General Advice about the Outback.

My boyfriend and I are flying into Darwin Airport in June. We are hoping to see as much of the Northern Territory as possible on a very tight budget. We are torn between hostels and hiring a campervan.

How efficient is the public transport to the area's of interest? Would we be better hiring a camper so that we have accommodation & transport? Is it expensive to camp or park up?

Is it safe for us to explore on our own or would we be better off going on a guided tour? What's cheaper??

Arghhhh, so many questions I know!!!!!!

We have working holiday visas and we would be happy to work in between exploring to help fund the trips. Any advice on itineraries, work, transport, camping, campervans, safety, locals etc would be very much appreciated!!

I have read books & researched the net but I would really like to hear it from someone who's had 1st hand experience of the outback.

Re: General advice about the Outback.

Many questions indeed. Let's see if I can help you with some of the specific questions.

Safety:
Of course you can go on your own.

How efficient is the public transport to the area's of interest?
It's mostly non-existent.

Would we be better off hiring a camper so that we have accommodation & transport?
The answer to this one, and to many of your other questions, is, "It depends." You have a work visa you say. So are you staying for a year? You can't hire a car for a year. So what do you mean? Hiring one for a trip here and there?

If you want to hire something affordable check out Wicked Campers.

If I was you, and I'd be flying into and leaving from Darwin, and I had 6 months or more, I'd buy a car and sell it when I leave. There is a thriving market for used backpacker cars in Darwin. Some of them come with camping gear already.

Or you team up with others who have bought a car and are looking for passengers.

Here is a page that may be of interest to you: Budget travel around Australia.

Is it expensive to camp or park up?
Nope. Camp sites in national parks are very affordable, and you can find many free bush camping sites in the Northern Territory. See this page about camping in Australia.

Would we be better off going on a guided tour? What's cheaper?
It depends. It depends what you hire, what else you spend money on while on the road, if you can find some other people to share the costs, where you go and for how long... Tours often work out cheaper, but you also will spend less time and see less.

We have working holiday visas and we would be happy to work in between exploring to help fund the trips.
For anything about finding work up here read through this section: Work and travel Australia. I wouldn't be to stuck on the Territory. You can duck over the border to Kununurra if you have trouble finding work. There is always farm work in Kununurra. (And in October/November you have the mango season in Katherine, NT.)

But once you arrive in Darwin, just ask around and talk to other people, and you'll soon figure things out.

I can't give you any itinerary advice since I don't know how much time you have, how much money, or what you want to see.

So, take a deep breath. Keep reading and getting a bit of a big picture. Fly into Darwin, book into a hostel, meet some people, and take it from there.

She'll be right, mate!