Hermannsburg. Access along the last 16km of road, which follows the sandy bed of the Finke River, is limited to 4WD vehicle only. Heavy rains may cause this section of the road to be impassable. Finke Gorge National Park covers an area of 46,000 hectares, and includes the impressive Palm Valley. Palm Valley is home to a diverse range of plant species many of which are rare and unique to the area, including the Red Cabbage Palm for which the Park is well known. This species of Palm is restricted to this area, having a population of around 3,000 adult plants. The Park and nearby areas hold cultural significance to the Western Arrernte Aboriginal people as well as displaying evidence of early European settlement of central Australia

 

Garig Gunak Barlu National Park
Garig Gunak Barlu National Park is pronounced Gah-rig Goon-uk Bar-loo. It was previously known as Gurig National Park and Cobourg Marine Park. It is about 570 km (by road) northeast of Darwin on the Cobourg Peninsula. The Park includes the entire Peninsula, the surrounding waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Gulf, and some of the neighbouring islands. It covers about 4,500 sq. km. Cobourg Peninsula is the only National Park in the Northern Territory which contains adjoining land and marine areas. The Park conserves a mosaic of sandy beaches, dunes and associated coastal grasslands, mangroves, rainforest patches, swamps, lagoons, coral reefs, sea grass meadows and rich marine life. The Park is internationally important and was the first park in the world to be declared under the RAMSAR Convention because of it's significant wetlands. A permit is required by visitors to stay overnight in the Park, whether you arrive by road, air or sea.

 

Gregory National Park
The Park may be reached via the Victoria Highway from either Katherine, Kununurra or the unsealed Buntine Highway. Gregory National Park covers an area of around 13,000 square km in the transition zone between tropical and semi-arid regions of the Northern Territory. The Park features spectacular range and gorge scenery and significant traces of Aboriginal culture, European exploration and pastoral history.

 

Kakadu National Park
This World Heritage Listed National Park is a landscape of unsurpassed beauty, with world renowned wetlands attracting extraordinary numbers of birds, thundering waterfalls, natural rock pools and open wetlands that offer a refuge for a wide range of native animals.  It is also a very spiritual place, with a cultural heritage that reflects the unique relationship between the Aboriginal custodians and the land itself. Kakadu is Australia's largest National Park with entire ecosystems within its boundaries. Visit Bowali and Warradjan centres for a better understanding of the Park's Aboriginal culture. 

Keep River National Park
The Park entrance is 3 km east of the NT/WA border, 468km west of Katherine. Formed gravel roads suitable for 2WD vehicles lead to the main attractions. During the wet season roads may be closed due to flooding. All vehicles are restricted to formed roads. Keep River National Park is noted for its striking landforms 

Limmen National Park
The Park is located approximately 305km southeast of Katherine and 76km northwest of Borroloola.  It is very isolated. Much of the area is rugged with spectacular weathered sandstone formations and intervening alluvial valleys. While the Park has significant opportunities for recreation and conservation, access can be difficult. This has contributed to the isolated and wild character of the area.

Litchfield National Park
Near Batchelor, 100 km south-west of Darwin, the Park is generally accessible all year (sealed roads) via Batchelor. In the dry season it is also possible to get to the Park via Cox Peninsula Road (which is unsealed). Litchfield National Park protects extensive examples of Top End habitats. It also features numerous waterfalls which cascade from a sandstone plateau called the Tabletop Range, intriguing magnetic termite mounds, historical sites, and the weathered sandstone pillars of the Lost City.

 

Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park
Nitmiluk National Park is located in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory. The Park has two main points of visitor access. The Park's main entrance is located 30 km northeast of Katherine via a sealed road. Leliyn (Edith Falls) on the western side of the Park, is reached by turning off the Stuart Highway 42km north of Katherine then following a sealed road for a further 19km. This 292,800 hectare National Park is owned by the Jawoyn Aboriginal people and jointly managed with the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. Some of the Park's features include spectacular dissected sandstone country, broad valleys and numerous, significant cultural sites. The deep gorge carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River is the central attraction of the Park

 

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Located 440kms south-west of Alice Springs, in the heart of the central deserts, the ancient forms of Uluru and Kata Tjuta lie geographically, spiritually and symbolically at the centre of Australia. Protected within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Uluru (Ayres Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) rise from the flat desert, shrouded in myth and mystery, the colours and moods ever-changing with the interplay of light from sun, cloud and rain. At around 350 metres high, Uluru is the worlds largest monolith. Its circumference measures 9.4km.

 

Watarrka National Park
450km southwest of Alice Springs and can be reached by 2WD vehicle via Luritja Road from Yulara and Lasseters Highway (sealed road). It can also be reached: via Larapinta Drive, through the West MacDonnell National Park, linking into the new gravel Mereenie Loop Road (4WD recommended); or via Ernest Giles Road (4WD essential) and Luritja Road.  Watarrka National Park contains the western end of the George Gill Range. This scenic landscape of rugged ranges, rockholes and gorges acts as a refuge for many plants and animals, making the Park an important conservation area and major attraction of central Australia. Kings Canyon features ancient sandstone walls, sculptured by the elements, rising up 100m to a plateau of rocky domes

West MacDonnell National Park
Vehicle access to West MacDonnell National Park from Alice Springs is via Larapinta Drive and Namatjira Drive. From the direction of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, the unsealed Mereenie Loop Road (4WD recommended) connects Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) with West MacDonnell National Park. Simpsons Gap is also accessible via a 17km sealed bicycle track beginning opposite Flynn's Grave, 7km from Alice Springs along Larapinta Drive. This vast and spectacular section of the MacDonnell Ranges, located west of Alice Springs, is an outstanding example of an ancient landscape sculptured over time by climatic elements. Cool scenic gorges are important refuges for a collection of plants and animals, many of which are found only here and some are relicts of a bygone era of tropical forests. There are many opportunities for visitors to explore and appreciate the scenic beauty and history of the area. Features of the landscape are significant in the stories of Western Arrernte Aboriginal culture, and have existed for many thousands of years. A world class bicycle path leads out from Alice Springs through the bush to this Park.