Social Programm

CONFERENCE TOURS

“The Conference tours are being organised by the NT NRM Board Inc and will allow delegates to inspect wetland management, weed management and various coastal management programs supported by the Board.

MONDAY, 19TH APRIL, TOUR DAY

Tour 1, Full Day Tour (bus tour) - $80 + GST
The war comes to Darwin again!

8am departure, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea provided.            

Join government conscripts and community volunteers as they take us on a tour of key sites in the battle against weed invasion around Darwin’s rural area. The enemy is cobomba (Darwin River Dam), gamba grass (private property at Berry Springs and Acacia Aboriginal Community, mimosa (Window on the Wetlands is perched on Beatrice Hill, one of the highest points overlooking the Adelaide River floodplains), and garden weeds (urban landcare site in Darwin) with a barra burger lunch at the Territory iconic Humpty Doo Hotel.

Tour 2, Full Day Tour - $80 + GST
Down ‘the track’ to Katherine!

7am departure, morning, lunch and afternoon tea provided, return Darwin 7pm approximately (300 km south of Darwin) and back! The NT Agricultural Association will present sustainable production of peanuts in the Katherine area and then a trip to Katherine Gorge, hopefully meeting the local Nitmiluk Rangers. Is this the way to the North Australia Taskforce Future? Other attractions will be visited and interpreted along the way.

Tour 3, Half Day Tour - $50 + GST
Big head, big impact!

1 pm departure, afternoon tea provided, return Darwin 4.30 pm 

One of the world’s worst invasive species, the African big-headed ant has invaded the remnant spring-fed rainforest of the Howard Springs Nature Park.  Research at this site over the past decade has documented the complete extirpation of the native ant fauna within the rainforest, a reduction of other invertebrates by up to 80%, and a doubling of its distribution.  Join the CSIRO’s Dr Ben Hoffmann to explore the effects and possible management of this pest invertebrate. 

Tour 4, Half Day Tour - $50 + GST

Darwin community (land)cares!

1 pm departure, afternoon tea provided, return Darwin 4.30 pm Visit Darwin City Council’s revegetation project at Rapid Creek, running from the airport through Darwin suburbs to beautiful Casuarina Beach – a project with many partners over the years (Landcare group, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Greening Australia NT, Green Corps, Darwin Airport). The Healthy Catchment Healthy Harbour coast care project also provides support to local Landcare groups to tackle grassy weeds in their patch. Next stop, picturesque East Point Reserve, where the 'Zero Toads' project (a collaboration by Darwin City Council with employment of Larrakia Sea Rangers and FrogWatch North support) has been controlling toad movements in bushland corridors by erecting deflection fencing to lead the toads towards the traps, reducing the chances of toads penetrating into major urban areas, Darwin's foreshores and remnant vegetation.  Return to Darwin via the popular Mindil Beach, site of a Landcare award-winning revegetation project last year.

Tour 5, Half Day Tour - $50 + GST

Minbeni Larrrakia Women Rangers - culture & country!

Larrakia Minbeni Rangers - Culture and Country Tour

20 people maximum. 

This Tour will take you to the Shell Midden site in the Wickham Point Region close to the LNG plant by bus via bitumen road. The Minbeni Women Rangers will talk about their ranger program and activities in this region and their plans to engage in future partnerships  with Conoco Phillips to assist in looking  after sites of cultural heritage significance and the NRM activities planned to do at these sites.

9am-12:00pm (tbc) with a morning tea break, supplied by the Larrakia Minbeni Rangers. Good footwear, water and sunscreen. Children are permitted.

Please register and pay with the Event Coordinators if you wish to attend any of these tours. Download Registration form. registration form NRM.pdf

COMMERCIAL TOURS

In addition to the Conference Tours above the following website provides you with a product guide of commercial tours available:
http://www.ntconventions.com.au/pre-post-touring/darwin.aspx
please book these tours directly with the tour organisers 

Kakadu National Park

World Heritage-listed Kakadu is Australia’s largest national park, covering around 20,000 square kilometres. Just under three hours' drive from Darwin, Kakadu is an area of great beauty and aboriginal significance. Cascading waterfalls, tropical rainforests, towering escarpments and magnificent natural galleries of Aboriginal art exist side by side in an area that has been described as an ecological and cultural masterpiece.

Litchfield National Park

Located only an hour and a half’s drive from Darwin, Litchfield National Park features sandstone escarpments with many waterfalls and lush monsoon rainforests. Crystal clear swimming holes and bushwalks make Litchfield a popular destination.

Nitmiluk National Park

This region is home to the majestic Katherine Gorge in the Nitmiluk National Park; 13 spectacular sandstone gorges that are best experienced on a boat cruise, in a canoe or from above in a helicopter.

Tiwi Islands

Melville and Bathurst Islands, collectively called the Tiwi Islands, lie 80 kms or a half hour flight north of Darwin. The Tiwi people are known for their beautiful and distinctive art and craft. Share their culture, cool off in a waterhole or go walking to hear the stories of their ancestors.

DARWIN EXPERIENCES

Fishing

The Top End is famous for fishing and is the perfect place to catch a barramundi, one of Australia's best game fish and tasty as well.  Whether it is blue water, reef or estuary fishing, the Darwin is the perfect base for a fishing adventure.

Culture and history

Darwin's population is made up of people from over 40 countries, and it's cultural heritage is a unique blend of ancient Aboriginal custom, European pioneering legacy, WWII history and fresh Asian influence.

Outdoor lifestyle

Darwin's tropical climate lends itself to an outdoor lifestyle where much of the city's social activities take place at markets and festivals - in parks and reserves, by the beach or on boats down on Darwin Harbour.

Explorer's Way Tourism Drive

Follow the route of famous Australian explorer John McDouall Stuart and travel from Darwin to Alice Springs, and experience the remarkable changing landscapes from the tropical north to the australian outback to the red desert.

National NRM Knowledge Conference 19 - 21 April 2010