NORTHERN TERRITORY, Australia – I am strolling along Mindil Beach in the northern Australian city of Darwin when the sky begins to blush. The gilded sea beckons, rippling gently, and in this 30 deg C heat, it is hard to resist the urge to dive in. 

A few people are dipping their toes in the shallows, but the crowds, for the most part, stay safely planted on shore. The chances of meeting a certain reptilian resident in these waters are low, they know, but not zero. 

There is a joke in these parts of Australia that goes like this: How do you know if a water body is safe for swimming? If you look down and see tiles on the floor. 

This region is not called Australia’s crocodile capital for nothing. The Northern Territory (NT) is home to the world’s largest crocodile population – around 100,000 as at 2017, according to the NT government’s website. 

Throughout my trip in June, I encounter this fearsome predator in many forms, first alive and kicking at Darwin’s Crocosaurus Cove, then later as food. I get my first taste of crocodile meat aboard luxury train The Ghan, which turns it into pan-fried dumplings. 

But the territory is far more than its shock-value predators. It is breathtaking sunsets, crisp and clear air, a speckled night sky, majestic red mountains and the peace of an endless desert. 

Here are six things to do in the Northern Territory on your next trip Down Under. 

Take a sunset dinner cruise