The Top End - History, Mystery, and Beauty

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Category: Destination - Northern Territory

The Top End of the Northern Territory is known for its tropical weather, rich indigenous culture, national parks and laid-back lifestyle. It is home to an eclectic mix of cultures whose outdoor lifestyle is complemented by brilliant sunsets, fantastic fishing and a colourful calendar of outdoor events.

Northern Australia is a vast region stretching from the Kimberley Plateau of Western Australia through the Top End of the Northern Territory to the tip of Queensland's Cape York. In Northern Australia five percent of the population inhabit approximately half of the continent.

The Top End has been constantly occupied for more than 60 000 years. This is reflected by one of the oldest currently practiced cultures in the world, which has been passed down through countless generations. The Top End includes spectacular wetlands and waterfalls, awe inspiring rocky outcrops and Precambrian escarpments up to 1.6 billion years old. The abundant wildlife includes freshwater and saltwater crocodiles and a wealth of rock-art that is amongst the oldest on earth.

The landscape is relatively flat with river floodplains and grasslands with eucalyptus trees along with rocky areas and patches of rainforest, and in western Arnhem Land a high rugged sandstone plateau cut through with gorges, much of which is in Kakudu National Park. The rivers that form the wetlands include the South and East Alligator Rivers, Mary River, and the Glyde River. The climate is tropical monsoon with a wet and dry season. Temperatures do not fluctuate widely throughout the year.

The Mary River floodplain inflow channel diffuses into vast seasonal swamps before reaching the sea through a number of tidal channels.  Compared to other coastal floodplains in the Northern Territory, this feature results in greater areas of wetland habitats flooded over extended periods and an extremely complex and productive system. The floodplain is dominated by a mix of sedge and grass communities and large paperbark forests in the north, and fringed by open eucalypt woodland and pockets of monsoon forest.

Flora - Most savanna in Australia is used for grazing livestock but in this far north there are vast areas of grassland in their original state and dotted with Darwin stringybark and Darwin woollybutt eucalyptus trees.

Fauna - The floodplain comprises a complex mosaic of wet and dry habitats which support vast populations of waterbirds and unique wildlife. The rivers and estuaries are home to large populations of both Saltwater Crocodile and Freshwater Crocodile, as well as Bull Sharks, Sawfish, and Dugong. The wetlands are a rich habitat vital to bird migration and home to large populations of birds including the world's largest breeding colony of Magpie goose (numbers exceed 400,000 during breeding season in some years), as well as large numbers of rodents and snakes. The floodplain environments also provide a major breeding area for many fish species, notably Barramundi.

Endemic species of the Top End include Woodward's Wallaroo, Oenpelli python, Chestnut-quilled Rock-Pigeon, Arnhem Land Rock Rat, and several species of skink. Other reptiles include Frill-necked Lizards and large monitor lizards (known locally as Goannas.) Snakes include the Olive Python, Death Adder, Mulga, Water Python (Liasis fuscus), and various others. The plateau is home to many of these endemics especially invertebrates, fish, and frogs, including for example hundreds of species of ant.

Ayers Rock (Uluru)

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Category: Destination - Northern Territory

Ayers Rock (Uluru)

The dual World Heritage listed wilderness of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park stretches out over 311,000 acres and is Australia’s most famous natural landscape and arguably a journey to Australia’s heart.

The National Park features the world’s largest monolith, Uluru or Ayers Rock, and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, a striking group of more than 30 rounded red domes rising dramatically from the desert floor. Both sites have significant meaning to Aboriginal people and form an important focus of their spiritual life.

Visitors to Uluru and Kata Tjuta are exposed to an expansive living cultural landscape which few are able to experience. Whether they spend their time learning of the ancient cultures of traditional owners, hearing about the plights of early explorers, or exploring the stunning flora and fauna with expert guides, face to face with this irresistible land, their senses come alive.

Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural icons. The world-renowned sandstone formation stands 348 m high with most of its bulk below the ground, and measures 9.4 km in circumference. Both Uluru and Kata Tjuta have great cultural significance for the Aṉangu Traditional landowners, who led walking tours to inform visitors about the local flora and fauna, bush foods and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories of the area.

Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year, with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow.

Kata Tjuta, also called Mount Olga or The Olgas, is another rock formation about 25 km west of Uluru. Special viewing areas with road access and parking have been constructed to give tourists the best views of both sites at dawn and dusk.