Outdoor sights in Northern Territory
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Uluru (Ayers Rock)
Nothing in Australia is as readily identifiable as Uluru. No matter how many times you've seen it in postcards, nothing prepares you for the hulk on the horizon - so solitary and prodigious. Uluru is 3.6km long and rises a towering 348m from the surrounding sandy scrubland (867m above sea level). If that's not impressive enough, it's believed that two-thirds of the rock lies beneath the sand.
Sacred sites are located around the base of Uluru; entry to and knowledge of the particular significance of these areas is restricted by Anangu law. The landscape of Uluru changes dramatically with the shifting light and seasons. If your first sight of Uluru is during the afternoon,…
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Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)
A striking group of domed rocks cluster together to form small valleys and gorges known as Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) about 30km west of Uluru. Many visitors find them just as captivating as their prominent neighbour. The tallest rock, Mt Olga (546m, 1066m above sea level) is approximately 200m higher than Uluru. Kata Tjuta means 'many heads' and is of great tjukurpa significance, so climbing on the domed rocks is definitely not on.
The main walking track here is the unmissable Valley of the Winds, a 7.4km loop trail (two to four hours) that traverses varying desert terrain and yields wonderful views of surreal boulders. It's not particularly arduous, but take plenty of water…
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Yellow Water Wetlands
A very popular wetlands near Cooinda. The turn-off to the Cooinda accommodation complex and Yellow Water wetlands is 47km down the Kakadu Hwy from the Arnhem Hwy intersection.
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Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is a natural marvel encompassing a variety of habitats, a mass of wildlife and some of Australia's best Aboriginal rock art. It stretches more than 200km (124mi) south from the coast and 100km (62mi) from east to west. It is World Heritage-listed for both its natural and cultural importance (a rare distinction).
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Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve
At the Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve, a series of freestanding sandstone bluffs and cliffs, in shades ranging from cream to red, is one of central Australia's more extraordinary sights. A marked walking trail takes you past claypans and in between the multihued outcrops to the aptly named Mushroom Rock. Rainbow Valley is most striking in the early morning or at sunset, but the area's stupefying silence will overwhelm you at any time of day.
The park lies 22km off the Stuart Hwy along a 4WD track that's 75km south of Alice Springs. It has a basic camping ground.
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Devil's Marbles
The huge granite boulders in precarious piles beside the Stuart Hwy are called the Devil's Marbles; Karlwe Karlwe is their Warumungu name, for whom the site is associated with many stories and traditions. According to scientists, the 'marbles' are the rounded remains of molten lava eroded over aeons. A 20-minute walk loops around the main site; look for bottle-shaped mud nests of fairy martins on the underside of the overhanging boulders.
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