Busted: 6 myths about the Northern Territory

TURNS out Aussies are a little confused when it comes to the Northern Territory. Here are the bizarre things we believe about our ancient land.

ArnhemLand

TURNS out Aussies are a little confused when it comes to what’s fact and what’s fiction in our northern most territory. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it stretches over a million square kilometres, or that it is home to Australia’s most ancient settlements. These are the bizarre beliefs we have about the Northern Territory.

Arnhem Land is not real

One in 10 Australians (9.7 per cent) think one of our national treasures, Arnhem Land, is a mythical land featured in a famous children’s book.

Tales of a faraway place.

It’s just desert

72 per cent of us believe that the NT is as dry as the Sahara desert. However it is also home to the oldest river system on the planet, cool savannas in the tablelands and tropical ecosystems.

You will actually find water in the NT.

Crocs outnumber people

Six out of 10 Aussies (59 per cent) are so unfamiliar with the NT that they believe it has more crocs than people.

It’s a territory made up of wild animals.

It takes as long to fly to the NT as it does to Bali

Nearly a third (27 per cent) of us believe it takes twice as long to fly to the NT from Sydney — thinking it takes about six hours. While a flight to Darwin from Sydney is around five hours, it takes just three hours to reach the heart of the NT, Alice Springs.

Ready for a long haul? It’s only three hours.

The harbour bridge is our iconic landmark

While Sydneysiders may like to think the nation rates their Harbour Bridge as the most boast-worthy Aussie spot, 55 per cent believe that Uluru is our most iconic landmark.

Nothing says Australia like the Rock.

Nothing much goes on

Though Aussies may not associate the region with action, the NT has some of the country’s most adrenalin-pumping and boundary-pushing festivals.

The Camel Cup in Alice Springs, where cameleers try their luck atop temperamental camels, and the Beer Can Regatta in Darwin, where people can build and race boats made from beer cans are two of the more colourful festivals you’ll experience in Australia.

Racing the first bend of the Camel Cup in Alice Springs.

This research was commissioned by Tourism NT.