Australia Track Two

Litchfield National Park, about 70 miles south of Darwin, boasts waterfalls, swimming holes and sweeping views over the tropical woodland. But most visitors are tempted by the landscapes and wildlife of the World Heritage-listed Kakadu. Australia's largest national park is a three-hour drive east of Darwin. Note, however, that most of the park's "sights" are scattered across the 52,000-square mile park, separated by wide swathes of monotonous scrub; in addition, some attractions - such as two waterfalls, Jim Jim and Twin Falls - are closed in the wet season.

You should certainly be alert to the dangers posed by saltwater crocodiles ("salties"), which inhabit rivers, swamps and billabongs across the Top End, often far from the sea. Recent victims include a German woman mauled to death while swimming in a Kakadu waterhole. Warning signs are posted wherever the fearsome reptiles are present.

The small town of Katherine boasts the only set of traffic lights on the 900-mile Stuart Highway between Darwin and Alice Springs. It is the de facto capital of the Never-Never, the land beyond the coast of the Northern Territory. There are plenty of tours of the area, most of which can be paid for with a credit card - so you can see the Never-Never on the never-never.

Every trip traces the tortured course of the early settlers. Jeannie Gunn described the hardships in her autobiographical account, We Of The Never-Never.

Less visited is Leliyn (Edith) Falls, 40 miles north of Katherine, where you can swim in a heavenly waterhole, preferably at sunset, watching the sun's dying rays turn the gorge different shades of orange.

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