Katherine is considered a big town in this part of the world and you'll certainly feel like you've arrived somewhere if you've just made the long trip up the highway from Alice Springs. Its namesake river is the first permanent running water on the road north of Alice Springs. Katherine is probably best known for the Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park to the east, and the town makes an obvious base, with plenty of accommodation.

Katherine

1Sights

1Djilpin ArtsA5

2Katherine MuseumD1

2Activities, Courses & Tours

3Nitmiluk ToursA5

4Travel NorthB6

4Sleeping

5Coco's BackpackersB5

6Katherine River Lodge MotelC4

7Knott's Crossing ResortC1

8St Andrews ApartmentsB5

5Eating

9Coffee ClubB5

10Escarpment RestaurantC4

Savannah Bar & RestaurantC1

Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park

About 30km south of Katherine, turn your back on the searing sun and dip down 15m below terra firma into this mazelike limestone cave system. The 1499-hectare Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park ( GOOGLE MAP ; %08-8972 1940; www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/cuttacuttacaves; tours adult/child $20/10; h8.30am-4.30pm, guided tours 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm) has a unique ecology and you'll be sharing the space with brown tree snakes and pythons, plus the endangered ghost bats and orange horseshoe bats that they feed on. Cutta Cutta is a Jawoyn name meaning many stars; it was taboo for Aboriginal people to enter the cave, which they believed was where the stars were kept during the day. Admission by tour only.

Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park

Spectacular Katherine Gorge forms the backbone of the 2920-sq-km Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/nitmiluk), about 30km from Katherine. A series of 13 deep sandstone gorges have been carved out by the Katherine River on its journey from Arnhem Land to the Timor Sea. It is a hauntingly beautiful place − though it can get crowded in peak season − and a must-do from Katherine. In the Dry the tranquil river is perfect for a paddle, but in the Wet the deep, still waters and dividing rapids are engulfed by an awesome torrent that churns through the gorge. Plan to spend at least a full day canoeing or cruising on the river and bushwalking.

The traditional owners are the Jawoyn Aboriginal people who jointly manage Nitmiluk with Parks & Wildlife. Nitmiluk Tours manages accommodation, cruises and activities within the park.

Giwining/Flora River Nature Park

The dams were created as the mineral-rich Flora River deposited calcium carbonate onto roots and fallen branches, creating limestone tufa dams; the effect is a series of pretty cascades. Within Giwining/Flora River Nature Park (www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/florariver) there's a camping ground (www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/florariver; adult/child $6.60/3.30) at Djarrung with an amenities block. The Flora River has crocs, so there's no swimming.

The park turn-off is 90km southwest of Katherine; the park entrance is a further 32km along a passable dirt road (OK for 2WD cars in the Dry).

Victoria River Crossing

The red sandstone cliffs surrounding the spot where the highway crosses the Victoria River (194km west of Katherine) create a dramatic setting. Much of this area forms the eastern section of Judbarra (Gregory National Park). The Victoria River Roadhouse Caravan Park ( GOOGLE MAP ; fax 08-8975 0744; Victoria Hwy; unpowered/powered sites $20/25, d $135), west of the bridge, has a shop, a bar and meals ($14 to $32).

Timber Creek

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Judbarra/Gregory National Park

The remote and rugged wilderness of the little-visited Judbarra/Gregory National Park (www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/gregory) will swallow you up. Covering 12,860 sq km, it sits at the transitional zone between the tropical and semiarid regions. The park consists of old cattle country and is made up of two separate sections: the eastern (Victoria River) section and the much larger Bullita section in the west.

Parks & Wildlife (%08-8975 0888; www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au; Timber Creek; h7am-4.30pm) in Timber Creek has park and 4WD notes. It can also provide a map featuring the various walks, camping spots, tracks and the historic homestead and ruggedly romantic original stockyards − a must before heading in. This is croc country; swimming isn't safe.

Keep River National Park

The remote Keep River National Park (www.nretas.nt.gov.au/national-parks-and-reserves/parks/find/keepriver) is noted for its stunning sandstone formations, beautiful desolation and rock art. Pamphlets detailing walks are available at the start of the excellent trails. Don't miss the rock-art walk (5.5km return, two hours) near Jarnem, and the gorge walk (3km return, two hours) at Jinumum.

The park entrance is just 3km from the WA border. You can reach the park's main points by conventional vehicle during the Dry. A rangers station (%08-9167 8827) lies 3km into the park from the main road, and there are basic, sandstone-surrounded camping grounds (adult/child $3.30/1.65) at Gurrandalng (18km into the park) and Jarnem (32km). Tank water is available at Jarnem.

With soothing, warm thermal springs set in pockets of palms and tropical vegetation, you'd be mad not to pull into Mataranka for at least a few hours to soak off the road dust. The small settlement regularly swells with towel-toting visitors shuffling to the thermal pool or the spring-fed Elsey National Park.

Roper Highway

Not far south of Mataranka on the Stuart Hwy, the mostly sealed single-lane Roper Hwy strikes 175km eastwards to Roper Bar, crossing the paperbark- and pandanus-lined Roper River, where freshwater meets saltwater. It's passable only in the Dry. Keen fisherfolk stop here, with accommodation, fuel and supplies available at the Roper Bar Store (%08-8975 4636; www.roperbar.com.au; unpowered site $20, s/d $115/135). Roper Bar is an access point to Borroloola. Head south along the rough-going Nathan River Rd through Limmen National Park (www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/parks/find/limmen) − high-clearance with two spares required – and into southeastern Arnhem Land.

Continuing east along the highway for 45km from Roper Bar leads to the Aboriginal community of Ngukurr, home to about 1000 people from nine different language groups and cultures. This cultural diversity informs the unique works on show and available to buy from the Ngukurr Arts Centre (%08-8975 4260; http://ngukurrarts.net.au/Ngukurr_Art/About_art_center.html; h10am-4pm Mon-Fri); no permit is required to visit the centre.

Carpentaria & Tablelands Highways

Just south of Daly Waters, the sealed Carpentaria Hwy (Hwy 1) heads 378km east to Borroloola near the Gulf of Carpentaria – one of the NT's top barramundi fishing spots. After 267km the Carpentaria Hwy meets the sealed Tablelands Hwy at Cape Crawford. At this intersection is the famous Heartbreak Hotel (%08-8975 9928; www.heartbreakhotel.com.au; cnr Carpentaria & Tablelands Hwys, Cape Crawford; unpowered/powered sites $20/28, s/d $75/90; a). Pitch the tent on the shaded grassy lawn and park yourself on the wide verandah with a cold beer. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (meals $16 to $28) are available.

From here it's a desolate 374km south across the Barkly Tableland to the Barkly Hwy (Rte 66) and the Barkly Homestead Roadhouse (%08-8964 4549; www.barklyhomestead.com.au; unpowered/powered sites $25/32, cabins & motel d $150; as), a surprisingly upbeat roadhouse. From here it's 210km west to Tennant Creek and 252km east to the Queensland border.

Borroloola

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Larrimah

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Daly Waters

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Daly Waters to Three Ways

Heading south from Daly Waters, you encounter the fascinating ghost town of Newcastle Waters, 3km west of the highway. Its atmospheric, historic buildings include the Junction Hotel, cobbled together from abandoned windmills in 1932. South of the cattle town of Elliott, the land gets drier and drier and the vegetation sparser. The mesmerising sameness breaks at Renner Springs, generally accepted as the dividing line between the seasonally wet Top End and the dry Centre; there's a decent roadhouse here.

Banka Banka (%08-8964 4511; adult/child $10/5) is a historic cattle station 100km north of Tennant Creek, with a grassy camping area (no power), marked walking tracks (one leading to a tranquil waterhole), a mud-brick bar, and a small kiosk selling basic refreshments.

Three Ways, 537km north of Alice, is the junction of the Stuart and Barkly Hwys, from where you can head south to Alice, north to Darwin (988km) or east to Mt Isa in Queensland (643km). Threeways Roadhouse (%08-8962 2744; www.threewaysroadhouse.com.au; Stuart Hwy; unpowered/powered sites $24/32, d $100-115; ais) is a potential stopover with a bar and restaurant, but Tennant Creek is only 26km further south.

Tennant Creek is the only town of any size between Katherine, 680km to the north, and Alice Springs, 511km to the south. It's a good place to break up a long drive and check out the town's few attractions. Tennant Creek is known as Jurnkurakurr to the local Warumungu people and almost half of the population is of Aboriginal descent.

Alice Springs tends to evoke contradiction and polarises travellers – some love it and some hate it. But either way, you'll undoubtedly end up here at some point if you tour the Red Centre. The town has a lot to offer visitors including a wide range of accommodation, excellent dining options and travel connections. For many travellers, Alice Springs is their first encounter with contemporary Indigenous Australia – with its enchanting art, mesmerising culture and present-day challenges.

This ruggedly beautiful town is shaped by its mythical landscapes, vibrant Aboriginal culture (where else can you hear six uniquely Australian languages in the main street?) and tough pioneering past. The town is a natural base for exploring central Australia, with Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park a relatively short four-hour drive away. The mesmerising MacDonnell Ranges stretch east and west from the town centre, and you don't have to venture far to find yourself among ochre-red gorges, pastel-hued hills and ghostly white gum trees.

Alice Springs

1Sights

1Anzac HillD1

2Araluen Arts CentreB2

3Araluen Cultural PrecinctB3

4Central Australia Aviation MuseumB3

Museum of Central AustraliaB2

5Olive Pink Botanic GardenD3

6Strehlow Research CentreB2

2Activities, Courses & Tours

7Outback CyclingD1

4Sleeping

8Alice in the TerritoryD5

9Alice Lodge BackpackersE2

10Alice on ToddC4

11Alice's Secret Traveller's InnE2

12Annie's PlaceC3

13Desert Palms ResortD4

5Eating

Bean Tree CafeD3

14Hanuman RestaurantD4

6Drinking & Nightlife

Annie's PlaceC3

3Entertainment

15Araluen Arts CentreB2

7Shopping

16Desert DwellersB2

17Tjanpi Desert WeaversC2