After 5 Years Exploring the Northern Territory, These are the Best Off-Road Tracks for 4WD Road Trips

After five years as a Territorian, Amy’s convinced that the best places in the Territory are off the bitumen and down long dirt roads.

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place, who have occupied and cared for these lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

The NT is built for road trips. Sure you could bump your way up and down the Stuart Highway getting caught behind road trains and 80km/h motorhomes. Or you could load up a 4WD and take on a road trip less travelled. 

Down dusty roads and across rivers is where the Territory’s true secrets are hiding. From the tallest waterfall in the Territory to ancient rock formations that burst through the desert floor, an off-road trip is your ticket to outback adventure.  

Psst! All of these NT 4WD tracks are best taken between May and August when the rain has made its exit, the roads are open, and the temperatures are just right.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

1. Reynolds River Track

Distance: 44km one way
Duration: Can be driven in one day, but recommend three
Start point: Intersection of Litchfield Park Road & Reynolds River Track
End point: Daly River Road

A few hours from Darwin, the Reynolds River Track offers a quintessential Top End adventure through the southern section of Litchfield National Park.

The start of the 44km long track kicks off with an adrenaline-pumping river crossing that’s come close to brimming over the car bonnet every time I’ve been. The rest of the track features a few shallower crossings and some sand driving, but is otherwise mostly dirt.

Reynolds River Track

Reynolds River Track can be followed all the way to Daly River Road that runs below the southern border of the park, passing through lush savannah woodland and by collections of magnetic termite mounds. But the track has two crowning jewels you can’t miss.

Tjaynera/Sandy Creek Falls is one of my all time favourite places in the Top End. From the campground, the soaring waterfall, vibrant cliff wall, and expansive swimming hole are a 1.7km walk along a creek. Absolutely spend a night here!

Read more: Staying Safe Around Swimming Holes and Waterfalls

18km further down the track is Surprise Creek Falls and Campground (which has recently been upgraded). The waterfall is only a few hundred metres from camp and features a series of plunging swimming holes along the rock face to jump between. Book another night here!

2. Jim Jim Falls and Twin Falls

Distance: 357km one way
Duration: 4.5 hours driving, but stay for three days
Start point: Darwin
End point: Twin Falls

Now technically, the tallest waterfall in the Territory isn’t a secret, but it’s a damn mission to reach and involves some proper soft sand driving to get there.

From Darwin, it’s over a four-hour drive to Jim Jim and Twin Falls and that’s just to the trailheads. The last hour and a half is along a corrugated road, with a final 20km stretch of narrow, soft sand tracks that wind between pandanus and over creek crossings.

Read more: How To 4WD For Beginners

On each visit I struggle to comprehend the enormity of the landscape surrounding me. The up-to 300m high Arnhem Land Escarpment erupts out of the flush savannah below, and for around 500km, stands mighty along Kakadu’s eastern edge. This sandstone escarpment is its own brutal wilderness, and at Jim Jim and Twin Falls, we’re lucky enough to witness some of its most mind-blowing details.

The escarpment cliffs above Jim Jim Beach

At Jim Jim you’ll find a mouth-watering beach and a grand (but freezing!) swimming hole encompassed by 200m sheer cliffs. If you’re feeling fit, I recommend the Barrk Marlam Walk to the top of the falls for uninterrupted views above Jim Jim Creek and the flatlands.

The base of Twin Falls has been closed for upgrades for a few years, but is set to reopen in 2026! I’ve admired the gorge from the top of the falls, but you’ll have to let me know what it’s like down below.

Karnamarr Campground is the best basecamp for this off-road adventure, with plenty of space and facilities and around a 20-30 minute drive from each of the falls.

Top of Twin Falls

3. Central Arnhem Way

Distance: 675km+ one way
Duration: 10 days
Start point: Intersection of Stuart Highway & Central Arnhem Road
End point: Nhulunbuy

Arnhem Land is a destination on many bucket lists, but the drive there along the Central Arnhem Highway is an adventure in itself. This road is the artery that connects Arnhem Land with the rest of the Territory.

On that red dirt road | @susie_alderman

Beginning 50km south of Katherine, the corrugated highway passes by a number of Aboriginal communities before reaching the coastal hub of Nhulunbuy and Yirrikala.

I recommend timing your trip to coincide with Barunga Festival in June, a wholesome celebration of sport, music, and culture in the community of Barunga towards the start of the drive.

But it’s the final stretch of road where all the outdoor goodies are found. Splash in the freshwater creek at Wathawuy, ogle at the rusty cliffs and sparkling waters of Bariŋura/Little Bondi Beach, and keep your eyes peeled for crocs at the iconic Cape Arnhem. Campgrounds are abundant in East Arnhem, just make sure to get your permit first.

Read more: How To Stay Safe in Croc Country

Spend a few nights back in Nhulunbuy to rest, restock, and raise a sundowner at the Gove Boat Club. And don’t miss Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre in Yirrakala, the most renowned art hub in the Territory that showcases both ancient and modern Yolngu art styles.

The major overnight stop along the Central Arnhem Road is Mainorou Store, where I’ve spent a peaceful night camping by an aquamarine creek after many hours bumping over red corrugations.

Campside creek at Mainorou | @susie_alderman

4. Finke Gorge National Park

Distance: 154km (further to Boggy Hole)
Duration: 2 hours one way
Start point: Alice Springs
End point: Palm Valley

One of the Red Centre’s best kept secrets, greatest mysteries, and most ancient landscapes is rolled into one dazzling display of nature in Finke Gorge National Park. But you’ll need a gutsy 4WD to get there.

90 minutes’ drive from Mparntwe/Alice Springs, the park is home to the oldest river system in the world – the 350-400 million year old Finke River system. You can follow the sandy riverbed all the way through the park on one of the Territory’s most remote 4WD tracks. Pull up camp by the Boggy Hole and enjoy a refreshing dip in one of the only near-permanent bodies of water left along the Finke.

On my visit, I headed down the other main off-road track in the park and arrived at Palm Valley, a verdant grove of palm trees. In the middle of the desert.

How the Livistona mariae AKA Red cabbage palms arrived in such an arid landscape remained a mystery for decades, until Tasmanian ecologist, David Bowman, recently confirmed both an Aboriginal legend and scientific evidence determined the same result – the seeds were carried there by humans up to 30,000 years ago.

Read more: Finke Gorge Is Where the Red Centre Meets the Tropics

The Palm Valley section of the park features multiple walking tracks, lookouts, and an inviting campground to spend the night after a long day of navigating the 4WD down river beds and rocky tracks.

5. The Binns Track

Distance: 2,230km
Duration: 10 days
Start point: Mt Dare, SA
End point: Timber Creek, NT

The Binns Track is a whopper. Winding from Mt Dare on the western edge of the Simpson Desert in South Australia, to Timber Creek in the Northern Territory’s Victoria River region, the Binns Track can be driven in either direction and takes you from the desert to the tropics over 2,230 dusty kilometres.

Sunset in the East MacDonnell Ranges

The track combines backroads, 4WD tracks, and a few stretches of Stuart Highway, while passing through major centres like Mpartnwe/Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.

But it’s the backroads where all the fun is. I’ve walked the empty hiking trails of the lesser-explored East MacDonnell Ranges, set up camp along sandy creekbeds, and witnessed the remains of the historic gold rush town of Arltunga.

Read more: Why the East MacDonnell Ranges are The Red Centre’s Best Kept Secret

There’s also the opportunity to fossick for treasures at Gemtree and stargaze beneath clear desert skies at Iytwelepenty/Davenport Ranges National Park, one of the least visited parks in the Territory.

I can’t drive past Karlu Karlu/Devil’s Marbles without stopping to marvel and wander between the remarkable rock stacks.

Read more: Roll the Devil’s Marbles at Karlu Karlu (NT)

The staggering Karlu Karlu

And as you pass through Tennant Creek, don’t forget to drop into the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre in Tennant Creek to learn more about Warumungu culture and history.

The northernmost section of the Binns Track runs through Judbarra Gregory National Park, the second largest in the Territory. This is boab, barra, and croc country! A far cry from the soft-sand desert where the Binns Track begins.

Spend a few days meandering the many 4WD tracks in the park and admiring the biggest trees for thousands of kilometres before crossing the finish line at Timber Creek and heading to the pub. Time for a beer!

6. Chambers Pillar

Distance: 160km
Duration: 2-3 hours driving each way, but stay one night
Start point: Alice Springs
End point: Chamber Pillar

Ever wondered what you’d find if you just drove into the middle of the desert? Point your tyres due south of Mparntwe/Alice Springs and I think you’d be pleasantly surprised to stumble upon the looming presence of Chambers Pillar.

Road to Chambers Pillar | @conormoorephotography

This 60m-high sandstone monolith cracks out of the arid plains and into the clear, vast sky like a natural tower. It’s accompanied by a collection of standalone formations, including Window Rock and Castle Rock, which make up part of the Arrernte Dreaming story of the knob-tailed gecko man. The area is of incredible cultural, historical, and spiritual significance for the Arrernte.

Chambers Pillar was also a key navigational aid for colonial explorers and settlers, who carved their names into the stone.

The road to Chambers Pillar turns to dirt almost as soon as you’re out of the town’s boundary, bouncing 160km to the remote reserve. The pillar shines best at sunrise and sunset, so plan to call the nearby campground home for a night to see this outback panorama in all its golden hour glory.

Read more: 4WD to Chambers Pillar and Camp in its Looming Presence

Colours worth witnessing! | @conormoorephotography

Find More Roads to Trip Around the NT

• Kakadu National Park – A Road Trip Through Australia’s 2nd Largest National Park
• Road Trip From Darwin to Katherine and Back in a (Long) Weekend
• Road Trip to East Arnhem Land
• 6 Reasons to Make Your Visit to Uluṟu a Road Trip