australia
the outdoor food markets, pulling up a beanbag at the open-air cinemas, or! boarding a sunset cruise around the harbor. Families will also love the! revitalized waterfront precinct with its funky restaurants and man-made( and! croc-free) lagoon.
Alice Springs, Australia’ s most famous Outback town, is a magnet for thrillseekers and creatives alike. At the city’ s edge lie the MacDonnell Ranges, where visitors can hike, climb or cycle through many chasms and gorges, stopping for a rejuvenating splash in hidden water holes. Meanwhile, the town has a wealth of Aboriginal art galleries and throws regular art festivals celebrating everything from Indigenous culture to Pride.
Located on the outskirts of Uluru- Kata Tjuta National Park, the small town of Yulara is the main base for people wanting to visit Uluru, the 1,140-foot-high sandstone monolith. There are many ways to see it, including at dawn surrounded by a spectacular light show or at sunset accompanied by an expertly prepared banquet of native ingredients like quandong, lemon myrtle and finger lime.
HISTORY & HERITAGE
Before European settlement, Aboriginal people lived widely across the Northern Territory in a network of clans, each with their own culture, language and belief systems. The Larrakia people, the traditional custodians of the Garramilla region, which is today called Darwin, traded with their Southeast Asian neighbors and even encountered early Dutch explorers nearly 150 years before James Cook formally claimed New South Wales for Britain in 1770.
It would take some time for settlers to chart the Northern Territory’ s dangerous coastline, but Port Darwin was eventually established in 1839. The region then witnessed multiple unsuccessful attempts to settle and use the land, which included pearling, gold mining and early pastoralism. Sheep and cattle farms were successfully established in the region in the late 19th century.
Alice Springs, Australia’ s most famous Outback town, is a magnet for thrill-seekers and creatives alike
Clockwise from left: Darwin Festival; The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs; an aerial view of Darwin Esplanade and CBD; the Wintjiri Wiru light show at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
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