Tennant Creek and Surrounds - The beauty of isolation

If you really want to get away from it all you can't beat the beautiful Davenport Range National Park, about 252 kilometres from Tennant Creek on the Bonney Creek turnoff. One of the most recently created national parks, this region is known for its remote, tranquil beauty. You'll need a high clearance four-wheel drive, food and water, and an adventurous spirit.

Bushwalks weave around a network of serene waterholes that attract prolific bird life: corellas, magpies, cranes, herons, swans, wagtails, birds of prey and crows as well as rarer species; the waterholes also support at least seven species of fish. Visitors can swim to their heart's content - try a dip in the old Police Station Waterhole, using the simple camping facilities there or at Whistleduck Creek.

Wildlife spotters should take a camera or sketchpad - this land is an ecological haven, designated national park to preserve the important environmental values between the Top End and central Australia, where tropical and arid zone landscapes meet.

The area is rich in Aboriginal history, marking the boundary between the traditional lands of the Warumungu, Alyawarre and Kaytetye people. There is also a strong European heritage here as the area was settled at the turn of the 20th century and used for mining and pastoral purposes.