Darwin’s climate reflects its proximity to Southeast Asia, with tropical temperatures of around 30°C year-round. This laid-back city is a great place to start your epic road trip - it’s compact and easily explored by foot or bike. And it punches above its weight culturally - the Mason Gallery and The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) are both well worth a visit. From Darwin, it’s a three-hour drive to the unspoiled scenery of Kakadu National Park. Break up the journey with a stop at Adelaide River, where you can take a cruise and watch huge saltwater crocs jumping for a snack. Australia’s biggest national park, Kakadu will give you a real feel for the vastness of the Northern Territory and the Australian Outback. World Heritage-listed, it’s an enormous landscape of tropical wetlands and rocky escarpments, with abundant wildlife and cascading waterfalls – most notably the 200 metre-high Jim Jim Falls, only accessible by 4x4. Ready to rest your head? Choose from wilderness safari retreats, cabins and campgrounds or the infamous Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel.

While you’re in Kakadu National Park, be sure to dedicate some time to one of its most precious assets: its ancient rock art galleries at Ubirr and Burrungkuy (Nourlangie). These locations are home to two of the world’s greatest concentrations and oldest examples of rock art. To best understand their history and cultural significance, take a tour hosted by the Aboriginal Bininj/Mungguy people who are this land’s Traditional Owners. The act of painting is still of great importance to the community today, and though some of these paintings date back 20,000 years, the depictions of animals, hunting and ancestral spirits are still relevant to their way of life today. Among the most fascinating rock artworks is a painting of early contact with Europeans, in the form of a ship with billowing sails and an anchor. Before you leave, don’t miss a cruise on the Yellow Water Billabong for a chance to spot freshwater crocs and soaring eagles.

Take the Kakadu Highway via the gold rush town of Pine Creek to the edge of the Outback’s wild, rugged beauty and the quirky town of Katherine. Named after the daughter of the 19th-century explorer John McDouall Stuart, the town lies at the junction of the Northern Territory’s two main thoroughfares, Victoria Highway and the Stuart Highway – making it a natural road trip stop. Particularly if you’re an outdoor sports enthusiast, as the opportunities for adventure here are seemingly endless. On arrival, make the Katherine Hot Springs your first stop – a collection of clear pools fed by a natural thermal spring on the banks of the Katherine River. Take a refreshing dip and explore the scenic trails. Katherine is a great base for exploring the area and its hiking trails, hot springs, canoeing, cruising, and Aboriginal cultural tours. It’s also just over an hour from Bitter Springs, one of two thermal pools in Elsey National Park, where the warm water is piercingly turquoise and clear. Just check online before hopping in the water, in case of crocs.

From Katherine, it’s just a 30km drive to Nitmiluk National Park. Here you’ll find 13 jaw-dropping gorges carved into the sandstone and tours by canoe, boat or helicopter. Paddle your way between the spectacular cliffs of Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, or pick a hiking trail to explore at your own pace. The 8.4km Windolf Walk will reward you with sweeping gorge views and access to the pretty Southern Rockhole – a seasonal waterfall. Take a sunset river cruise and learn from the Traditional Owners of the park, the Jawoyn people, or get a birds-eye view of this striking national park on a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride. After a day exploring this vast landscape, rest up at Cicada Lodge – an upmarket, boutique lodging hosted by the Indigenous Jawoyn people.

Head north towards Darwin, taking a slight detour at Edith for a quick dip in the water at Leliyn (Edith) Falls, before heading on to Litchfield National Park. Litchfield is famed for its waterfalls and croc-free swimming holes, which hold strong significance to the area’s Aboriginal roots. The sacred, twin Wangi Falls – which cascade year-round from sandstone cliffs into a deep plunge pool – are among the most popular for wild swimmers, as well as Florence Falls at the end of a cobbled path. Don’t miss the two-metre high termite mounds and scenic walks between camping grounds, where you can pitch up under the stars.

On the final leg of your epic Northern Territory road trip, stop off at The Territory Wildlife Park for some close-up encounters with native animals, including wallabies, kookaburras and echidnas. Or take a picnic and your swimming cossie to Berry Springs Nature Reserve, 400 hectares of natural bushland with freshwater thermal pools. Finally, it’s time to head back to Darwin and come sunset, you’ll be spoilt for choice. The Northern Territory’s most vibrant nightlife is here, starting with a dinner cruise on the harbour and continuing with open-air screenings at Deckchair Cinema, cheap street food and souvenirs at Mindil Beach Sunset Market, and beers at lively bars on Mitchell Street.