Monday, January 25, 2010

Australian Outback: The Trip Of A Lifetime

By Edward McKellen

Alice Springs is the place to start exploring the Australian Outback. Alice Springs, also known as the Outback capital can be found driving on the 3000 km Stuart Highway, approximately halfway between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in the north.

If you have little time but want to see the Australian Outback, then you should start in Alice Springs: there are many famous tourist attractions in the area of this city. Alice Springs Desert Park is a must see, and if you want something more from your Outback trip than an Uluru sunset and a souvenir T-shirt, then you should make time to visit the Desert Park also.

The most famous tourist attraction on the continent is Uluru (Ayers Rock), and this is why so many people visit Alice Springs. However, a lot of people will be surprised, because Uluru is not as close to Alice Springs as tourists will think. 450 km is close in terms of the Outback, but not for a European.

If you are there, you should also visit the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park: Kata Tjuta is only 50 km from Uluru, so if you made that big trip, you shouldn't miss this attraction. The third big tourist attraction in Alice Springs is Wattarka - Kings Canyon. This is a different national park, and it is 300 km from Uluru.

There are a lot more to see in the area besides the top three tourist attractions. West MacDonnell Ranges and the East MacDonnell Ranges are also beautiful, and those who decide to explore thoroughly the area should not miss Palm Valley, Hermannsburg and Chambers Pillar.

Those who want to drive from Alice Springs to Darwin must prepare for a really long journey. They will see great open spaces, endless horizon and an ever changing landscape. Some will enjoy the ride, other will find it dull and tiring. There are a few tourist attractions on the way, but not many.

One beautiful place on the way to Darwin is Devils Marbles, 393 km north of Alice Springs. 600 km from Devils Marbles there is Mataranka, and from here it is only 105 km to Katherine George, one of the greatest places in Australia. Darwin itself is a tourist attraction, and there are several national parks in the north of Australia: Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park are the favorite.

Those who drive to the south from Alice Springs will find halfway on the trip to Adelaide a small opal mining town, Coober Peddy. Tourists will find this little town rather different from the rest of Australian attractions. Lot of people are loving it, but some don't like it at all.

For those who are looking for real adventure, there is the Outback of the Australian Outback, the Kimberley region in the remote north-west territory. This is the place where most of time 4WD jeeps are the only means of transportation. Among the must see thing there is the Great Northern Highway from Broome to Kununura, the Gibb River Road, and countless waterfalls, rock pools, secret fishing spots, national parks and one of the world's top 5 beaches.

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