Caravanning with kids: The outback itinerary of a lifetime

As many young parents focus on settling down, a growing number of others are throwing caution to the wind and embracing caravan trips of a lifetime through Australia’s outback. If you’re itching to join them and have one, three or six months up your sleeve, here’s where you should go.

Getting to the NT

The outback is a huge land mass that paints 1.3 million square kilometres of the Northern Territory burnt red and scorching orange. This sea of bull dust, towering escarpments and spinifex infiltrates cities and rural communities to create a unique destination that’s worth sharing with the kids, no matter their ages.

Most caravanners will be tracking up National Highway A87 , better known as the Stuart Highway, from South Australia; travelling along Highway 66 from Queensland; or entering the Northern Territory from the west, along Highway 1. We recommend families start on the northern edge of the outback, in Katherine, making Uluru their final stop. You are driving the Explorers Way in the reverse to our essential guide.

Driving Owen Springs — Owen Springs Reserve is popular with four-wheel drive visitors seeking a quiet bush camp. (Image: Tourism NT/Paddy Pallin)

Katherine

As far as introductions go, Katherine will ease you into the NT’s outback. Stop at one of the grocery stores in Katherine to re-stock the caravan cupboards before heading to Nitmiluk Gorge, where you’ll be mesmerised by the towering sandstone walls. There are 13 gorges in Nitmiluk National Park, 29 kilometres north of town, and you can lap up their beauty on a self-guided canoe trip, a helicopter flight, or boat tour. Book your tours in advance at Nitmiluk Tours.

If you have more time, go for a swim at Leliyn (Edith Falls), visit Katherine Hot Springs, and drive 107 kilometres south to Mataranka Thermal Pool, in Elsey National Park. Mataranka is a popular stop, with the water an inviting 30 degrees. Take a pool noodle for floating. A short drive away is Bitter Springs, a thermal creek where a gentle current takes you downstream to a footbridge. Kids will love doing laps.

The outback scenery of Nitmiluk (Katherine) gorge.

Katherine camping

Our pick in the area is Nitmiluk Campground, as it makes exploring the national park easy. There are powered and unpowered sites for all types of campers, plus a swimming pool, restaurant, barbecues and camp kitchens. There is also a huge number of sites at Mataranka Homestead, which is the entry point to the springs.

Stay longer

Families who’ve packed up the house for an extended holiday can pop into the southern corner of Kakadu National Park, via Kakadu Highway. You will easily be able to reach Gunlom and Maguk waterfalls – two of the most popular attractions. Gunlom has a steep but manageable trail to tiered plunge pools at the top of the waterfall, while Maguk follows a sandy track to a clear swimming hole. Swimming is a common practice between April and October.

Gunlom Falls infinity pool — The natural infinity pool of Gunlom Falls with Kakadu stretching out before it.

Tennant Creek

With sprawling cattle stations, gold-mining history and Aboriginal culture, Tennant Creek is a raw outback town. Attractions include the old stone telegraph station that was a refuge for tired travellers and telegraph linesmen; the Nyinnka Nyunyu art and cultural centre; and Battery Hill Mining Centre, where you can go on an underground mine tour and learn about the 1930s’ gold rush.

When you’re ready to move on, make a beeline for Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles), about 95 kilometres south. Karlu Karlu translates to ’round boulders’ and is shared by the Kaytete, Warumungu, Warlpiri and Alyawarra traditional owners of the area. Like Uluru, these rocks have significant cultural meaning to the traditional owners who respectfully ask that the karlu (marbles) are not climbed. (To find out why it’s not a good idea to climb these sites, check out our story Why closing the rock climb is a good idea).

Camping-Karlu-Karlu — Camping in style at the Karlu Karlu / Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve. (Image: Tourism NT/Sean Scott)

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

Tennant Creek camping

If you’re short on time, head straight to Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, where there are caravan and tent sites, toilets and picnic tables. There are also basic campgrounds for overnighting in Tennant Creek. Barkly Homestead caters to every man and his dog, with plenty of space, while the Outback Caravan Park is a good option if you want to hang around for a few days.

Stay longer

Call into The Daly Waters Pub on your way from Katherine to Tennant Creek. The historic outback watering hole is a sight to behold, with bras hanging above the bar and walls covered in foreign money. Sit on the verandah under blooms of bougainvillea and indulge in a bout of people-watching while enjoying a burger and a beer.

Daly-Waters-Pub-exterior — A true blue outback pub – the Daly Waters Pub. (Image: Tourism NT)

Alice Springs

Once you reach Alice Springs, 412 kilometres south of Karlu Karlu, you’re in the heart of the Red Centre. There are tonnes of things to do, but our top three for families include: Alice Springs Reptile Centre, where you can meet a saltwater crocodile, thorny devils, and venomous snakes; The Royal Flying Doctor Service, a great educational stop for older children to learn about remote medical assistance; and Alice Springs Desert Park, where you can wow the kids at the birds of prey show and teach them about bush tucker.

If you have active teenagers, you may also like to explore the East and West MacDonnell Ranges. Set out on hiking trails, enjoy dips in natural waterholes, wander through chasms and spot wildlife.

West-Mac-camping — Camping in the West Macs. (Image: Tourism NT/Paddy Pallin)

Alice Springs camping

With a jumping pillow, waterslide, pools, go-karts and a BMX track, our pick of Alice campgrounds is the BIG4 MacDonnell Range Holiday Park, south of town. Here, you will find all the facilities you’d expect from a BIG4, plus a parents’ room and gym.

Stay longer

Alice hosts a number of fantastic events, including the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. The knitted hat extravaganza is enough to make your granny proud, with more than 4000 toques on display every June. The Alice Springs Street Art Festival is also held in June, when the walls of the CBD are transformed into wonderful depictions of outback life.

The Apex Camel Cup is the most iconic Alice event. Held in July, it’s been running since 1970 and involves camel races, rickshaw races, rides and entertainment. The Rotary Henley on Todd Regatta, in August, is another fun one, with competitors racing down a dry riverbed in bottomless boats, while the Parrtjima festival, a light and art event in the desert, is also worth checking out.

Watarrka National Park

Home to Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park is a great side trip on the Red Centre Way, promising plenty of adventure for caravanners on three-to-six-month-long sabbaticals. If you have a teen that loves a challenge, take them on the six-kilometre Kings Canyon Rim Walk. It’s a slog at the start thanks to about 500 steps, but the views are spectacular. Younger families are better suited to the gentle 2.6-kilometre Kings Creek Hike.

Kings Creek Station also runs tours, including helicopter flights that start from five minutes. The more affordable option for families, however, is a tour of the working cattle and camel station.

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Watarrka camping

Unhitch at Kings Canyon Resort and Holiday Park or Kings Creek Station. The resort is close to the park gates and has powered and ensuite sites, as well as grass tent sites and family glamping tents if you’re in the mood for a change.

Kings Creek Station is a little farther away (36 kilometres) but offers insight into life on a working cattle and camel station. How’s that for the school of life? You can even dine on camel burgers if curiosity gets the better of you. Accommodation includes powered and unpowered sites, canvas safari-style cabins, glamping tents and even a bush swag camp in case mum or dad need a night to themselves.

Set amongst majestic desert oaks, Kings Creek Station is a working cattle/camel station with facilities for camping or stay in safari cabin accommodation.

Uluru

Rounding out your mammoth outback caravan trip is the star of the region, Uluru. Awash with cultural significance, it’s the perfect destination to deepen your understanding of Australia’s desert before pointing the 4WD toward home. First things first: no you can’t climb Uluru anymore and here’s why. But there are plenty of other ways to get to know this 348-metre-high UNESCO World Heritage-listed monolith. First on every family’s list should be a ranger-guided walk around the base, or at least a fraction of it.

Learn how important Uluru is to the Anangu people at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre, where there are free presentations, art galleries and community-owned shops. Other fun activities include camel rides and didgeridoo workshops. For an extra special family experience, head along to the beguiling Field of Light Uluru art installation where the desert is illuminated by 50,000 lights. You’ll need a Field of Light Pass ($43 per adult; $30 per child) and should pre-book.

The national park is open year-round but temperatures (and flies) can be unbearable over summer, so families will enjoy it most between May and October.

Uluru, Northern Territory — Uluru in all its glory. Image Elise Hassey

Uluru camping

Ayers Rock Campground at Ayers Rock Resort is the penultimate in budget family accommodation close to Uluru. There are powered sites for vans and shaded grass sites for tents, and you’ll thank your stars for the swimming pool and playground. Hop aboard the resort’s free shuttle to check out the complimentary activities. Children will especially enjoy the Aboriginal storytelling time about weapons and bush tucker.

Stay longer

The 36 domes of Kata Tjuta, formerly known as the Olgas, are also worth seeing. They are about 40 minutes’ drive from Ayers Rock Resort and you can get up close on two marked walking trails. Families will prefer the 2.6-kilometre (return) track to Walpa Gorge.

Wrap up your outback adventure by creating your own souvenir in a dot painting workshop, which are run daily through Ayers Rock Resort. The workshops are great fun for little kids who love exploring with colour and a nice way to remind them of their epic outback adventure and introduce them to Indigenous art.

For more information visit Tourism Northern Territory.

Hard to reach and harder to forget, East Arnhem offers something rare in modern travel: the chance to slow down and experience Country on its own terms.

The sky feels bigger in East Arnhem. It stretches wide and uninterrupted above rouged earth, stringybark woodland and beaches so empty they seem to belong to another era. The coastline curves for kilometres without a footprint and the horizon runs on forever.

For comedian Lou Wall, the scale of the place was the first thing that hit them.

“The sheer openness,” they say. “The sky feels infinite and the land stretches out endlessly. It’s pretty breathtaking visually.”

But the physical landscape is only part of the story. The real reward isn’t only the scenery but the shift in perspective the journey brings. Visitors stop trying to tick off the destination and a real engagement takes over.

“It made me never want to travel again,” Wall jokes. “In that I never wanted to leave East Arnhem.”

Getting there

Aerial shot of East Arnhem’s coastline as cars trace the curve of the shore. — Sail along the remote coastline on an expedition cruise.

Reaching East Arnhem is part of the adventure. Travellers typically fly into Gove Airport near Nhulunbuy via Darwin or Cairns, or arrive by expedition cruise along the remote coastline. Others make the journey overland along rutted dirt roads that cut through East Arnhem’s small pockets of monsoon forest.

However you arrive, there’s a distinct feeling of crossing into somewhere different. Permits are required to visit the region, reflecting the fact that this is Yolŋu land where communities and traditional owners maintain deep cultural connections to Country.

The extra planning becomes part of the experience. By the time visitors arrive, they understand they’re entering a place not just of respect, but also patience and curiosity.

At one with nature

East Arnhem’s landscapes leave a strong imprint. For Wall, one place in particular still lingers in their memory: Ngalarrkpuy, also known as Lonely Beach, near Bawaka Homeland.

“I genuinely felt like I was living inside an Instagram filter,” they say. “One of the most stunning feats of nature I’ve ever seen. The water was so clear I swear I could see even the fish smiling.”

Across the region, natural experiences unfold at a slower pace. Fishing, beachcombing and island hopping reveal the rhythm of the coastline. The tides shape daily life and the vastness of the landscape makes even simple moments feel downright cinematic.

For visitors with limited time, Wall says the Bawaka Homeland experience is unmissable.

“I just left and I’m already planning when I can get back there.”

The sense of remoteness is part of the appeal. In a country where many beaches are crowded and well-trodden, East Arnhem’s coastline still feels wonderfully wild.

Immersing in local culture

A visitor spends a meaningful moment alongside Yolŋu guides, gaining insight into their deep cultural knowledge and connection to the land. — Experience authentic moments with the locals.

Culture is woven through every experience in East Arnhem. Visitors have the opportunity to spend time on Country with Yolŋu guides and knowledge holders who share stories and traditions that have been passed down for generations.

For Wall, one of the most powerful moments came during a conversation with a Yolŋu elder.

“I got to meet a traditional elder, Mayalil, in Nhulunbuy,” they say. “Listening to her talk about her home made the land feel alive in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”

The region is also home to internationally recognised Aboriginal art centres where artists shape works deeply connected to land and family knowledge.

Music carries the same cultural energy. East Arnhem has produced globally recognised artists such as King Stingray and Baker Boy, blending Yolŋu language, storytelling and contemporary sound.

Wall experienced this musical spirit first-hand.

“A jam session around the fire was it for me,” they say. “Letting the deep joy and history of their music wash over me… and meeting a few of the King Stingray musicians was unreal.”

These moments of human connection often become the most memorable part of a visit.

Spotting local wildlife

An aerial view of the beach shows tiny figures lined up across the white sand, moving as if in a rhythmic dance. — Step into a world where nature reigns.

The wildlife of East Arnhem adds another layer to the experience. The region is home to an extraordinary range of animals, from waterbirds and turtles to dugongs, dolphins and the formidable saltwater crocodile.

Wall admits they didn’t actually spot a croc during their visit.

“Devastatingly, I didn’t see one,” they laugh. “But with all the stories from the locals I definitely gained a healthy respect for caution.”

Some of the most memorable wildlife encounters can be surprisingly small., At Banubanu Beach Retreat on Bremer Island, Wall remembers walking along the beach one morning and watching it come alive.

“As you walk through the sand you see hundreds of crabs scurrying into their holes as you pass by,” they say. “Such a small thing, but it was completely magical.”

Moments like this reveal the quieter rhythms of East Arnhem, where even the smallest creatures seem to play a part in the landscape.

Visitors who make the journey soon learn the most important travel tip of all.

“Go in open-minded with a sense of curiosity,” Wall says. “Be prepared to ditch your plans. The land and the locals will guide you on an adventure no spreadsheets could ever compete with.”

And most importantly, they add, don’t rush.

“The land and people deserve your time and attention. You’ll be all the better for slowing down.”

For more information on visiting East Arnhem, head to eastarnhem.com.au.

Caravanning with kids in the NT

As many young parents focus on settling down, a growing number of others are throwing caution to the wind and embracing caravan trips of a lifetime through Australia’s outback. If you’re itching to join them and have one, three or six months up your sleeve, here’s where you should go.

Getting to the NT