The capital of the Northern Territory, Darwin, is a surprising mix of natural beauty, local culture and relaxed living. With an explosive history and a truly tropical environment it's not only an interesting place to visit but has unique activities for all to enjoy.

Darwin was all but destroyed in World War Two when heavy bombing basically levelled the town. In 1974 cyclone Tracy ripped through the town devastating it once again, but rebuilt with care and thought it is now a beautiful example of tropical living at its best.

Enjoy a stunning sunset or cruise in a yacht around Darwin Harbour, one of the finest harbours in the world. Watch dolphins frolic and take in the heady scents of frangipani and mango while dining in one of Darwin's seaside cafes or restaurants.

A special activity that is unique to Darwin and one of its biggest tourist attractions is Aquascene. Here at the end of The Esplanade in Doctor's Gully hundreds of fish come to shore to be hand fed. Catfish, bream and mullet are the most common fish to take part in what can only be called a feeding frenzy! Occurring between August and December visitors are encouraged to wade in knee deep among the small fish and take part in a truly remarkable act of nature.

While images of dusty red soil come to mind when thinking of the Northern Territory, the state capital is actually quite the opposite. Framed by the Timor Sea, Darwin has a beautiful harbour that is a focal point of the city landscape.

Arid desert plains make way for lush wetlands with dramatic gorges and waterfalls as you head into Darwin from the South.

Spreading over 20 000 sq kms, Kakadu National Park is an awesome example of the Australian tropics at its best. Featured in the Crocodile Dundee movie, Kakadu is a wild place with unique plants and animals and spectacular scenery.

Located within the Park is the town of Jabiru. Carefully developed in harmony with the surrounding environment this town features the incredible Gagudju Crocodile Hotel which, when see from the air, is clearly shaped like a languidly resting crocodile upon the landscape.

Deep within the wild and tangled reaches of Kakadu are deep ravines and gorges where thundering waterfalls such as Jim Jim and Twin Falls crash from 200 metre drops. While surrounding these sites are thousands of varieties of trees, ferns, palms, mosses and exotic flowers that are home to just as exotic wildlife, bird and fish species.

The Kakadu region also encompasses the Jabiru area. Kakadu is a World Heritage listed national Park and is around 20 000 square kilometres in size. The terrain of Kakadu is spectacular with many types of land formations amongst the dense tropical rainforests.

With foundations of sandstone, Kakadu is a plateau marked by deep scars in the earth created over millions of years. Deep escarpments run down to bottomless ravines, while thunderous waterfalls such as the 200 metre Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls abound.

Katherine is a little town that has grown up around some of the most spectacular land in the country. Based on the Katherine River it is only a few hundred kilometres from Darwin but has a beauty all its own.

Just 30km from the township is Katherine Gorge which is actually no less than 13 small gorges separated by rocky valleys that make up the entire gorge. Walled with eroded limestone cliffs Katherine Gorge makes a stunning place to tour whether by boat, canoe or on foot.

Over 300 kilometres from Darwin, the main feature of the landscape in Katherine is the stunning Katherine Gorge. This gateway sees the Katherine River flow through 13 canyons with breathtaking coloured walls that tower along its length.

Around 12 kilometres long, while the full width of the river valley is over 100 hectares.

While not as famous as Uluru, the 'Devils Marbles' south of Tennant Creek are an equally intriguing sight. These massive oddly balanced boulders are strewn across the landscape much as if some giant had been playing marbles with them.

The large red boulders are made of granite from a volcanic origin and have taken over a thousand million years to erode to their current state. In Aboriginal folklore they are said to be the ancient fossilised eggs of the Rainbow Serpent and for this reason it's a special site to the local Aborigines. Just a short hike up the road is the nearly comical miniature version of the Devils Marbles which has garnered the name 'Devils Pebbles'.

As for the town itself, Tennant Creek was a mining town where gold was found and mined in what was once the largest open gold mine in the world. Mining is still an industry in Tennant Creek although on a much smaller scale. Tours of the mines are available with a commentary on the history of the town that sheds light on the glory of the gold rush days.

A prominent landmark in Tennant Creek are the fascinating 'Devil's Marbles'. These perplexing formations stand out like, well, they are hard to miss put it that way.

This group of massive round red boulders balanced upon the otherwise flat surrounding plains are a product of erosion of millions of years. The impressive granite rocks were originally formed from volcanic soils. To the north of this cluster is a smaller version of the same thing referred to as the 'Devil's Pebbles'.

Once known as Ayers Rock, most people now know this majestic red monolith jutting against the blue Australian sky by its Aboriginal name of Uluru.

Rising an awesome 450m out of the ground, Uluru is about 9km around the base and has a vivid red hue that is a result of iron minerals on the surface oxidising with the outside air. It was handed back to the Aboriginal owners in 1985 in respect to their spiritual link to the site. Uluru is now co-administered by the government and the owners to assist management of tourism in the area.

Kata Tjuta (formerly known as The Olgas) is another rock formation down the road from Uluru which is a series of rocks and gorges also with that trademark red surface. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a huge 132 000 hectares of mostly featureless flat plains, hence why Uluru is such a stark and intriguing site in the landscape.

The landscape of this region is one of the most easily recognisable in the world. Its vibrant red soil is stunning against the blue skies of the region.

Of course, the obvious landmark is the awesome Uluru (formerly known as Ayres Rock), a monolith of red rock jutting out of the earth at a height of nearly 450 metres in an otherwise featureless landscape. Its sister rock, Kata Tjuta (formerly known as The Olgas) is a smaller but equally fascinating formation about 30 km away.