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General Information
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The Northern Territory represents one-sixth of Australia's land mass and is equivalent to the combined size of France, Spain and Italy. It covers 1.35 million square hectares and has 6,200 km of coast line. Despite its size, the Northern Territory represents less than two per cent of Australia's population. The Territory's 170,000 people live mainly in the centres of Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine, Nhulunbuy and Tennant Creek. Our population is the youngest in Australia, the average age of Territorians being 28 years. Some 20 per cent of our population were born outside of Australia, and Aboriginal people represent about 30 per cent of the population. The Territory is a big place. Don't make the mistake of planning a day trip from Darwin to Alice Springs ‚ the distance is some 2000 km. It takes three hours to drive from Darwin to Kakadu National Park, so think carefully about a day trip there, too. The Territory's two main centres are Darwin in the north and Alice Springs in the south. The climatic features of the two cities vary enormously. Alice Springs experiences a desert summer (up to 36C in the day time) and a desert winter (which gets pretty cold ‚ down to 2C at night), whereas Darwin's daytime temperature is a fairly constant 33C throughout the year. Darwin's climatic variations revolve around monsoons ‚ there is a Wet Season (October to May) and a Dry Season. In the Wet Season, humidity is very high and hovers in the 95+ per cent region. In the Dry Season, the humidity is much lower and night time temperatures can drop to about 15C. |
The Territory has a long and colourful history dating back some 40,000 years. Evidence of ancient Aboriginal rock art can be found at a variety of sites throughout the Territory. Our largest industry is mining, and running a close second is tourism. The NT now receives over one million visitors each year. Other industries include pastoralism, fishing and, to a lesser extent, horticulture. Our lifestyle is relaxed and leisurely. The climate and unique landscape of the Northern Territory are conducive to an outdoor lifestyle. Camping facilities abound, as do general picnic and outdoor facilities. Swimming is a great past-time, although visitors should pay careful attention to signs warning people not to swim in certain areas. There are very good reasons for the signs: crocodiles in some places and box jellyfish (Sea Wasps) in coastal regions. The Territory is a multicultural place. Darwin has 52 different ethnic groups and some visitors think the atmosphere is reminiscent of parts Asia. 'Culture' takes on a different meaning in the NT. Of course, we do have serious cultural pursuits, but we have a few frivolous ones, too. For example, Darwin's Beer Can Regatta and Alice Springs' infamous Henley-on-Todd Regatta (the Todd River is dry ‚ participants 'run' their 'boats' |
Our landscape is fascinating. In the north there are rivers, gorges and rainforest. In the south there is a desert landscape with some spectacular gorges, ranges and unusual features such as the Olgas, Uluru, Chambers Pillar and the Devil's Marbles. The Northern Territory has one of the Because of the vast distances and the harsh climate, carrying water‚ and lots of it‚ with you when travelling in the Northern Territory is a must. If you experience a motor vehicle breakdown in the Outback, it could be several hours or even days before help arrives. It is wise to try to drink at least two litres of water every day while you are in this part of the world. Photo: Trephina Gorge in Central Australia. Photo: Tourism NT |