Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Darwin to Uluru Highlights
Witness the wonderful
Uluru
(
Click here
) and
Kata Tjuta
(
Click here
) at sunset
Paddle a canoe beneath soaring sandstone ramparts in
Nitmiluk (Katherine
Gorge) National Park
(
Click here
)
Cruise with huge crocodiles at
Kakadu National Park
(
Click here
)
Sample a satay at
Mindil Beach Sunset Market
(
Click here
)
Hike past prehistoric ferns through bizarre beehive rock formations to
Kings
Canyon
(
Click here
)
Plunge into a crystal-clear rock pool at
Litchfield National Park
(
Click here
)
Soak in a thermal spring at
Mataranka
(
Click here
)
Gaze at ghost gums, budgerigars and wallabies at
West MacDonnell National
Park
(
Click here
)
Wander among the boulders at
Devil's Marbles Conservation Reserve
(
Click
here
)
Battle a barra and catch your daily limit at
Daly River
(
Click here
)
History
Early attempts to settle the Top End were mainly due to British fears that the French or
Dutch might get a foothold in Australia. The Brits established three forts between 1824
and 1838, but all were short-lived. Then the desire for more grazing land and trade routes
spurred speculators from Queensland and South Australia (SA) to explore the vast un-
tamed north. With an eye to development, SA governors annexed the NT in 1863 (it be-
came self-governing only in 1978).
From the mid-1860s to 1895 hundreds of thousands of sheep, cattle and horses were
overlanded to immense pastoral settlements. Dislocation and hardship were bedfellows
of the industry, with Aborigines forced from their lands and pastoralists confronted by a
swath of difficulties. Some Aborigines took employment as stockmen or domestic ser-
vants on cattle stations, while others moved on in an attempt to maintain their customary
lifestyle.
In the early 1870s, during digging to establish the Overland Telegraph (from Adelaide
to Darwin), gold was discovered. A minor rush ensued, with an influx of Chinese pro-
spectors. Though the gold finds were relatively insignificant, the searches for it un-
earthed a wealth of natural resources that would lead to mining becoming a major eco-
nomic presence in SA.
