Getting Oriented

Big, vast, expansive, huge—whichever way you cut it, the Northern Territory is daunting. This, in many respects, is the "real Australia" as you imagine it—remote, mostly uninhabited, the landscape ground down over millennia.

Getting around by road will absorb days, if not weeks, but fortunately air services can cut the travel times between the gems of this vast area—the Red Centre, the Top End, and the Kimberley—to hours not days.

• Red Centre. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is one of Australia's iconic images, and the main reason people visit the Red Centre. A striking sight, it is one of the world's largest monoliths, the last vestige of an ancient mountain range that looms 1,100 feet above the surrounding plain. But, there is more than just "the Rock" in the Red Centre—traditional Aboriginal "Dreamtime" stories overlie a region rich in geological wonders.
• The Top End. The "Top End" of Australia packs in some of the world's great natural environments—and with few people to crowd the views. Add in modern and ancient Aboriginal art and locals with a definite individualistic attitude, and you have an Australia so different from Sydney and Melbourne that you'll think you're in another country entirely.
• The Kimberley. Look no further than the Kimberley for a genuine Outback experience. This remote area contains several of Australia's most spectacular national parks, and numerous tropical forests, croc-infested rivers, and soaring cliffs.