Load the car and hit the road, a driving holiday in the Northern Territory has all the elements of a great Australian road trip.
There are five recognised themed drives in the Northern Territory, each with their own unique story: Explorer’s Way, Nature’s Way, Red Centre Way, Overlanders Way and Savannah Way.
There are also countless four wheel drive tracks that snake through various scenic landscapes. The Binns track is the latest four wheel drive challenge, a seven-day adventure from Mount Dare in South Australia to Timber Creek. Not for the faint hearted, the track traverses 8-metre high sand ridges, rocky escarpment country and boggy marshes.
A driving holiday in the Northern Territory will link you to many of Australia’s best-known icons and give you the opportunity to explore lesser-known natural and cultural wonders of Australia's outback. Whether you want to go off road or on an outback Australia holiday, grab a map to explore your options in the NT. A driving holiday in the Northern Territory gives you the freedom and flexibility to explore at your own pace.
Binns Track
Take an epic journey on the Northern Territory’s newest four-wheel drive route, the Binns Track. Running from Mount Dare on the South Australian border to Timber Creek near Kununurra, the track covers 2191km and winds through many of the NT’s lesser-known nature reserves and National Parks. It passes through outback towns Alice Springs and Tennant Creek and traverses some of the NT’s most interesting landscapes in the western Simpson Desert, East MacDonnell Ranges, Davenport Ranges National Park and Gregory National Park.
The Red Centre Way
An adventure into the heart of this ancient land, the Red Centre Way drive navigates through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Kings Canyon, the West MacDonnell Ranges and Alice Springs.
See the sights at your own pace or learn about the traditional aboriginal land owners, the Arrente people’s, connection with this area on a guided tour.
The Red Centre Way is the gateway to an abundance of natural and aboriginal attractions through the ancient heart of the Australian outback. Allow a minimum of 5 to 7 days for this journey through red desert sands, spinifex and mulga forest.
The Nature's Way
Eye candy for every driving holiday traveller, the Nature’s Way meanders through World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park and Nitmuluk National Park. It’s a drive through the Territory’s stunning and lush northern tropics, steeped in nature, aboriginal culture and outback pioneering history.
For the adventure traveller - canoe down the Katherine River, swim in waterfalls at Litchfield and discover the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal rock art at Kakadu National Park. Explore in your own time, but 5-7 days is best for this journey.
The Explorer's Way
Follow the same route of famous Australian explorer John McDouall Stuart and travel through red desert country via the real Australian outback en route to the Territory’s lush northern tropics.
This road links the Territory from top to bottom, encompassing some of its best-known natural icons; the Devils Marbles, Litchfield National Park, Nitmuluk National Park, Cutta Cutta Caves and Bitter Springs.
In the south, the road is straddled by the East and West MacDonnell Ranges.
You can get a snapshot of the Territory in 7 days, but with so much to explore, it’s easy to stay much longer.
The Savannah Way
Stretching coast to coast, from Broome in West Australia to Cairns in Queensland, the Savannah Way is an epic 3500km adventure through the heart of Australia’s northern tropics.
It snakes through some of the Territory’s best-known natural wonders and links to barramundi and saratoga fishing hotspots.
A four-wheel drive is recommended on this drive, as it traverses rugged and challenging country. The Savannah Way is a great Australian adventure drive, linking national parks, historic drives and outback Australian towns. Allow at least 14 days for the Northern Territory section or 30 days for the entire journey.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Northern Territory
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Northern Territory - updated May 2024
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Northern Territory Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
