Melaleuca on Mitchell, Darwin

Advantages: fabulous wildlife including the perfect Aussie male
Disadvantages: being pestered for cash ,scary creatures

...Darwin in the top middle bit of Australia is very different to vibrant Sydney and perfect Cairns but wonderful all the same. If you want to go to Oz in our summer but the depths of their winter and still want sizzling temperatures you won't go wrong with Darwin. It is not sophisticated and the hotels are not five star but you will certainly get a feel for true Australian culture. I timed my trip in August to coincide with the Darwin Beer Can Festival, you may have seen it on telly programmes like Transworld Sport where the crazy Aussies make boats out of beer cans and race each other having first downed the cans contents! The festival is held on the beach (where else!) and in true aussie style is loud and raucous,the smell of beer and barbies permeates the air. It really is a "feel good" couple of day's and even the most... Read review

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Advantages: Friendly atmosphere, good value,
Disadvantages: None

...Surrounded by lovely tropical gardens (with a pool!) Frogshollow is a friendly hostel in a quiet area that's a short walk from the centre of Darwin. The area is lovely and no more than 10 minutes from the main shops etc. and there is a large supermarket (Woolworths) at the top of the road - handy for self-caterers. The rooms are nice and reasonably spacious. The were all clean and you have the choice of rooms with a fan or with air conditioning (depending on how much you want to pay). A room with a fan was fine in April. There are bunk beds and each bed has a locker opposite although you'll need to bring your own padlock. The single-sex bathrooms were clean (little lizards running up the walls as is typical in the tropical climate!). There were plenty of toilet cubicles and showers - never needed to queue and the hostel was fairly... Read review

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Advantages: The Territories themselves have a wealth of fascinating sights... not least Ayers Rock.
Disadvantages: It's a long road from Darwin to Alice.

...For the vast majority of people a trip to the Northern Territories is an essential part of a visit to Australia as it is the state that contains the awe-inspiring and world renowned sight of Uluru or Ayer's Rock as it is more commonly known. It really is the quintessential Australian experience and for those that have flown into Darwin the first step is to get to Alice Springs. Most backpackers are unable to afford the cost of a flight and instead take one of the two major bus companies, McCaffrey's or Greyhound. Travelling on one of the buses the transit time for the 1,500km trip is an unbelievable 20 hours and costs around $180 (sixty pounds at time of writing). The reason for the somewhat excessive travel time is the regular stops that by all accounts are long enough to wake you up if you do manage to fall asleep but not long... Read review

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