G'day mate! This week Area heads down under to Australia's Northern Territory. Straight out of Baz Luhrmann's Australia, the region is a magical mix of wild landscape and indigenous culture.
Make Darwin your home base, a former frontier town that's now a mellow and multicultural waterfront city. Perched on a peninsula with sea on three sides, it's a perfect base to explore the World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park, Litchfield and Nitmiluk National Parks, the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land.
Here are our favorite places to sleep in and around Darwin:
Rent a bungalow with a tropical outdoor shower at Feathers Sanctuary. This property is also a sanctuary for birds, which can be observed in large aviaries, or wandering freely around the grounds.
For something more modern, Medina Vibe is Darwin's newest hotel, overlooking the newly developed Darwin Waterfront.
Or skip the hotel room altogether and enjoy the comforts of home at Mandalay Luxury Stay, a boutique accommodation that captures Darwin's unique blend of tropical and Asian influences.
Another new option in Darwin, Argus Apartments provide modern style at affordable rates in the heart of the CBD.
Elegant and sophisticated, the 3-bedroom Villa La Vue has a great waterfront location on Darwin's Esplanade and is ideal for a group.
Or rent your own private Balinese villa at Moonshadow Villas just outside of the city center.
Want to get straight to nature? Bamurru Plains is wild bush luxury at its best. Located on the Mary River floodplains on the border of Kakadu National Park, this is a quick charter flight or a three-hour drive from Darwin.
Or join in family life at Bullo River Station, a working cattle station in one of the most visually stunning locations in Australia.
Reason to go now? The Aussie dollar has dipped 20% since last summer and with Richard Branson's V Australia now in the transpacific flight fray, fares to Oz have plummeted.
