Tower Rock - NT

4WD accessible free bush camp. Dogs permitted.

The conservation park is relatively new, created in 2011 when Mac and Rose’s son, Charlie Chalmers, signed a voluntary conservation agreement on pastoral land, as part of a project that helps landowners preserve and protect special areas on their properties. For travellers, it offers a glimpse at what was once a private retreat. It’s also a great place to camp while exploring the Binns Track.

The campground is a small grassy plain with two long-drop dunnies surrounded by hessian for a bit of privacy. And that’s it – except for a near-perfect 360-degree sweep of stunning scenery that begs to be explored.

One of the reasons Tower Rock was considered as a conservation reserve was that the area supports a diversity of animals, as well as plants – even a few threatened species call this region home.

There are suggested walks that ramble around and through the granite outcrops, but they’re fairly informal. Using a combination of short colour-tipped steel droppers and strategically placed painted arrows, these trails have an element of adventure.