UNDERRATED TRAVEL A visit to Tennant Creek

TENNANT CREEK TAKE OVER

Discover a rich history shaped by gold mining, a strong Aboriginal culture and the Northern Territory’s original cattle kings

The friendly town of Tennant Creek, the headquarters of the Barkly Tablelands between Alice Springs and Darwin, is ready and waiting to be explored. As with most underrated travel spots, you’ll be planning your second trip before the first one is over. This is the real Australia, a vast land of brilliant blue skies, boundless horizons, remote pubs, ancient rock art and outback characters. 1 SEE KARLU KARLU AT SUNSET Camp at sacred Karlu Karlu (the Devils Marbles), an hour’s drive south of Tennant Creek, where hundreds of granite boulders, some up to six metres tall, are scattered. The best times to visit are sunrise and sunset, when the morning and evening sun highlights their deep red colour. Learn about the Dreamtime story of the site on an interpretive walk or from a ranger during the cooler months.

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MAIN IMAGE: Devils marbles at night BELOW: Black-footed rock wallaby at the Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve; Telegraph Station at dusk

STORY SUPPLIED BY NT TOURISM. PHOTOS: JASON VAN MIERT/TOURISM NT; KARL-HEINZ HERZOG/TOURISM NT; VOLODYMYR DVORNYK/SHUTTERSTOCK

2MEET LOCAL ARTISTS AT ABORIGINAL ART GALLERIES Hear the local Warumungu legend of ‘Nyinkka’, the spiky tailed goanna that shaped the town, at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre. Then meet the clever women of Julalikari Arts, just north of the town, who welcome visitors to watch them create their art—paintings, pottery, screen-printing and sewing—using bright colours and amazing textures.

3DO THE DESERT HARMONY FESTIVAL Join in three days of music, dance, art, film, food, theatre, workshops, sports and cultural activities at the Desert Harmony Festival, held in Tennant Creek every year (31 Jul – 2 Aug 2021). The program is a mix of locally produced work that showcases the immense talent in the Barkly region, community performances and travelling Australian productions that collaborate with local artists.

4VISIT THE SITE OF AUSTRALIA’S LAST GOLD RUSH Re-live Australia’s last gold rush in the 1930s on an underground tour at the Battery Hill Mining Centre. This area was Australia’s third-largest gold producer, and the centre has Australia’s last operating ten-head gold stamp battery.

5SWIM AND RELAX AT LAKE MARY ANN Pack a picnic and take the walking track through the Honeymoon Ranges to Lake Mary Ann, where you can swim, canoe or feed the friendly ducks. The grassy reserve has barbecues,

a kids’ playground, bushwalking tracks and wildlife watching areas.

INSPIRED TO TRAVEL TO TENNANT CREEK? Check out our tours here

6JOURNEY BACK IN TIME AT THE TELEGRAPH STATION Wander around the stone buildings of the Tennant Creek Telegraph Station and get a feel for life here 140 years ago. Built in 1872, the telegraph station was part of the Overland Telegraph Line that linked Australia with the outside world. Take the self-guided walk and read about the area’s telegraph communications and pastoral history. Particularly beautiful just before sunset.

7UNWIND IN ONE OF THE NT’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS Tackle some of the NT’s best four-wheel-drive tracks in the Davenport Range National Park, one of the NT’s best-kept secrets. Spot blackfooted rock wallabies, emus and hundreds of waterbirds that flock to the permanent waterholes in the 1120 sq km reserve. It’s peaceful and beautiful, with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.

8WANDER AROUND THE PEBBLES Visit the sacred women’s dancing site at The Pebbles, a granite rock formation just north of Tennant Creek where dancing and healing rites of the Munga Munga Dreaming take place. It’s known as ‘Kunjarra’ to the Warumungu people. Go at sunset to watch the rocks change from glowing red to deep purple to grey as the sun sets.