Hi guys, we are Emma and Thom Shaw from @exploreshaw. Explore Shaw is our internet home where we share stories from our travels around the world. We recently enjoyed a two month road trip through the Northern Territory and would love to share with you some of our highlights.
Both of us grew up in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne. We actually met when we were in High School and have just recently celebrated 12 years together. Our love of travel has slowly grown over the years. We started travelling as soon as Thom finished his carpentry apprenticeship.
Our first trip to Uluru inspired our travels around Australia. The minute we landed in the Red Centre we looked at each other and said we need to figure out how to do this for a while. Our plans started with a three month trip, a six month trip and eventually blew out to a year long lap around Oz.
We left after Christmas last year and got through to South Australia and Western Australia before covid hit. At the end of March, we returned to Victoria to see out the first coronavirus lockdown because it made financial sense. Luckily, we managed to escape before the second wave.
Two Month Road Trip in the Northern Territory
It was in July of this year when we began our road trip up to the Northern Territory. We spent two months there which was amazing. The Northern Territory is a unique part of Australia and a must-visit destination for all tourists as well as Australians looking to explore their own country.
We visited so many beautiful places across the Northern Territory including: Uluru, Alice Springs, the Red Centre, Katherine, Darwin, Arnhem Land, Tiwi Islands and Kakadu National Park – all different places across the top of Australia. Each place offers a completely unique experience.
The Northern Territory is such a different destination to anywhere else in Australia. The landscapes here are simply remarkable and breathtaking. It’s definitely best discovered on a road trip where you have the ability to stop as you please and explore all the hidden gems as you come across them.
From the weather, to the landscapes, to the people – we loved absolutely everything about the Northern Territory. When it came time for us to leave we were actually very sad but we know we’ll be back one day.
Favourite Places in the Northern Territory
It’s not possible to choose just one favourite place from our Northern Territory road trip because we loved every part of this land. Uluru and the Red Centre hold a lot of meaning to us because Uluru is the spiritual heart of Australia and was the place that inspired us from the beginning.
On the other hand, we also fell in love with Darwin and the Tiwi Islands. The Tiwi Islands are located 80 km north of Darwin and are real hidden gems. These islands are made up of two main islands called Bathurst Island and Melville Island and are home to the fascinating Tiwi Aboriginal people.
Top 5 Things To Do on a Northern Territory Road Trip
The Northern Territory offers road trippers an incredible range of experiences – from Kakadu to Uluru and from Darwin to the Outback. There’s never a shortage of landscapes to see, wildlife to discover, history to learn and indigenous culture to meet. See our top experiences below.
- Visit Uluru and marvel at the immensity of Ayers Rock
- Check out the street art and admire the sunsets in Darwin
- Learn about the Aboriginal culture at Kakadu National Park
- Canoe down the majestic Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge
- Relax at Tiwi Island Retreat on Bathurst Island (Tiwi Islands)
Another favourite experience (although not connected to a road trip) was travelling from Darwin to Adelaide through the centre of Australia on the Ghan Train. It completely blew our expectations. The journey offers many sights along the way. We can’t speak highly enough about it.
Meeting the Amazing People of the NT
The people in the Northern Territory are the absolute best. They were by far the friendliest and nicest people of any state we have travelled through in Australia so far. We were travelling during the middle of Victoria’s second wave of the coronavirus with Victorian number plates and ID’s.
We were nervous that we would be received negatively on the road but we didn’t experience anything like that. Everyone was so lovely in each place that we visited. We got the chance to meet locals wherever we went and the people blew us away with their laid back nature and warmth.
What you Need to Know Before you Go
The first recommendation we can give for a Northern Territory road trip is to plan your trip to make sure you have enough time to see everything. Distances in the Northern Territory are gigantic – so you need to prepare accordingly. Make sure you have enough time to get from A to B.
Fill up whenever you can if you’re in the middle of a long drive just to be safe. Also, let the pressure out a bit on your tires on dirt roads. It makes so much difference! And if you can, try and save a little extra money for some of those bucket-list experiences. The NT has so many of them!
Some of our favourite experiences included flying over Uluru at sunset, swimming in the hot springs of Mataranka, losing count of the hundreds of crocodiles we saw in just two months and witnessing gorgeous orange sunsets every night. The Northern Territory is just a magical place.
Thanks for reading and we hope that this blog on our Northern Territory road trip inspires you to visit one of the most spectacular regions on earth.
