Rugged, mysterious, and hauntingly remote, the Northern Territory is Australia’s true outback and unlike any other place in the world. Vast stretches of pumpkin-red earth and silvery eucalyptus forest bake under the perennial sun, sprinkled with only a handful of plucky outback towns. The Northern Territory encompasses one-fifth of the Australian continent but it contains a meager 200,000 people; you’re more likely to spot a kangaroo along the endless highways than a person. The hearty Territorians that do dwell in these remote regions more than fulfill the Crocodile Dundee icon, demonstrating grit and generosity as well as a penchant for Victoria Bitter beer and meatpies.
Beyond the seemingly barren landscape and kitschy stereotypes of the Outback, one finds an amazingly rich patchwork of biology, geology, climate, and culture. In the north, the tropical Top End alternatively bakes in the dry winter heat and floods each summer with the monsoon rains, while the Red Centre to the south endures constant desert conditions. Beyond this climatic range, the region contains some of the oldest land formations, as well as the longest surviving cultures in the world. Million year old sand formations, gorges, and plateaus pervade the rugged landscape, imbuing an ancient grace to the raw landscape. Closely tied to these natural wonders are Aboriginal communities, many of which possess complex cultural histories dating back almost 50,000 years. At ancient rock-art sites like Ubirr and Nourlangie, one marvels at the spiritual tie the aboriginal communities have maintained with the land as well as the sustained balance achieved between the human and the natural world. Today, one quarter of Territorians are aboriginal, by far the highest proportion in the country.
