Northern Territory - Top End

EXPLORE THE TROPICS!

The highlight in the Top End would have to be Kakadu National Park. Kakadu is 250 Kms from Darwin, the Northern Territory's Capital and a whopping 19,000 square kilometres in size! So it's understandable that you'd jump on board with us to see it all!
We commenced touring in the Top End as Billy Can Tours and have in the past few years developed into what is Connections today - still offering the same great trips and much more with different 'experience' styles to suit everyone!

We've been awarded Best Major Tour &/or Transport Operator in the Northern Territory at the 2008 Brolga Tourism Awards! Find out more about this award!

Find out more about the Connections open age camping Safaris in the Top End

Back to Australia

DARWIN

All of our trips throughout the Top End kick off in Darwin. It's here that you'll find that once this part of Australia gets into your blood, it's hard to leave and impossible to forget. The main attraction is the carefree and relaxed style of tropical living, our unique surroundings and the people.

Territorians are friendly folk and will make you feel at home - and you'll find about half the population of the Territory within 40km of Darwin! So there's plenty of peace and quiet to be found once you head out of town!!

KAKADU NATIONAL PARK

In 1984 Kakadu National Park gained its World Heritage Listing and became internationally recognised as a cultural and ecological treasure. Three hours drive south-east from Darwin, Kakadu National Park is 19,000 sq km and home to 275 species of birds, 75 species of reptiles, 25 species of frogs, an estimated 10,000 species of insect and 1,600 plant species - in fact more than a third of the Top End's wildlife!

Wherever you go in Kakadu you will have opportunities to discover more about Aboriginal culture. For at least 50,000 years Aboriginal people have continuously lived in the area. The name 'Kakadu' comes from 'Gagudju' the main Aboriginal language used at the start of the 20th century. Today, Aboriginal people from three major language groups - Gundjeihmi/Mayali, Kunwinjku and Jawoyn - live within the park. Aboriginal rock art 'galleries' such as Ubirr and Nourlangie Rock (among over 5,000 recorded sites in the Park) reveal sprayed hand stencils and x-ray style fish, birds and animals, as well as hunters, spears, spirit beings and early white settlers. The rock art provides a truly extraordinary insight into the history and culture of Aboriginal people in this area.

All of our experiences in the Top End explore Kakadu National Park

NITMILUK (Katherine Gorge)

Approximately 300 km down the road from Darwin, the hot red desert gives way to the lush green of tropical Nitmiluk National Park, with 13 gorges carved out of the rock by torrential summer rains over millions of years.

For millions of years, the Katherine River has been the lifeblood for the local Jawoyn and Dagoman Aboriginal people and Aboriginal rock art thousands of years old are among the attractions of this magnificent Gorge. The river, which is a vital water-supply to the Katherine township, is also a recreational attraction for locals and visitors alike, offering swimming, fishing, canoeing, picnic areas, cycling and bushwalking. Edith Falls, one of a series of waterfalls on the edge of the Arnhem Land Escarpment, runs all year, ending in a large pool - a favourite swimming spot for many.

Trips that visit Katherine & Nitmiluk

LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK

Originally home to the Wagait Aboriginal people, Litchfield National Park was named for Frederick Henry Litchfield a member of the first European expedition to the area, the Finniss Expedition in 1864. From then until 1955, Litchfield was largely a tin and copper mining area, when it fell under pastoral leases before being proclaimed a National Park in 1986.

Ten years ago this 143 sq km area was scarcely known. Today, Litchfield National Park remains largely untouched and features monsoonal rainforests, Tabletop Range, Escarpment, large groves of cycads, spring-fed creeks, magnetic termite mounds and historic tin mines. Among the spring-fed waterfalls and rockholes that provide scenic opportunities to cool off and relax, are Wangi Falls, Buleys Rockholes, Florence Falls and Sandy Creek Falls. Just two hours drive from Darwin, it has become a favourite escape for local outdoor lovers and visitors to the Top End.

Explore Litchfield National Park with us

ARNHEM LAND

Experience Arnhem Land and you will have experienced one of the world's last remaining, pristine wilderness areas. The area abounds in a variety of wildlife, birds, animals, mammals and a huge variety of marine life.

The area has been home to many different Aboriginal clan groups for thousands of years and even today as many as 40 separate languages are spoken. The distinctive x-ray style rock art and bark paintings of wallabies, fish and spirit beings seen only in Arnhemland reflect the intimate relationship the traditional owners have with the land and its bounty. As the region is Aboriginal Land, there is no entry to Arnhem Land without a permit.

Get off the beaten track and discover Arnhem Land

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE FOOTAGE OF OUR EXPERIENCES IN AUSTRALIA'S TOP END: