Tennant Creek is a popular stop for both north and southbound road travellers on the Stuart Highway. Approximately 500km from Alice Springs and 1000km from Darwin, it's a red-dusted outback town with an almost complete lack of traffic lights and lawns. Whilst the retail strip is not the most beautiful, the town has most of the amenities you could want and plenty to see and do.
Here are some of the top attractions in the town and surrounding areas:
* Karlu Karlu/Devils Marbles and
Kunjarra/The Pebbles
Some of the Devils Marbles
To the
south of Tennant Creek are Karlu Karlu/the Devils Marbles, huge granite boulders scattered across the valley creating a wondrous and eerie landscape particularly at sunrise and sunset.
To the
north of Tennant Creek, off the Stuart Highway and down a gravel road, you can find a smaller relative of the Marbles, known as Kunjarra/The Pebbles.
Stop and admire these rocky marvels and read about their significance to Aboriginal people.
* Go Gold Fossicking
Tennant Creek had a gold rush in the 1930s and if you take a trip North of Tennant Creek, you'll find the declared gold fossicking area of
Warrego where rumour has it people have in fact found gold. Certainly, there were a few fossickers out the day we visited. Camping is allowed but note that there are NO facilities – no water, toilets, or rubbish bins, so you need to be self-sufficient and take your rubbish home with you.
An old water bore at Warrego fossicking site
* Battery Hill Mining Centre, Tours and Visitor Information Centre
Battery Hill Mining Centre
About 1.5km east of town on Peko Road, Battery Hill Mining Centre also houses the Visitor Information Centre so it's a great place to start when exploring the town. There are indoor and outdoor displays and underground mine and gold stamp battery tours.
* Go Four Wheel Driving
The 1120 square kilometre
Davenport Ranges National Park has some
good tracks along with beautiful scenery, waterholes and wildlife.
* Tingkkarli/Lake Mary Ann
Lake Mary Ann - waiting for the wet season
Only a few kilometres north of town, Lake Mary Ann is a recreational area with shelters, tables and toilets. The lake is pretty low on water at the moment, however, it is still a nice spot to picnic and there's plenty of birdlife.
* Tennant Creek Telegraph Station
The Telegraph Station was once a part of the Overland Telegraph Line running 3,600 km from Adelaide to Darwin and linking Australia to Britain. Wander through the yards of the old buildings and read the amazing stories of the self-sufficient and innovative bunch of employees that lived and worked there.
Tennant Creek Telegraph Station information board amongst the termite mounds
* Tennant Creek Golf Club
Yep, it's a desert course. That would be sand. Located on Peko Road, about 7km to the east of Tennant Creek, visitors are welcome. Enquire at the Visitor Information Centre at Battery Hill Mining Centre for details.
* Lookouts
The
Bill Allen Lookout (turnoff is located just past the Battery Hill turnoff on Peko Road) gives you an idea of just how vast the countryside really is. Plaques provide information on points of interest and history around the compass. In town, you can get a more urban view from
Anzac Hill.
* Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre
Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre
Showcasing the work of Warumungu and Barkly region artists, the gallery has permanent and changing exhibitions and displays of the history and culture of the Warumungu people. Upcoming exhibitions and events are listed on their
website. Artworks and artefacts can also be purchased from the website.
* Events
Check out
Barkly Arts for a variety of exhibitions and events including art, music, comedy and theatre throughout the year. Annual events in Tennant Creek include the
Tennant Creek Races,
Desert Harmony Festival,
Barkly Rodeo and Campdraft and the
Tennant Creek Show.