World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
The Northern Territory can be reached by international flights to Darwin from Bali, Bangkok, Brunei, East Timor, Europe, Japan, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and the UK. At present there are several international carriers operating to the Northern Territory, including British Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Qantas and Royal Brunei. Only the latter two airlines fly directly to Darwin; the others require connections.
There are several domestic airlines - Airnorth, Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Blue - that cover the Territory from all capital cities within Australia with connections from most other towns. Smaller commuter airlines connect some of the remoter areas within the Territory.

Approximate flight times
From Darwin to London is 21 hours 25 minutes, to Singapore four hours 30 minutes, to Bangkok five hours, to Bali 90 minutes, to Brunei four hours and to Timor two hours. Connections are available from most Asian airports.

Airports
Darwin Airport (DRW) (website: www.darwinairport.com.au) is 13km (8 miles) from the city centre. The airport receives international flights. Airport buses and taxis operate services to the city. For further information, see the main Australia section.
Alice Springs Airport (ASP) (domestic flights only) is 15km (9 miles) from the city centre. Airport buses and taxis operate services to the city. Facilities include left luggage, bureau de change, bars and car hire.
Uluru/Ayers Rock Airport (AYQ) (domestic flights only) is 7km (4 miles) from the Uluru (Ayers Rock) resort. All scheduled flights are met by a free shuttle service to the resort. Taxi services are also available. Facilities include a gift shop and small refreshment kiosk.
Katherine Airport (KTR) (domestic flights only) is 11km (7 miles) from Katherine.

Sea
International cruise lines call at Darwin, the Northern Territory’s only large port.

Rail
The main rail service to the Territory is by the Ghan from Adelaide which travels to Darwin via Alice Springs; see Travel in the main Australia section for more information. There is no internal network.

Road
There are three main highways serving the Northern Territory: the Stuart Highway, south to Adelaide; the Barkly Highway, east to Mount Isa and Queensland; and the Victoria Highway, which runs west to join an unsealed road running across the top of the Western Desert which runs on to Perth. Off these roads there are many uncharted rough tracks often only suitable for 4-wheel drive vehicles, and often ending in impassable desert. The dangers of travelling off main roads in the Northern Territory without a qualified guide cannot be stressed too strongly. Coach: The national coach services are run by Greyhound/Pioneer Bus Australia and McCafferty’s, all of which serve the main townships within the Territory with direct services to all capital cities. Well-equipped coaches take over 92 hours to cover the distance from Darwin to Sydney; from Darwin, coaches depart daily to Kakadu National Park (travel time – four hours 50 minutes) and to Alice Springs (travel time – 19 hours).

Urban
There are local bus services in Darwin (running Monday-Saturday) from the coach terminal located 1km (0.5m) from the city centre and in Alice Springs. Darwin Harbour ferries operate Monday-Friday.