Alice Springs – Darwin things to do
That long desert highway through the middle of this massive country can get a rep for being a bit boring with not much to see BUT that’s not true! Leaving Alice springs and heading to the ‘top end’ we found plenty of great things to do and see with some amazing places to set up camp.
Aileron
Just 120kms north of Alice is Aileron and the ‘big man walk’ which is something a bit different and very unique to check out. The roadhouse hosts huge statues of aboriginal Anmatjere people and is a perfect stop for a morning break or lunch.
Devils Marbles
The Devils Marbles are a must visit! And I would definitely recommend spending a night or two here. The national park camp was awesome! At only $3.30 per person and located right next to the Devils Marbles it is up there with one of our favourite ‘low cost’ camps.
The Marbles themselves are a breaking down of rock, they are what’s left of a mass of granite which still lays beneath them.
There are many dreamtime stories about the Devils Marbles but most are kept secret for the Aboriginal people. The one story shared by a senior traditional owner is of the secret people they believe to live among the rocks that may take you away.
The Marbles were magical and the sky full of stars at night were amazing!
As well as the national park camp we also stayed at Devils Marbles Hotel which was another wicked spot and only $10 per night for an unpowered site for all of us! They had clean amenities, a pool to cool down in and an outback pub.
Dunmarra
Dunmarra wasn’t somewhere we had heard of but as the kids were over been in the car by the time we got here it ended up being our spot for the night. At only $8 per adult for a site, amenities and a pool to stay cool in it was an ok stop too!
Even if you’re just passing through Dunmarra make sure you stop for a yummy chunky beef pie and an epic vanilla slice, you won’t be disappointed!
Daly Waters Pub
The famous Daly Waters Pub… Well you just can’t drive past here without stopping can you? We actually rocked up here about 8.30am but still managed to get a refreshing beer and we got the place to ourselves!
The pub is very quirky and eclectic with all sorts of weird and wonderful items been left behind by punters, this ‘tradition’ apparently started in the 80’s with a drinking bet between a coach driver and his female passengers!
Without having young kids in tow we would of 100% stayed the night here as it’s meant to be an awesome atmosphere with great food and beer but checking it out in the morning with the kids worked well.
Mataranka/Bitter Springs
These hot springs were one on the bucket list and WOW they didn’t disappoint, it is absolutely stunning here! The springs are like a warm bath and are a magical turquoise colour. Bitter springs is a spring fed thermal pool and are the perfect place to relax after a big drive. I would recommend taking a pool noodle to float along on and little ones need floaties as it is quite deep.
We stayed at Bitter Springs Cabins and Camping which was a great spot. We had a large grassy site which was to die for after lots of red dust AND it was only a 10 minute walk to bitter springs.
Katherine Springs
Katherine Springs are a great stop, personally we preferred Katherine Springs to Bitter springs even though they are very similar! There’s just something so enticing about the emerald water. Katherine springs are only about 100m walk from the car park. Katherine is also a good place to stock up on anything you may need if you’re heading to Kakadu before Darwin.
Pine Creek lookout
What used to operate as a gold mine from 1985-1995 is now a pool of water which took 14 months to fill! Makes for a pretty nice lookout.
From Pine Creek we headed to Kakadu but Darwin is just 2 hours north of here. No matter where you are there is always something to see, make the most of your journey!
Safe travels,
Bush‘n it on a budget.
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