Is Tennant Creek Worth Visiting?

This is what we were told. Don’t go. You’ll be robbed. It’s dirty. There is nothing to do there. The best way to see it is in your mirrors. So is Tennant Creek worth visiting? YES!

We visited Tennant Creek in September 2022 with mates of ours Deb & Kev. We had absolutely no trouble at all while staying in Tennant Creek. Sure it’s a bit different to what we are used to in rural NSW – but isn’t experiencing different things the biggest reason we all travel?

The RSL Club

We ate dinner at the RSL club one night and had awesome steaks. The atmosphere was friendly at all times. There were lots of people from out of town having dinner there as well as loads of locals. It was just like any RSL we have visited and we’ve visited at least a hundred of them over the years.

Tennant Creek RSL Beers And Ginger Beer

Woks Up Chinese Restaurant

On our second night in Tennant Creek we had dinner at the Woks Up Chinese Restaurant. What a great place! The food was excellent, as good as any Chinese I have ever eaten. The restaurant itself is all funky and modern inside – not what I was expecting. The service was quick and friendly and the prices charged were very reasonable. I really wasn’t expecting such a great experience given all of the reviews of Tennant Creek I had read. The answer to the question Is Tennant Creek worth visiting should be a massive yes just because of Woks Up on it’s own.

Lining Up For A Carton Of Beer

Alcohol is only sold at bottle shops between given hours – from memory it is between 04.00pm and 07.00pm. Don’t quote me on the hours but it’s something like that. On the afternoon we arrived in Tennant Creek we were confused and amused to see people lining up to get in to the towns bottle shops. So of course we had to give it a go! The lines were orderly and everyone was well behaved and friendly. We had a great chat and some friendly banter with a lot of the people lined up around us. The line moved quickly, we got in to the bottle shop and made our purchase. And surprise surprise the prices were no different to what you’d find in Western Sydney.

Tennant Creek NT Lining Up Outside The Bottle Shop

Tennant Creek Telegraph Station

We visited Tennant Creek Telegraph Station and it was a great experience. A few days previous we visited the Alice Springs Telegraph Station and we were interested in a comparison between the two.

Tennant Creek Telegraph Station

Battery Hill Underground Mine Tour At Tennant Creek

We visited Battery Hill and went on the Battery Hill Underground Mine Tour At Tennant Creek. It was both educational and interesting. It’s the first time we have been down a gold mine. We have been down about a dozen opal mines and a few silver mines but never a gold mine.

Battery Hill Underground Mine Tour At Tennant Creek

Tennant Creek Caravan Park

We stayed at the Tennant Creek Caravan Park at the northern end of town and the facilities were great. The park was fully fenced with a sliding gate to control access in and out after 6.00pm. Pricing was excellent. We paid $38 a night for a powered site. The sites were all generous in side. The showers and toilet blocks were clean and spacious. I’d recommend staying here if you are in town.

They have a range of accommodation options available.

• Powered sites
• Unpowered sites
• Camping sites
• Cabins.

Some of their additional facilities include,

• Camp kitchen with fridge
• Shaded swimming pool
• Coin operated laundry
• Pet friendly
• Gas refills
• BBQs

So Is Tennant Creek Worth Visiting?

Is Tennant Creek worth visiting? Absolutely it is. It’s a great place with loads of different things to experience. We felt safe at all times while we were there and had loads of great interactions with the locals. Be sensible. Lock your stuff up at night. Talk to people. And above all else go and visit and find out for yourself – don’t just take the word of people who’s cousins neighbour knew a bloke from work who had a bad experience there!