Darwin Travel

Darwin is a small yet cosmopolitan city of approximately 110,000 people located on the Timor Sea (a branch of the Indian Ocean) in north-central Australia. Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory.

The city is notable amongst the capital cities for its history of major disasters. Its tropical climate has seen it regularly subjected to heavy thunderstorms.

Major cyclones have occurred approximately once every three decades. Much of the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Darwin is also the only Australian capital city to have come under substantial attack during a war. On 19 February, 1942, Japanese planes made two major air raids on Darwin from the aircraft carrier fleet that had attacked Pearl Harbor less than 3 months earlier.

Things to See at Darwin

• Fannie Bay Gaol, East Point Road, Fannie Bay. 10:30am until 4pm. An aboriginal warrior called Nemarluk once escaped from here and swam across Darwin Harbour free.

• East Point reserve. Go near dawn or dusk to see Agile Wallabies.
• George Brown Botanical Gardens

• Casuarina Coastal Reserve.

• Charles Darwin National Park.

• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory – set on a tropical garden on Darwin Harbour is this, the Northern Territory’s premier cultural institution. The MAGNT collections place the region’s art, history and culture, and natural history in an Australian and international context through research, interpretation and collection development. These collections encompass Aboriginal art and material culture, visual arts, craft, Southeast Asian and Oceanic art and material culture, maritime archaeology, Northern Territory history and natural sciences.

• Crocosaurus Cove

• Doctors Gully Fish Feeding — yes, you feed the fish by hand and they’re not little fishies, so luckily they don’t bite hard! Feeding is dependent on the tide, so call for the schedule.

• Mindil Beach Market – An open air market each Thursday night (just north of downtown). It is only on during the dry season.

• A day trip to Litchfield National Park to explore the wonderful waterfalls & vistas.

• Crocodylus Park – Only 5 minutes drive from the airport, the park is home to more than a thousand crocodiles. It also houses exotic birds, primates, big cats and lizards. Children under 4 years have free entry.

• Darwin Crocodile Farm — Over 10,000 crocodiles at this breeding farm. definitely a good place to see crocodiles from a safe distance.

• An Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise to get up close and personal to the crocs. Stop at the Humpty Doo Hotel on the way to Adelaide River and sample the cold beer on offer

• The Mary River National Park is not a long drive from Darwin and the adjacent Corroboree and Yellow Water billabongs are home to the biggest in size and highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the world.