Practical Information for visiting Northern Territory

Coverage exists in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek, and along parts of the Stuart Highway.

Everywhere else, assume none. Kakadu, Arnhem Land, the West MacDonnells and most of the Stuart between towns have no signal at all.

A satellite messenger or EPIRB is a genuine safety item here rather than a precaution, particularly for any unsealed-road travel. Several roadhouses are the only contact point for a hundred kilometres.

Crocodiles. Estuarine crocodiles inhabit every waterway in the Top End, including rivers far inland, billabongs and beaches. Assume any northern water holds them. Obey the signs, keep back from the edge, never clean fish at the water, and swim only where you have been explicitly told it is safe.

Heat and distance. A breakdown between towns in summer is life-threatening. Carry far more water than you think you need, tell someone your route and arrival time, and stay with the vehicle if you break down — it is shade and it is visible from the air.

The wet season brings flooded crossings. Never drive into floodwater; depth and current are unreadable and vehicles are swept away every year.

Marine stingers are present in coastal waters in the wet. Desert nights are genuinely cold.

No vaccinations are required. Tap water is safe in towns; do not assume bore water elsewhere is.

Dehydration and heat stress are the most common problems by a wide margin. Drink continuously rather than when thirsty, and plan activity for early morning.

Mosquitoes in the Top End carry Ross River and Murray Valley encephalitis; repellent matters, particularly at dusk in the wet.

Melioidosis is a soil-borne infection specific to the tropical north, picked up through cuts in wet-season mud — cover broken skin.

Hospitals are in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek. Everywhere else depends on the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and evacuation costs are substantial without insurance.

Permits are required for Arnhem Land, the Tiwi Islands and much other Aboriginal land. Apply through the land council in advance; entering without one is an offence.

Climbing Uluru is prohibited, and photography is banned at specific signposted sites around its base. Both are taken seriously.

Many Aboriginal communities are alcohol-restricted by law. Carrying alcohol into a restricted area is a serious offence, and vehicles are searched.

Tipping is not expected. Drink-driving limits are low with random testing, and unsealed-road driving generally voids standard hire-car insurance.

000 reaches police, fire and ambulance; 112 also works from mobiles — though in most of the Territory there is no signal for either.

Hospitals are at Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Gove. The Royal Flying Doctor Service covers everything else, and response is measured in hours rather than minutes.

Carry a satellite messenger or EPIRB for any remote travel. This is the one part of Australia where that advice is not excessive.

Register remote trips with police or the relevant park office. Cyclone warnings in the wet come through the Bureau of Meteorology and the NT Emergency Service; Darwin takes them seriously for good reason.