Trephina Gorge Nature Park

The park offers four distinct walking tracks ranging from a gentle 20-minute gorge walk to the demanding Trephina Ridgetop Trail, which climbs to sweeping panoramic views before dropping to John Hayes Rockhole, a deep, permanent waterhole surrounded by towering cliffs that invites a cooling swim. The park also protects the largest known ghost gum (Corymbia aparrerinja) in Australia, a landmark tree with a massive pale trunk near the main campground.

Three campgrounds are spread through the park, each bookable online through NT Parks. The sealed approach road off Ross Highway turns onto an unsealed section for the final five kilometres, which is suitable for conventional 2WD vehicles when dry. Wildlife is plentiful: painted finches, grey-headed honeyeaters, euros and echidnas are regularly spotted, and the gorge waterhole attracts animals at dawn and dusk.