7 emerging experiences in the Northern Territory

Journey with our writers as they take you into the Northern Territory’s top 7 emerging travel experiences from our 100 Emerging Destinations and Experiences series.

1. Reclaiming the town of Jabiru

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

On the surface, Jabiru’s croc hotel – a relic of ’80s architecture built in the shape of a giant crocodilian – may seem as quirky as they come. But this unique building represents the totem of the local Gagudju people, who retain ownership over the hotel. Indeed, this reflects the overall direction Jabiru is taking, a former mining town that was handed back to the Mirarr Traditional Owners in 2021.

Stay at Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn Hotel, Jabiru, Kakadu National Park.

Now, places such as Marrawuddi Arts & Culture act as community hubs, where you’ll find artists painting, weaving and carving throughout the day. The trendy cafe at the entrance seems like something more out of Collingwood than Kakadu, and you can grab a brew and a bite while surrounded by exquisite art from across the Northern Territory.

Marvel at the creations at Marrawuddi Arts & Culture. (Image: Tourism NT/Shaana Mcnaught)

2. Salt of the earth in Darwin’s CBD

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

Darwin sits on Larrakia Country, the land of the Saltwater People. Heeding the instruction of Larrakia Elder, Bilawara Lee, I head down to the city harbour to wash my sweat into the water. “Let the Earth taste you and get to know you; she’ll look after you while you’re here,” she tells me.

Consume healthy grains at Aboriginal Bush Traders. (Image: Tourism NT)

Here, Indigenous culture is woven into the fabric of the city and ancient tradition thrives in modern iterations. Aboriginal Bush Traders is a bustling urban cafe that features native ingredients like Kakadu plum served on granola and bush-spiced pies. The connecting gallery has a selection of art from across the Northern Territory as well as homewares and skincare made with bush medicine. One street over, trendy Austin Lane is filled with murals, cafes, bars, weekly markets and the Indigenous social enterprise/apparel label, House of Darwin.

Appreciate aboriginal art. (Image: Tourism NT)

3. A taste of Country at Kakadu Full Moon Feast

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

Indigenous culture is shared through art, landmarks and stories. But what about food? Bininj man Ben Tyler of Kakadu Kitchen is on a mission to “connect people with the flavours of Kakadu and Australia” through native, foraged ingredients artfully woven together to tell a story of Country and tradition.

The Full Moon Feasts hosted at Cooinda Lodge are an opportunity to treat your tastebuds as well as connect with the land you’re on. Each feast is unique, dictated by the Indigenous seasons (there are six in Kakadu) and what plants are in bloom. Right now, the trees are dripping with finger limes, which add a tart pop to the main course – wild-caught barramundi grilled with paperbark. For dessert, lime curd is topped with green ants, delivering a sucker-punch of citrus flavour and rounding out a spectacular meal.

Savour a spectacular meal at Kakadu Kitchen.

4. Art illuminates the beating heart of Australia

Travelling with: Imogen Eveson

The same red centre journey that sparked the idea for Bruce Munro’s smash-hit installation at Uluru included a stop at Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park. It, too, left a deep impression.

Some three decades later and seven years on from the debut of Field of Light, Munro has unveiled an immersive sound and light installation at Discovery Resorts – Kings Canyon, part of the final stages of a $20 million transformation that began not long after the property was acquired by G’day Group in 2021.

Brick red hues fill the outback landscape.

Light-Towers sees 69 two-metre-tall towers of solar-powered light pulse gently in the desert during sunrise, sundown and into the inky black of the night. A meditation on synaesthesia, connection and healing, the towers cycle through a spectrum of colours in response to a soundscape that reflects the musical diversity of many nations.

Wandering between them is a contemplative experience that works its magic softly and seeks to complement, but never upstage, the astounding natural environment it rests within. This is Munro’s creative expression of how the landscape makes him feel – joyful and connected – which he hopes will in turn resonate with visitors and prompt them to consider their own response.

The Light-Towers installation is a magical sight to behold.

At the core of Light-Towers is the idea, posited by the book Gifts of Unknown Things by Lyall Watson, that Earth has a natural pulse that resonates at a rate of 69 beats per day. A heartbeat.

“And I’ve always associated the heart of Australia with this,” says Munro. “This place has always given me those moments of reflection where I’ve felt this connection with the world around me.”

Scenic landscapes surround Discovery Kings Canyon Resort.

The installation is a reason to stay longer at Kings Canyon and explore the living landscape of Watarrka National Park. Tread lightly on half-billion-year-old rocks on the Rim Walk, see the abstract patterns cast by the land from above on a scenic helicopter ride or join a Karrke Aboriginal Cultural Experience.

Then retire to one of the resort’s newly refurbished Deluxe Rooms to soak your muscles in a freestanding bathtub with a view out to a rugged red escarpment. And it invites you to experience the Red Centre Way in a whole new light; between Field of Light and the new Wintjiri Wiru at Uluru, Alice Springs with its Parrtjima light festival and now Light-Towers, this classic outback road trip is emerging as something of a light installation art trail.

Take advantage of the deluxe bathtub.

5. Wintjiri Wiru lights up the skies at Uluru

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

There’s no magic quite like the glittering desert skies. But Wintjiri Wiru is the new light show set to take Uluru’s nightscapes to a new level of brilliance from May. The sky will become a canvas for the telling of an ancestral Anangu story, brought to life by more than 1000 drones and recordings in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages.

Ancient storytelling meets modern technology to recount the Mala story about a feud between the Mala people and the Wintalka men. The signature experience will be accompanied by a sunset dinner, after which you’ll settle into an open-air desert theatre and wait for the show to begin.

Don’t miss out on Uluru’s newest spectacle.

6. First Nations perspective on the Tiwi Islands

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

Our little six-passenger plane judders over the Beagle Gulf as we head north of Darwin. Despite our pilot’s assurance that the flight is “basically a milk run” for him, my heart still thumps in tandem with the whirring jet engine. But the anxiety quells once the Tiwi Islands come into view. The land below is rich and ripe with green, spliced with rivers strewn out like ribbons that oxbow and horseshoe across the terrain.

Discover Tarntipi Bush Camp on the Tiwi Islands. (Image: Nicholas Walton Healey)

Tiwi Elder and educator Edward ‘Teddy’ Portaminni is our guide, showcasing island life through Tiwi art, nature, history and storytelling. A former school teacher, Teddy now runs Tarntipi Bush Camp, an educational tourism experience and the only First Nations-owned accommodation on the Tiwi Islands. Teddy is enthusiastic about teaching visitors about bush food, so they can “learn the bush tucker we had a long time ago”.

Take a bush tucker tour to learn about and taste bush food. (Image: Nicholas Walton Healey)

As we walk, he plucks sour billy goat plums from the trees for us to try and yanks a pandanus leaf from its trunk. “You can use this for weaving baskets, or boil it up to cure a stomach ache. Or you can wear it,” he says with a grin, wrapping the leaf around his head. He keeps it on for the rest of the tour.

Pandanus leaves have multiple uses. (Image: Elizabeth Whitehead)

Visitors to Tarntipi Bush Camp can expect to dine on fresh fish that Teddy has caught and prepared that day. Teddy is a keen fisherman with hook and line, but also in the way he tells stories, too. He speaks with a stillness and equanimity that reels you into fascinating yarns about life growing up on Bathurst Island, Tiwi culture and local creation myths.

7. The secret beach that’s a favourite with Darwin locals

Travelling with: Leah McLennan

Mindil Beach, Casuarina, Nightcliff… Darwin is known for its postcard-worthy sunset spots. But the surrounding coastline boasts a treasure trove of sublime beaches where you can admire the twilight far from the crowds.

Golden Sands Retreat is right on the beach and features a private plunge pool.

A local secret up in the Top End, Wagait Beach on the Cox Peninsula is a teeny ocean-facing community 10 kilometres west of Darwin by sea. For a sprinkling of warm golden sand, punch Wagait Beach into Maps and let the ferry take you from Darwin’s Cullen Bay to Mandorah Jetty. With a population of around 465, it won’t be long before you’re recognising friendly faces as you comb for shells and settle in for sunset on the dog-friendly beach.

Head to Mandorah Jetty to watch the sun go down on the water.

For dinner, throw in a line to catch queenfish, trevally or mackerel at the Mandorah Jetty or just relax at the Cox Country Club. When you’re ready for a kip, check into Golden Sands Retreat, a four-bedroom beauty with a plunge pool and private access to the beach. History buffs can pay a visit to the wreck site of Milady, a US bomber that crashed in the Second World War.