Who said that Australia required a long and interminable journey to get there?
Accessible in less than twenty hours door to door from Paris (via Singapore), the Northern Territory stands out as the closest Australian destination to us while offering its visitors one of the most authentic experiences of Australia. island-continent.
As well as Darwin, gateway to the bustling tropical Top End, and Alice Springs, the beating heart of the desert Red Centre, the Northern Territory is home to ancient Aboriginal cultures over sixty thousand years old, which every traveler can still be witness, from the sacred sites of the famous monolith of Uluru to the cave paintings of Kakadu National Park, passing through the observation of fauna,
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, emblem of Aboriginal Australia
Doubly classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, both for its cultural importance and for its natural wonders, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is one of the most famous in the country.
In addition to its immense monolith, which has become the emblem of the Red Centre, it is above all a sacred place for the Anangu, an aboriginal people who have lived for millennia in the heart of this bewitching and colorful desert region.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Tourism Australia
Near the majestic Rock, a cultural center invites you to immerse yourself in the traditions and legends of the Dreamtime, but also in the history and dialects of the local Aboriginal populations.
On the site, several circuits ranging from thirty minutes to three-four hours of walking allow you to learn more about this singular rock: its geological characteristics, its water points, its natural resources or the cave paintings that adorn some of its walls.
Whether at sunrise or sunset, the rock sports a myriad of astonishing dazzling colors that we will take care to immortalize.
40 km west of Uluru, let yourself be captivated by the beauty of the 36 rock domes of Kata-Tjuta and enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding desert.
Unforgettable.
Kakadu National Park, a majestic cultural and natural sanctuary
It is Australia's largest national park, also doubly classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tropical forest with lush vegetation, vertiginous gorges, natural swimming pools, Kakadu Park is also renowned for the Aboriginal rock art that can be found on many of its rock walls.
With more than 5,000 recorded drawings, these open-air art galleries are a fascinating demonstration of the ancestral presence of the Bininj and Mungguy populations, who have lived on these lands for more than sixty-five thousand years.
The various rock art sites in Kakadu teach visitors about their culture and history as well as the 6 seasons of the Aboriginal calendar that shape this region.
Jim Jim Falls, Kakadu National Park Tourism Australia
To complete their discovery of the Top End, travelers can also venture into Litchfield National Park, closer to Darwin, which in addition to its giant termite mounds, its crystal-clear waterfalls and its many hiking trails allows an encounter with an Aboriginal family from Woolaning Spring, who introduce visitors to the
“bush tucker”
(traditional picking method, editor’s note).
Arnhem Land, at the heart of Aboriginal customs
With its wild landscapes of striking contrasts, Arnhem Land is the starting point of a spiritual epic at the heart of Aboriginal customs and beliefs.
This natural sanctuary teeming with crocodiles, dugongs, turtles and a multitude of bird species is also that of the Yolngu people, who have lived in this region for more than sixty thousand years.
Their art and their history are presented during excursions organized by local agencies which allow you to meet the descendants of this community, the origin, among other things, of the most famous Australian musical instrument: the didgeridoo.
One can also discover contemporary Yolngu art in the form of woodcuts, bark paintings (activities specific to the region), serigraphs, as well as woven baskets and carpets,
Injalak Hill, Arnhem Land Tourism Australia