DESERT KNOWLEDGE AUSTRALIA Current Issue

ALICE DRIVES FUTURE GRID

The way the town is powered is no exception. Arid and searingly hot, 1500 kilometres from the coast, and typically protected from the vagaries of extreme weather by virtue of its position in the geographical centre of the vast Australian continent, Alice Springs has only one commercially viable renewable energy resource: solar.  And...

Gabbert Design Current Issue

GABBERT THRIVES ON VISIONARY PROJECTS

Darwin-based Gabbert Design is creating the master plan for the Little Paradise Development for Groote Holdings Aboriginal Corporation’s wealth-creation projects on Groote Eylandt. The most stunning is a six-star clifftop eco-resort, an idea undergoing financial feasibility studies. Designer Wayne Gabbert has also designed the...

Banubanu Beach Retreat Business

A TERRITORY DESTINATION THAT STIRS FEELINGS

Off the East Arnhem Land coast, there’s a private, secluded eco-beach paradise, a diamond hidden amongst one of Australia’s most unexplored regions. What began as a private fishing camp in 2005, it’s now the superb Banubanu Beach Retreat on the northern tip of Bremer Island (Dhambaliya in Yolgnu).  “Banubanu is a dream...

BANUBANU BEACH RETREAT Issue 34

A DREAM COME TRUE

A secluded island surrounded by turquoise Arafura waters, teeming with aquatic life. A sanctuary for a myriad of sea birds, false killer whales, green, olive Ridley, flatback and hawksbill turtles. An unspoilt haven with pristine white powdery sand that squeaks beneath your bare feet. A slice of East Arnhem Land paradise that the small group of...

Tourism Vouchers Issue 33

VOUCHERS HELP YOU HOLIDAY AT HOME

Tourism has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and recent hot spot lockdowns. But the Territory Government’s Tourism Vouchers have helped ease the pain – and in many cases, been the difference between staying open or closed. Peter Hook of Kakadu Tourism says the vouchers are a “lifeline” for tourism. He said Crocodile Hotel...

Mindil Beach Casino Resort Business

CASINO RESORT: PART OF THE COMMUNITY

The business sponsors a string of good causes. Gary Brown, managing director of Delaware North, which owns the casino resort, says: “Delaware North is active in the communities we serve, making our operations more than places we work; they are places we invest in because we believe in them.” And casino resort general manager Avril...

Ramada Suites Zen Quarter Business

MELANIE’S TAKING ON NEW HEIGHTS

Life changed for then 23-year-old Melanie Lewis in 2003. She had followed a navy boy to Darwin.  “But instead, I fell in love with the town, the weather – I hate the cold – the fabulously friendly people and the opportunities afforded me here.” Melanie is used to being the brand of her properties and is now moving up in the...

DARWIN LAKSA FESTIVAL Business

FOR THE LOVE OF LAKSA

About 3000 people attended the Laksa Festival in Darwin in late November. And 3600 downloaded a special Food Tour app and voted for what they considered the best of 69 featured dishes to determine the People’s Choice winner on festival day. Festival organisers secretly sent out a team of “ninjas” to taste the dishes to determine the top...

Wallaroo Tours Business

PRESERVE, PROMOTE AND PROTECT

“Prohibiting tourists isn’t the answer. Education and understanding the creatures and their environment is,” says barefooted Pat “Croc Dundee” Chappell. For the past seven years, Pat has been educating people about how to preserve, promote and protect crocodiles and other creatures that inhabit the Adelaide River ecosystem, and what...

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY, TOURISM AND TRADE Business

TOURISM TAKES RECOVERY ROAD

The $4 million package will help improve wayside inns and roadhouses as the NT grows the all-important tourism drive market. Caravan parks may apply if they meet the eligibility criteria. It closes on 14 January 2021 and recipients will be confirmed in February-March. The grant program will help businesses carry out infrastructure projects...

Tourism NT Business

VEEP’S THE WORD

The buzzword in the Northern Territory’s crucially important tourism industry is VEEP. It stands for Visitor Experience Enhancement Program, a Territory Government initiative to help tourist operators improve the on-ground experience for visitors. The program is enormously popular. It has helped businesses in a myriad of practical ways –...

Katherine Outback Experience Issue 28

GREAT EXPERIENCE

“We thought we had all bases covered with tourism in the dry season and a national touring show during the Territory’s wet season. Never in our wildest dreams had we factored in a total nationwide lockdown,” says founders Tom and Annabel Curtain. With numerous animals to feed daily and keeping staff employed, they’ve scarcely...