5 Best Sights in The Outback, Australia

The superb gathering of Aboriginal rock art is one of Kakadu National Park's major highlights. Two main types of artwork can be seen here—the Mimi style, which is the oldest, is believed to be up to 20,000 years old. Aboriginal people believe that Mimi spirits created the red-ochre stick figures to depict hunting scenes and other pictures of life at the time. The more recent artwork, known as X-ray painting, dates back fewer than 9,000 years and depicts freshwater animals—especially fish, turtles, and geese—living in floodplains created after the last ice age.

As the dry season progresses, billabongs (water holes) become increasingly important to the more than 280 species of birds that inhabit the park. Huge flocks often gather at Yellow Water, South Alligator River, and Magela Creek. Scenic flights over the wetlands and Arnhem Land escarpment provide unforgettable moments in the wet season.

Geologists believe the mighty Fitzroy River cut and shaped the limestone walls you see today at Dan͟ggu Geikie Gorge, and during the wet season, the normally placid waters roar through the region. The walls of the gorge are stained red from iron oxide, except where they have been leached of the mineral and turned white by the floods, which have washed as high as 52 feet from the bottom of the gorge.

The gorge is one of the few places in the world where freshwater barramundi, mussels, stingrays, and prawns swim. The park is also home to the freshwater archerfish, which can spit water as far as a yard to knock insects out of the air. Indigenous people call this place Dan͟ggu, meaning "big fishing hole."

This beautiful national park lies just 120 km (75 miles) southwest of Darwin off the Stewart Highway. The highlights include four separate, spectacular waterfalls—Florence, Tjaynera (Sandy Creek), Wangi, and Tolmer Falls—all of which have secluded plunge pools. The pools are suitable for swimming but occasionally there are crocs here, so observe any “no swimming” signs.

Often described as a miniature version of the Bungle Bungle Range, Mirima National Park lies less than five minutes' drive north of Kununurra and is known for its incredible layers of sandstone formations, formed more than 300 million years ago when the area was part of a prehistoric sea. The park is also a place of cultural significance for the local Miriwoong people, who still conduct ceremonies in the park, and you may spot wildlife such as wallabies, crimson and double-barred finches, and white-quilled rock pigeons. A national park pass is required, with a Holiday Pass costing A$70 and offering unlimited entry to all WA parks for up to four weeks.

The closest gorge to Alice Springs—there's even a bicycle and walking track from the city center—greets you with views of stark-white ghost gums (Australian evergreen trees), red rocks, and gorgeous, purple-haze mountains that provide a taste of scenery to be seen farther into the ranges. Swimming is not permitted, but come in the morning and late afternoon for a chance to catch a glimpse of rock wallabies.