The Tennant Creek region is centred on the junction of two great highways, the Barkly Highway and the Stuart Highway. It encompasses the sprawling Barkly Tablelands and has a rich gold mining history. With a population of 3,000, Tennant Creek is an important supply and service centre for outlying cattle stations on the Barkly Tablelands. Located some 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs and around 1,000 kilometres south of Darwin, the town has a diverse history shaped by Aboriginal culture, pastoralism and gold mining.
Golden Adventures
Adventure lovers have plenty of options in the Tennant Creek area. Four-wheel drivers are spoilt for choice with the plethora of moderate to challenging tracks available to test their skills and their vehicles. The Davenport Range National Park is an excellent four-wheel drive destination and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. The Old Police Station Waterhole, located on the Frew River, is the park's best known attraction, and the moderately challenging Frew River Four Wheel Drive Loop Track is an exciting alternative route in. It's a rocky, 17 kilometre track with several kilometres along the ridgeline, which affords spectacular vistas. This is just one of the four-wheel drive tracks in the region. Camping in Tennant Creek is an adventure in itself. There are caravan parks and camp grounds in town, but for a real feeling of isolation, where there are no creature comforts, pack up the car and try one of the region's bush camping sites in the peace and quiet of the outback - make sure you take all your own supplies. Why not aim to go home in style after you discover your fortune in Tennant Creek. There are a number of sites in this area where people can fossick for their own gold - and apparently there's still plenty here to be found. Another adventurous pursuit in this area is experiencing life on an outback cattle station. Travellers can camp at Banka Banka Station, an operating station 100 kilometres to the town's north. more
