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Travel and Tourism - Central Australia
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TENNANT CREEK While in Tennant Creek there are activities and experiences for people of all ages, catering to all types of interests. Tours and adventures from an hour a day can be experienced when you visit the sights around Tennant Creek. Gold Mining History: step inside Tennant Creek's historic stamping battery. This gold ore crushing plant comes alive for daily tours. Learn how the early miners used the old mill to treat their gold and to produce bars. Visit the museum with statues, photos and mining displays. Experience an underground tunnel or go on a nature walk. There are other mining tours available in Tennant Creek , visit the Burnt Shirt Mine by day or night, find your own gold using metal detectors and gold panning equipment, or enjoy an Aussie BBQ under the stars at an authentic gold mine. Travelling around Tennant: visit the Devil's Marbles (Karlukarlu) on your own or with a tour group. The aura and mystery of this extraordinary landmark must be experienced. Barrow Creek, 220 km south of Tennant Creek, has beautifully restored Telegraph Station buildings which were established in 1872. The 1929 hotel has a lot of character, and don't miss the "Bush Bank" while you're there. Wycliffe Well is becoming famous as a UFO-spotting site. Various UFO sightings are documented at the roadhouse. Wycliffe Well is 132 km south of Tennant Creek. At Wauchope (pronounced Walkup) you can join the party at the bar or enjoy a drink in the landscaped courtyard. The Wauchope Pub was built in 1938 to service the needs of the wolfram mines and is 114 km south of Tennant Creek. Wauchope is also the stepping off point for the Devil's Marbles (pictured, top of next column), which are only five minutes' drive away. |
Karlukarlu (the Devil's Marbles),
just 15km south of
Tribute to stockmen, Tennant Creek 1880 Bonney Well, 85km south
For further information, contact Tennant Creek Regional Tourism Association Tel: international +61-8-8962 3388 or in Australia 08-8962 3388 Top photo: Panning for gold in Tennant Creek. |
Alice Springs
Camel riding in the Centre Photo: Tourism NT
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CENTRAL AUSTRALIA So you thought it would be flat , and dusty, and uninteresting? Well, as you'll discover, it's not flat. In fact, we have mountains which are the highest mountains in Australia west of the Great Dividing Range. Aren't they wonderful? Set in the majesty of the clear skies and the ghost gums and the sandy dry rivers, set in the unique Australian Outback with its starkness, solitude and space. I know that my pride is showing, but you'll note from talking to the people of Central Australia that we love this land. And we want to share it with you. Once upon a time there were people who thought Australia had no history. But we certainly have a history. It's the world's oldest, in fact, based, paradoxically, on today's people and a timeless landscape. It's a living history, and in coming here you are part of a story still being written. Here you can experience the culture of Australia's Aboriginal people, whose artwork and ceremonial cycles are uncompromisingly the same as they were thousands of years before the civilisations of Europe, Asia and Africa. In Central Australia the Aboriginal languages are still in existence as mother-tongue for thousands of people. There are modern adaptations of this living culture in the souvenir shops and art galleries, and you can be sure any artefacts or paintings you buy here are authentic, uniquely based on centuries of ceremonies, traditions and song cycles. The landscape is uncompromising, harsh if you like, but tranquil if you understand it, ruggedly magnificent, protective somehow, as though to reassure us. Please stay as long as you like. Stay forever if you wish, for, as you can see, there's plenty of room. Visit all the fascinating places we have to offer. But occasionally, stop, rest and look around you. Relax, and think your thoughts. And if you can camp out under the stars in absolute safety on a clear night, your life will never be the same again, I promise you. Thank you for coming to the Centre. Ted Egan AO For further information, contact: Central Australian Tourism Industry Association Tel: international +61-8-8952 5199 or in Australia 08-8952 5199 http://www.centralaustraliantourism.com/
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