Entry 11 – Northern Territory 2021 overview with monetary costings.
2021 was a year with rolling restrictions, a consequence from the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. It was frustrating at times, though with our travelling lifestyle, which focused on remote locations helped with a positive effect on our well-being. It was good to be away from busy metropolitan areas and even more so during the pandemic upheavals, mostly impacting the crowded urban locations.
It’s always good to be in the northern regions of Australia during the cold winter months of the more populated southern regions.
We continued with our love for Litchfield National Park staying for a month. Our Australian travel experiences camping in national parks had shown most had imposed time limitations. We were unaware of the time limitation for Litchfield NP. We didn’t enquire with the rangers and they didn’t bother us. Though we could have easily stayed longer.
Next with our love affair was Edith Falls campground. We stayed for the maximum time limit of two weeks, not leaving one hour earlier than needed.
Though both the above locations are dependent on good weather conditions with the optimum time lines, June to August each year with constant sunny days and low 30’s degree temperatures.
At the southern end of the Northern Territory with its very cold night-time temperatures and hot-ish day time temperatures we appreciated the magnificence of the MacDonnell Ranges. This year’s, allocated period of two weeks for us, in the MacDonnell Ranges, just wasn’t long enough. When we are next in this area of Australia, we thought perhaps a minimum of a month and we could easily extend that time period.
We travelled north/south through the Northern Territory along the Stuart Highway. We did consider many deviations like Lamberts Centre of Australia, the true centre of Australia but dismissed this location due to time limitations and its remote location with its vehicle destroying tracks. This was a similar scenario for many other options to the left or right of the Stuart Highway. Maybe another time?
Our cost summary for our 80 days in the Northern Territory 2021.
We would normally travel over a longer period at a more relaxed pace which aids to diminish our incurred daily costs.
These recorded costings provide an insight for a shorter period of time, from home and returning to our home.
All costs have been rounded out to the nearest $100.
Days spent holidaying = 80
Expenditure incurred whilst travelling, ~ $63 per day – (averaged out)
Kilometres travelled 8,000
Fuel expenditure = $2,400
Average Daily Fuel expenditure $30
Food expenditure = $1,300
Accommodation expenditure = $1,100
Other living expenditures = $100
We spent 58 nights in National Parks, 3 in caravan parks, 17 at free camping locations and 2 at showgrounds.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Northern Territory with many special locations to visit.
It was additionally tiring driving long distances over a short period. This increased our exposure time to many road hazards with the need to travel along crowded routes. We did experience many people driving inappropriately and the difficulties of sharing the road with a large volume of huge transport vehicles.
Our preference of travel where possible, to travel the quieter roads, away from the busy highways is more difficult to acquire in the Northern Territory due to a lack of alternate routes.
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