Mataranka to Darwin road trip: Your guide to the best stops

Mataranka to Darwin drive: Pine Creek and Adelaide River

The next potential stop is Pine Creek, a junction town where the Kakadu Highway from Kakadu National Park joins the Stuart Highway. Many will choose to branch off and explore Kakadu from here.

The Old Railway Station and Railway Museum is the main attraction in Pine Creek. There’s also the Enterprise Pit Mine Lookout, an old open cut mine that has now filled with water.

The next town of any size is Adelaide River, where the Adelaide River War Cemetery is the only war cemetery on Australian soil. During World War II, Adelaide River was home to a large military base.

Be warned: This is not the place where you do the infamous jumping crocodile cruises. They take place on the Adelaide River, but further upstream, just off the Arnhem Highway.

Next up: Litchfield National Park