STATE BY STATE GUIDE:

Northern Territory Capital: Darwin Total land area: 1,349,129 km² Population: 201,800 Highest point: Mount Zeil, 1531 m The Northern Territory is a contrast of lush green tropical vegetation on the north coast and a harsh, dry interior.

Darwin is a modern, cosmopolitan city on the north coast closer to Asia than to other Australian cities. It’s a centre for backpackers and other tourists with plenty of night-life, hostels and a wide range of attractions including a good shopping centre, crocodile farms, a good aquarium, fishing trips and the nearby Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks.

Bear in mind it can be very hot and humid with temperatures of well over 40°C in the wet season. It doesn’t get much cooler at night either so slow life down and drink plenty. You do acclimatize after a week or so especially if you stay out of air conditioning. I was advised to eat plenty of curry and chilli as it apparently helps to thin the blood. I don’t know if it works but I didn’t mind trying it out!

Beware the mosquitoes and sand flies. The latter are the smallest flies you’ve ever seen with one of the biggest bites (someone advised me it was actually their urine that burns). A good insect repellent sorts them out but don’t fall asleep on your balcony at night after a few too many beers in one of Darwin’s many bars. You’ll be eaten alive – I speak from experience!

The parks are the reason most tourists visit and there are endless tours and trips on offer. Advantages of taking a tour are that you meet other travelers and you’ll usually get an expert’s insight into the area. On the other hand you obviously pay for the luxury and if you’re prepared to do a bit of reading much of the information can be gleaned from books and the excellent information centres. A cheeky tip when visiting key attractions is to follow a group round and listen to the guide. Try not to make it too obvious though!

Litchfield National Park is only 140km south of Darwin. Try not to visit at a weekend in the dry season as it’s a very popular place for locals to visit. You’ll find them with tables and chairs sat in the middle of a stream eating lunch and downing a few beers.

Litchfield is not as commercialized as Kakadu and has some lovely waterfalls and pools. The magnetic termite mounds are worth a look too. They’re built in a north-south orientation to take advantage of the morning and afternoon sun. The waterfalls are the real attraction though and they’re absolute heaven after a hard days riding in the dry season. At this time of year the crocs don’t swim upstream as far as the top of the plateau.

The same can’t be said of Kakadu. Don’t take chances here. There are signs everywhere telling you not to swim. A week before I last arrived in Kakadu a female tourist was taken in a billabong and the previous year a man was attacked on the banks of a river in front of his family.

Don’t let this put you off. Kakadu is stunningly beautiful and a haven for wildlife. It’s full of swampy rivers, large rocky outcrops overlooking vast wetlands, steep waterfalls and dark plunge pools. It’s a nature lover’s paradise and an early morning boat trip on Yellow Water just as the mist is rising is an unforgettable experience.

The quantity of life and range of species is incredible and you’ll see saltwater and freshwater crocs, eagles, water buffalo, snakes, cranes, kingfishers, waterfowl, pelicans, giant water lilies, paperbark trees etc. The list goes on and on and the helpful rangers ensure you don’t miss anything.

Kakadu is steeped in aboriginal history and it’s worth taking some time out to learn more about their culture. It helps the land come alive and brings meaning to much of the aboriginal talk you’ll hear on your travels around Australia. I wasn’t particularly interested in this aspect of Australia but the more I learned the more I came to respect their way of life. The beautiful scenery helps you understand why aboriginal people love their country and watching the sun go down over the wetlands whilst sat on the cliff top at Ubirr is the closest I’ve come to a spiritual experience for many years.

Riding south from Kakadu you travel the Stuart Highway that runs right through to South Australia past Alice Springs. There are some interesting stops as you head south. Edith Falls is a series of waterfalls ending in a large pool close to the good quality campsite. An early morning walk upstream rewards you with a real feeling of being in the bush and many lovely views. After 3 or 4 miles a swim in one of the pools is very welcome before you head back to camp. Take plenty of water whenever you go walking even if it’s cool when you set off.

Katherine Gorge is actually a series of 13 steep gorges cut through the bedrock by the Katherine River. There’s a good information centre, campsite and restaurant and the best way to see the gorges is from a hire canoe. Gently paddle up and then down stream and if you get too hot and thirsty just jump in - the water’s so clean you can drink it while you’re in there! The freshwater crocodile slides in the sandy banks can be a bit disconcerting but Rangers assured me I’d be safe.

Further south the famous Daly Waters outback pub is definitely worth a visit. It loses its charm a bit if a bus load of tourists turn up but the vast array of underwear, driving licenses, passports and other memorabilia pinned to the walls is an indication of how the evening’s drinking sessions can turn out. Don’t plan on an early start if you decide to stay a night!

Carry on south from Daly Waters and you’ll pass Tennant Creek and the Devil’s Marbles on the way to The MacDonnell Ranges, Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock). I’ve never got that far and am planning a north south trip for my next journey. Instead I’ve always turned off at Daly Waters and headed for Borroloola close to the Gulf of Carpentaria. Borroloola is nothing to write home about (although the pub does a great roast on a Sunday) but it marks the start of the unmade Carpentaria Highway heading towards Queensland.

The Gulf road is 780 kilometres of rough road with the odd roadhouse. There are short sections of blacktop at Burketown but it finishes shortly afterwards on the way to Normanton. The road conditions vary from long stretches of deep corrugations to smooth gravel surfaces. Beware of bull dust in large holes and I wouldn’t travel the road in the wet season as there are several river crossings that are unnoticeable in the dry but can be torrents in the wet.

It’s worth letting the police know your itinerary before you leave Borroloola and always phone them when you reach your destination. The road passes typical red soiled bush and you can make short trips off to the coast to try a bit of barramundi fishing (a must for lovers of fishing and/or delicious fish!).

Although Burketown is in Queensland I’ll cover it here as it’s on the highway. It has some interesting history due to the adventures of Burke and Wills and if you travel late in the year (October-November) there’s a chance of seeing the Morning Glory cloud formation roll in from the Gulf. This is a long tube of dense cloud that rolls dramatically overhead with a rush of wind first thing in the morning and it can only be seen in one or two places in the world. There’s also a good chance you’ll see cattle being herded with helicopters. It’s amazing to watch them flying just a few feet off the ground and with incredible maneuverability.

The road turns to gravel again between Burketown and Normanton and at the end of 800kms of rough riding the sense of achievement I had at crossing the track was fantastic. I was so relieved to get back onto tarmac that I dropped to my knees and literally kissed it – only to burn my lips! I can’t describe the deep sense of elation I felt especially considering this journey was the first I’d ever ridden off road for any distance and I’d made the trip alone. I’m sure it’s not a patch on walking unaided to the South Pole or something but I certainly felt like it was that scale of achievement!

From Normanton there’s a few hundred kilometres to the East Coast and the Great Barrier Reef!