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Below you will find General Information on and around Batchelor.
The left hand column contains information specific to this area - double click on your
interest.
Howard Springs, Palmerston, Humpty Doo, Batchelor
Practically an outer suburb of Darwin, Berrimah is close enough
to the city to make a good camping alternative considering Darwin's lean
supply. It is also the location of Crocodylus Park, a research and
education centre showcasing everything crocodilian. Visitors are able
to watch crocodiles being fed and are even permitted to get up close
and personal with the smaller ones. This interesting and unique
attraction also features a splashing of other Australian and exotic
wildlife.
Only minutes further down the Stuart Highway, the newly established
township of Palmerston is a rare example of Australian urban
planning without the usual contemporary constraints. The towns well worth
a visit for it's imaginative development approach, as well as for it's
surprising range of shops, restaurants and recreational facilities.
Nearby, the settlement of Howard Springs is of primary interest
for it's nature park, abounding with short walking tracks and an
amazing array of bird-life. Surrounded by monsoonal rainforests, the
springs themselves have become a very popular, crocodile-free swimming
hole. Both Howard Springs and Palmerston's accommodation provides some
more close to Darwin camping options.
Thirty three kilometres out of Darwin, the Arnham Highway branches off
towards Kakadu and the small town of Humpty Doo. Ten kilometres
past the intersection, Humpty Doo is more or less a service centre
for travellers and for Darwin's expanding urban fringe. The world's
largest crocodile replica resides here, and the Barra Shack can
organise a traditional Territory barbeque of barramundi and buffalo.
The Shack also displays bizarre assortment of leather products made
from barramundi skin.
Back on the Stuart Highway, just a little south of the Arnham Highway
turn-off, the Darwin Crocodile Farm at Noonamah is home to over
15 000 fresh and saltwater crocodiles which are commercially harvested
for their meat and skin. Staff conduct continual educational tours and
feeding time at 2pm is not to be missed. Noonamah itself consists of
pub and a general store/service station.
Further south past the Acacia Roadhouse and the Manton Dam Recreational
Area, the pretty town of Batchelor lies nestled in lush green
woodlands fourteen kilometres west of the Stuart Highway. The venue of
a number of unusual attractions including the now closed Rum Factory
uranium mine and the Territory's only butterfly farm, Batchelor also
makes the ideal base for exploring the nearby Litchfield National Park.
Obtaining ever increasing popularity, this huge 650 square kilometre
park is dominated by the massive sandstone plateau of the Tabletop
Range. Waterfalls tumble off the striking plateau down sheer cliffs
into pockets of rainforests, carving out natural swimming holes and
densely populated wildlife sanctuaries. For a self-guided tour into
this magnificent and unspoilt wilderness area, access is via a small
network of hiking and 4WD tracks, linking several camping spots. If you
prefer to put your trust with some experienced adventurers, there are a
growing number of tours groups entering Litchfield, offering a variety
of different Top End encounters.
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