The best things to do in Darwin

There may be some impressive sights within easy reach of the city, but there’s no reason to rush before seeing Darwin City.

When you land in the Northern Territory’s capital, the incredible landscapes of emerald-blue waterways dotted with dark orange sandbanks and vast expanses of land will have you jumping in your seat, eager to explore.

But stop there. Please don’t leave this tropical city on a Darwin Tours trip without experiencing its unique and vibrant personality.

1. Darwin Wave Lagoon

The Darwin Wave Lagoon is one of the most visited places at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, especially for children.

It is a salt and chlorinated water pool with no crocodiles or jellyfish, which operates on a 20-minute cycle, creating waves of different sizes. There is shallow water for toddlers and sun loungers for older children.

2. Darwin Waterfront

Start at the Darwin Waterfront. Located on Larrakia land, also known as Saltwater Nation, this was once a centre of activity.

These days, it’s a place for relaxation and family fun, with crocodile-safe swimming areas, gardens, cafes, parks and shopping centres.

3. Darwin's beaches

When the day’s heat wears off, resisting a beach by the sea is challenging. Darwin’s coast is protected by sea walls that will save you from wild crocodile bites.

During the dry season (May to October), you can see Mindil Beach, Casuarina Beach, and Nightcliffe Beach, watched every other day.

4. Darwin Harbour Cruises

Take a Darwin Harbour cruise from Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin’s waterfront community.

It’s best to plan your cruise during the golden hour, with booking opportunities including a seafood dinner, ‘look and eat’ platters, or simply your camera as you admire the beautiful landscapes as the sun sinks below the waterline.

This romantic adventure lasts two to three hours and includes on-board play-by-play.

5. Darwin Lounger cinema

Make yourself comfy in a warm evening, sipping a cold beer while a movie plays. The Lounger Independent Cinema, run by the Darwin Film Society, is a local attraction that showcases alternative outdoor films in Darwin Harbour.

Each evening, from 6 pm, a different local restaurant cooks dinner, serving Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Nepalese cuisine.

6. Darwin Botanical Gardens

Walking through the rainforest ravine at the George Brown Darwin Botanic Garden gives you a taste of the tropics without leaving the city.

In addition to the canyon, which has its waterfall, families can head to the visitor and activity centre to learn more about plants native to the Northern Territory, such as tropical orchids and bromeliads, frangipani trees, and tea baobab.

7. Darwin's market

Mindil Beach Market

Directly opposite the gardens is the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. This is one of Darwin’s most famous markets and is open Thursday evenings in the dry season. Here, vendors offer a dizzying array of products. There are regional oysters, Indonesian satay sticks, tropical juices and ice cream, charcoal-baked octopus and spiced laksa. You can also buy keepsakes such as opals or a part of crocodile skin.

Parap village market

If you’re visiting at a different time of year (or can’t get enough), the Parap Village Market is open every Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm.

Pick up fresh local fruit, vegetables and other produce, buy a bouquet of sweet-smelling tropical flowers, pop into specialised craft workshops or grab a smoothie to drink while listening to live music.

While you’re in town in the morning, check out the Laundry Gallery – a new Aboriginal-owned multi-disciplinary art centre housed in a 1970s laundromat. Local Aboriginal people organise monthly art exhibitions and workshops.

8. Crocosaurus Bay

Bypass swimming with sharks. Instead, prepare your smile (even if it’s due to nervousness) when you face a saltwater crocodile in an underwater cage. Crocosaurus Cove is the only spot in the country where you can swim with a crocodile.

If climbing into the ‘cage of death’ isn’t an exciting adventure but a nightmare that wakes you up in a sweat, don’t worry. There’s also a crocodile feeding show, the chance to feed baby crocodiles yourself and a reptile house for the little ones.

If you want to see crocodiles in their natural habitat, join the famous Jumping Crocodile Tours Darwin.

9. Darwin Museums

Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery

Directly opposite the gardens is the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. This is one of Darwin’s most famous markets and is open Thursday evenings aSpend time strolling around the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery (MAGNT), which is the residence of the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).

There are endless collections, such as Transformation, which is a fascinating presentation of the evolutionary history of the natural world. Cyclone Tracey – a show on the devastating storm that swept through the city in 1974 and a collection of traditional boats and canoes – has seasonal exhibitions, workshops and tours suitable for all ages.in the dry season. Here, vendors offer a dizzying array of products.

There are regional oysters, Indonesian satay sticks, tropical juices and ice cream, charcoal-baked octopus and spiced laksa. You can also buy keepsakes such as opals or a part of crocodile skin.

Darwin Military Museum

Another way to chill off on a hot day and discover more about Darwin and its past is to spend an hour or two at the Darwin Military Museum.

The museum’s popular stop on the Darwin History and Wartime Experience tourist path features an interactive Defence Darwin exhibition. The presentation, which focuses on the 1942 bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces during World War II, includes first-hand eyewitness reports of the tragedy.

In addition, the tropical gardens feature photographs, artifacts, weapons, propaganda and interviews of those who participated in the Anglo-Boer War up to the present day, as well as military vehicles and artillery pieces.

Royal Flying Doctor Service

Want to know more about the Darwin bombing? The Royal Flying Doctor Service visitor centre tells both this story and how the service got off the ground in North Africa in 1939. Fly with an RFDS pilot in virtual reality as a ‘patient’, see a hologram of the Reverend John Flynn, the founder of the air ambulance service, telling his story and board the RFDS Pilatus PC 12 aircraft.

Children can also learn by playing an interactive game and making digital drawings.

Darwin Aviation Museum

Travelling around the museum and purpose-built hangar to see the Darwin Aviation Museum’s impressive collection of aviation artefacts.

These include a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a huge B-52G, as well as the destruction of a Japanese Zero fighter shot down during the Second World War, a model of Spitfire MVIII, an F-111C interceptor and a tactical attack aircraft, and much more.

Other displays pay honour to famous female aviators and show the only known colour film of the bombing of Darwin during the Second World War.

10. Fannie Bay Prison

Donate a gold coin to spend an hour researching this fascinating part of Darwin’s history – Fannie Bay Gaol.

It operated as a prison from 1883 to 1979, and its haunting atmosphere suggests that in the past, it served as a prison for men and women, a place of execution and a base for the Army and Air Force.

11. The oil tunnels of the Second World War

These tunnels were built during the Second World War to store valuable oil but were never used during the war years. For less than $10, families can tour the tunnels and watch displays that tell the story of the city’s rich history during World War II.

Darwin neighbourhood

Kakadu National Park

Day Trips From Darwin, based in Melbourn, can help you organise your Northern Territory holiday. We suggest Kakadu National Park Tour camping tours, luxury tours for small groups, private charters and itinerary ideas for self-drive holidays.

Welcome to Litchfield Park Adventures

Litchfield National Park is a must-see national treasure.

This park attracts over 260,000 visitors annually and has dramatic scenery and ever-flowing waterfalls. It covers an area of about 1500 km2 and is located 100 kilometres south-west of Darwin (about an hour and a half drive).

We recommend joining one of the famous Litchfield National Park Tours, which will introduce you to numerous of the Northern Territory’s most incredible natural wonders, including natural, spring-fed waterfalls surrounded by a wildlife park, tropical paradise, indigenous culture, bush food and medicine, and much of the rich and diverse animal life of the upper Northern Territory.

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