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5 Day Alice Springs to Darwin 4WD Tour
You will be collected from your Alice Springs accommodation at 7.30am for your 5 day 4WD Safari to Darwin. We head north along the Stuart highway and reach Barrow Creek for our morning tea stop. A beautifully restored Telegraph Station is located in Barrow Creek, set against the backdrop of the picturesque Forster ranges. This historical reserve is one of 15 telegraph stations that formed the network from Port Augusta to Port Darwin and has considerable historical value. The stone buildings were originally constructed in 1872. We can have a look around the buildings and inside the telegraph station on request (we have to get the keyfrom the pub). Continuing north, our next stop is the Devil’s Marbles Conservation Reserve (Karlu Karlu), for some great photo opportunities. The Devils Marbles are approximately 1 hour south of Tennant Creek and are a collection of gigantic rounded granite boulders, many of which are precariously balanced on top of one another. Scattered heaps of these “marbles” occur across a wide shallow valley. After lunch and a look around, we continue to Tennant Creek, the hub of the sprawling Barkley Tablelands, an area of open grass plains and home to some of the worlds largest cattle stations, which runs east from Tennant Creek to the Queensland border and west into the Tanami Desert. Tennant Creek was also the site of Australia’s last gold rush during the 1930s and at that time was th We arrive in Tennant Creek and drive out to Kellys Ranch where we have a special experience lined up for you ! Kellys Ranch is owned by Jerry Kelly, an Indigenous Australian and a Traditional Owner of the Region who takes pleasure and pride in providing his visitors with an experience and understanding of his traditional culture, the stockman’s life and life in the bush. You will spend the next 2.5 hours on a supervised trail ride through the Australian Outback, where you will see some spectacular scenery and learn about Bush Tuckers and medicines. Upon return to the station, billy- tea and damper cooked on an open fire, will be waiting for you. **note- although the trail rides are suitable for beginners and are conducted at a gentle pace, if you would prefer not to take the trail ride, you can relax at the station and enjoy billy-tea and damper. Take $140pp off the quoted tour price. We make our way to our motel accommodation and a buffet dinner will be in the hotel restaurant. Overnight accommodation – Eldorado Motor Inn, motel room Day 2 (B,L,D) After a cooked restaurant breakfast, we drive out to the Bill Allen Lookout, for panoramic views of Tennant Creek before continuing to the Battery Hill Mining Centre. Departing Tennant Creek, we continue north and our destination today is Mataranka. En-route we have lunch and call in at the iconic Daly Waters pub, the NT’s oldest. We reach Mataranka and finish our day at the Bitter Springs thermal pools, part of Elsey National Park and Mataranka's newest thermal pool (it’s not as crowded as the Mataranka Thermal Pools). Numerous subterranean springs around Mataranka pour more than 30 million litres of warm water into the Roper River each day. This outpouring from the aquifer starts around Bitter Springs and flows into the Little Roper River which links a series of thermal pools. We make our way to our motel accommodation and dinner this evening will be 2 courses, in the hotel restaurant. Overnight accommodation – Territory Manor, Mataranka, motel room Day 3 (B,L,D) After a restaurant breakfast, we watch the Barramundi Fish Feeding Show at the Territory Manor Billabong. Then we drive to Katherine, an hour drive away and we make our way out to the Katherine Art Gallery for a hands on cultural experience. Activities on offer include traditional hunting activities such as firelighting, spear and boomerang throwing as well as making your own painting, to take home with you as a souvenir. After lunch, we make our way out to Nitmiluk Gorge, home to 13 spectacular gorges, carved out of the rock by torrential summer rains, over millions of years. We take a 2 hour cruise, viewing the beautiful scenery and discovering the customs of the traditional owners, the Jawoyn people. Our accommodation this evening is at Nitmiluk Gorge and the area surrounding the chalets is abundant with wallabies and birdlife such as the Great Bowerbird, Kingfishers, Blue- Winged Kookaburras and Peaceful Doves. Dinner tonight will be cooked by your guide. Overnight accommodation –1 bedroom Nitmiluk Chalet with en-suite Day 4 (B,L,D) Breakfast this morning will be prepared by your guide. Our first stop today is Leilyn (Edith Falls) , which is also part of Nitmiluk National Park. Leilyn is well known for it’s picturesque waterfall and is a great spot for a swim. Then onto World Heritage Listed Kakadu National Park and we ent Kakadu is the largest national park in Australia, has some of the world’s finest rock art and a variety of habitats, including floodplains and savannah woodlands. Once within the park, our first stop is Boulder Creek, which is accessed by a short 2km rocky walk, leading to some rockpools with a small waterfall. It’s a lovely little oasis where we can swim and relax. Late this afternoon, board the sunset Yellow Waters wetlands cruise, with it’s prolific birdlife and wonderful variety of plants. Saltwater crocodiles are often spotted here. After the cruise, we make our way to our accommodation where we have a 2 course dinner in the restaurant. Overnight accommodation – Gagudju Lodge Cooinda, motel room Day 5 (B,L)
After a cooked breakfast in the restaurant we take a look around the Warradjan Cultural centre for an insight into the cultural history of Kakadu. We spend the rest of the morning exploring the Nourlangie area. We start at Nanguluwur art site, which offers a spectacular mix of contact art and is accessed by an easy 2 km walk through woodland area. Many rock art styles are represented at Nanguluwur. There are hand stencils, dynamic figures in large head-dresses carrying spears and boomerangs, representations of Namandi spirits and mythical figures, including Alkajko, a female spirit with four arms and horn-like protuberances. In the middle of the shelter is an example of contact art, a painting of a two-masted sailing ship with anchor chain and a dinghy trailing behind. ** If Ubirr art site is open, we will visit Ubirr instead but it’s uncertain at this time of year whether road access will be available** We have lunch at Na Then onto Nourlangie Rock, an ancient Aboriginal shelter, where we will explore the area and the rock art. Your guide will lead you on an interpretive walk around the site. We depart Kakadu by the Arnhem Highway in the north of the park, for our drive to Darwin. En-route, we visit Fog Dam Conservation Reserve. These wetlands have international significance because of their beauty and natural ecosystems. A great variety of fauna can be found here throughout the year as well as a large variety of birdlife. We’ll arrive back in Darwin at approximately 6pm and you will be dropped off at your accommodation. END ITINERARY B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner Itinerary is exclusive to Sacred Earth Safaris and is subject to availability, road, weather and cultural conditions.
5 Day Alice Springs to Darwin Tour- 1 departure per year only 2012 departure on 5th April AUD $1995 PP ADULT TWIN SHARE, $2245 PP SINGLE ROOM Maximum 12 Passengers Subject to availability, including GST and valid until 31/10/2012 Inclusions: • Seat in luxury 4WD, with professional driver guide & purpose built heavy duty trailer • Underground mine tour at Tennant Creek • 2.5 hour horse trail ride (with cultural content such as bush tuckers) in Tennant Creek • Sunset Yellow Waters Cruise • Kakadu National Park Entry fee Exclusions: • Arrival/departure flights • Optional activities such as horse riding at Mt Bundy Station
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