A world-famous driving tour featuring a convoy of 19 Land Rover vehicles has kicked off in Australia for the very first time.

The 2015 Land Rover Experience Tour departed from north east Arnhem Land today visiting key tourism sites including Wurrwurrwuy (Garanhan) Macassan Beach, Baningura (Little Bondi Beach) and Yarrapay (Rocky Point).                                      

The tour will culminate at Uluru in three weeks’ time, a 3,613 kilometre journey through remote terrain. It is expected to deliver a $60 million windfall for Northern Territory tourism, with the tour hugely popular in Europe. 

“The Northern Territory Land Rover Experience Tour has been two years in the making and will put the NT on the global map as the ultimate drive holiday destination,” said Tourism NT CEO Tony Mayell.

“From tropical white-sandy beaches, to Indigenous rock art, vast blue skies and the red dirt of Central Australia the Northern Territory is a place like no other. I’ve no doubt the 2015 Land Rover Experience Tour will be an unforgettable experience for all involved.”

The Tour will involve 12 new model Land Rover Discovery Sports, seven Discovery IVs vehicles, a purpose built 20 ton truck to carry supplies and nearly 100 people, including 50 international media representatives.

“The extensive media coverage generated from the Tour is money-can’t-buy advertising for the Northern Territory and some of our most stunning tourism attractions like Bawaka, Arnhem Land, Nitmiluk National Park, Gregory National Park, Kalkarindji, the Tanami Desert and Uluru,” said Mr Mayell.

“It is especially exciting to see the tour kick off in north east Arnhem Land – one of the Northern Territory’s hidden gems and one of the last undiscovered tourism regions in Australia.

“Mystical and deeply cultural, very few people have had the opportunity to experience the raw beauty of Arnhem Land until now – thanks to the Land Rover Experience Tour the secret might be out.”

Tourism Australia Managing Director, John O’Sullivan, said the wide expanse and rugged terrain of the Northern Territory was perfect for such a spectacular driving challenge.

"We're proud to have played a key role in bringing the Land Rover Experience Tour to Australia, and I know their journey is going to be unforgettable - not just for the drivers and the support teams, but also for the fifty or so international media who will be covering this amazing experience along the way. 

"This is the sort of 'new news' which grabs people's attention and which will undoubtedly generate incredible exposure for our country, amongst travellers in our target markets across the globe," he said.

Head of the Land Rover Experience Tour, Dag Rogge, said the Tour will be an adventure of a lifetime.

“Australia is the 11th edition of the Land Rover Experience Tour and the perfect place for us,” he said.

“The Northern Territory is 100 per cent the right part of Australia for the Land Rover Experience Tour. The tracks there are so amazing and so interesting. The driving is absolutely brilliant and we will also be meeting the traditional land owners the Aboriginal people and learning their culture. With Australia every day is an adventure.”

As part of the official launch in Arnhem Land, the Land Rover convoy experienced a special welcome to country and smoking ceremony and learnt about the traditional owners of the land – the Yolngu people, one of the oldest living cultures on earth, stretching back over 40,000 years.

More than 30,000 Germans applied for the 2015 Tour via a registration process that also involved driver training testing, with six participants chosen to take part along with support crew and international media.

The journey will be split into three sections with the first leg from Arnhem Land to Katherine, then Katherine to Kalkarindji with the final leg culminating at Uluru on 5 November.

This initiative is part of the Northern Territory Government’s plan to boost international visitors to the Northern Territory and build a $2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020.

For more information on the Land Rover Experience Tour go to http://www.landrover-experience.de/ of follow the tour on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LandRoverExp.

Media Contact: Lisa Andrews, Corporate Media and Communications Manager +61 401 115 634