Photography by Tourism NT and Let’s Escape Together LR
Bitter Springs
The entire family will love soaking up Bitter Springs’ natural thermal waters surrounded by stunning native flora and fauna. With water temperature in the thirties, these spring-fed pools are an ideal place for a refreshing dip in crystal clear waters. They have long been enjoyed by the Mangarrayi and Yangman people as Traditional Owners, who discovered these natural wonders.
Cutta Cutta Caves
The mysterious Cutta Cutta Caves are the only limestone cave experience accessible to the public in the NT. Formed millions of years ago and still growing, the caves are 15-metres underground and cover 1,499 hectares. Kids will love spotting furry occupants in their natural habitat, from rare bats to endangered birds. Tour guides will explain the tropical cave system and the site’s cultural importance.
Beswick and Barunga
Take a stop at Beswick Falls, an ancient playground and spiritual site. Only accessible with local guides, kids will pass billabongs with birds, kangaroos, brumbies, and buffalo, ending at Beswick Falls. Families can stop at Djiplin Arts Centre to meet local Aboriginal artists and observe them working. For a very special experience, the Barunga Festival in August is a vibrant showcase of Aboriginal cultures, art, and storytelling.
Katherine
The Outback meets the tropics in Katherine, a town full of misty waterfalls, thermal springs, local eateries, museums and Aboriginal arts centres. Spend your afternoon relaxing at the Katherine Hot Springs or take a cultural cruise through Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, where you’ll be drawn to spectacular sandstone country. Adventurous families can hire double canoes to glide through the gorges, surrounded by soaring cliffs as you float by cascading waterfalls and ancient Aboriginal rock art.
Photography by Tourism NT and Helen Orr
Leliyn (Edith Falls)
Cool off at Leliyn (Edith Falls), a series of stunning pools and cascading waterfalls on the western side of Nitmiluk National Park. This is a culturally important site for the Jawoyn people. Just 150 metres from the plunge pools, there is also a great camping site, where families can sleep under the stars and be surrounded by nature.
The ‘Country is Calling’ series is accompanied by a refreshed Darwin Family Activities hub on the northernterritory.com website, which also features tips and guides to help families travel responsibly on Country. To find out more about Katherine and surrounds and the NT’s Red Centre, click here and here.
Other Travel Recommendations for Families Seeking Cultural Experiences in the NT:
Explore Nitmiluk
Take the kids on a cultural cruise through Nitmiluk Gorge near Katherine, 320km south-east of Darwin, with Nitmiluk Tours. On the two-hour Nit Nit Dream 2 Gorge Cultural Cruise, learn about the significance of the first two gorges to the traditional landowners, the Jawoyn people. Or, if you’re feeling more energetic, hire a double canoe and explore the second and third gorges at your own pace.
Take a Day trip to Tiwi Islands
A perfect day trip with kids is an excursion from Darwin to the Tiwi Islands (the collective name for Bathurst and Melville islands, 80 km north of Darwin). Take a two and half hour ferry ride with SeaLink, which is fully airconditioned and has a snack bar inside. The tour includes morning tea and a welcome smoking ceremony with Tiwi women; a visit to arts and crafts centres, and insights to Tiwi culture.
Immerse the family in a Cultural Event
In the Top End, one of the best Indigenous immersion experiences in the NT is at Barunga Festival, held annually in early June. Barunga is an action-packed three days filled with musical collaborations, top notch team and individual sporting feats, fantastic activities for kids, foodie experiences and some of the best Territory dry season camping around. Or Head to Alice Springs in the Red Centre during April to experience light installations at Parrtjima – created in partnership with Aboriginal artists and set against the majestic MacDonnell Ranges. Alongside the artworks you can enjoy a program packed full of live talks, events and music by local and national musicians.
Star Talk On Country
Ayers Rock Resort runs two Outback Sky Journey astronomy sessions nightly, with the Family Astro Tour starting 30 minutes after sunset. The one-hour tour covers three areas – past, present and future – with discussion of the past focusing on how Indigenous people used the night sky for orientation, to predict upcoming seasons and as inspiration for mythological stories. The best part for parents is that kids aged 15 and under can join the sessions for free.
Join a Cultural Tour
Kids will be fascinated by the one-hour Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Tour, hosted by an Aboriginal couple keen to keep their heritage alive by passing their knowledge on the next generations. Located near Kings Creek Station on the Luritja Road, at Karrke (it means western bowerbird in the Arrente language) the kids will learn about bush tucker, traditional bush medicine, throwing a boomerang, dot painting and jewellery making, including pretty hand-painted seed necklaces.
Discover Ancient Rock Art
The rock art along the 1.5 km circuit at Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) is one of the most prolific sites in Kakadu National Park which served as a shelter for thousands of years. Between May – September, time your visit with one of the free ranger guided tours. In the main (Anbangbang) gallery you’ll see the Creation Ancestor Namondjok, and the Creation Ancestor Namarrkon, the Lightning Man. Climb to the Kunwarddewardde Lookout, and be rewarded with sweeping views of both Kakadu’s escarpment and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie Rock).
