Tourist Spots Around Darwin
1. Day Trip to the Tiwi Islands
Friendly hospitality, fantastic fishing, vibrant art, lush rain forests, and tropical beaches are some of the highlights of the Tiwi Islands, just north of Darwin. This is a wonderful way to soak up a dose of unique indigenous culture and enjoy some beautiful island scenery and sightseeing at the same time.
Also known as the "Islands of Smiles," the Tiwi Islands are only a 2.5-hour ferry ride away from the capital. You can also fly to the islands in about 25 minutes, but you need to organize a permit in advance. Bathurst and Melville Islands are the only inhabited islands in the group and are the most popular day trip destinations.
The best way to visit the islands, which are a designated Aboriginal Reserve, is on a Tiwi Island Day Tour from Darwin. Under the care of an indigenous guide, this full-day tour includes round-trip ferry from Darwin; traditional song and dance performances; art workshops such as screen-printing, painting, and carving; a museum visit; and lunch.
Fishing is another popular thing to do on the islands, and if this is your main focus, you can base yourself out of one of the island lodges such as Clearwater Island Lodge, Melville Island Lodge, or Johnson River Camp. Barramundi, jewfish, giant trevally, and golden snapper are among the prized species to catch.
If you're an Aussie Rules footie fan, a great time to visit is during grand final season in March, when footie fever takes over, and the entire community celebrates the sport.
Source — Planetware.com
2. Litchfield National Park Day Tour from Darwin
Explore a landscape of ancient rock formations, monsoon forests and cascading waterfalls on this full-day tour from Darwin to Litchfield National Park. Marvel at massive termite pillars, take a dip in natural swimming holes and explore rock pools at the base of the sparkling falls. Enjoy lunch at the Litchfield Café, and learn of the Aboriginal legends that surround this pristine landscape.
Take a break from the urban bustle on a full-day escape to Litchfield National Park. After morning pickup at your Darwin hotel or a central meeting point, soak up the scenery and listen to your guide’s narration on the approximately 2-hour drive to the park.
As you approach, you’ll be greeted by inspiring views of Tabletop Range, a sandstone plateau adorned with a curtain of cascading waterfalls. Inside the park, marvel at giant cathedral termite mounds and learn how these astonishing structures are built by armies of tiny insects.
Continue on to Florence Falls, where a 135-step stairway leads to an enchanting natural swimming hole. Take a refreshing dip if you like, and enjoy the surrounding monsoon forest. Rest and recharge with a cold buffet lunch at the Litchfield Café, where you can indulge in a slice of famous cheesecake.
After lunch, travel to nearby Wangi Falls, where year-round currents pour into a large swimming hole. Go in for another swim (during drier months), or simply admire the lush rain forest scenery if water levels are too high.
Finally, visit one last glorious cascade, Tolmer Falls, which empties into a deep rock pool. On the return drive to Darwin, relax in the late afternoon light and listen to local Aboriginal legends about the park’s ancient attractions. Your tour concludes with drop-off back at your Darwin hotel in the evening.
Source — Viator.com
3. Stokes Hill Wharf
A tourist hot spot minutes from downtown, the Darwin Wharf Precinct is a working wharf packed with restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and attractions. You can dine alfresco on fresh seafood, cast a line from the free fishing platforms, embark on a harbor cruise, or browse the shops.
One of the top attractions here is the RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility. This popular museum pays tribute to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), a lifeline to the country's remote communities, and also features a virtual reality experience of the bombing of Darwin Harbour in 1942.
And if you're curious about what's under all the surrounding water, head to Indo Pacific Marine, which features a large aquarium with living coral and other tropical marine critters.
One of the most popular things to do at night is to catch a film at the Deckchair Cinema. Operated by the Darwin Film Society, this open-air cinema screens a discerning selection of films seven days a week during the dry season. On hot days, families can cool off at the Big Buoy Water Park or the Wave Lagoon.
A promenade links the precinct to the Darwin CBD, and you can stroll along a waterfront path to all the attractions.
Source — Planetware.com
4. George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens boasts an outstanding horticultural collection, high-quality amenity and spaces and close proximity to the central business district and other cultural institutions.
The $9.9 million boosts will provide a new Visitor Centre that will serve as an interpretive focal point within the Gardens and a base for community and corporate functions. More broadly it will form a part of the unique suite of cultural experiences aimed at revitalising Darwin’s central business district and provide a seamless linkage with the cultural sector including MAGNT and Mindil Beach. Funds will also be used to improve facilities in support of the numerous events staged in the precinct.
The new events centre will utilise an internal air-conditioned space and an external deck area that will cater for 200 people being suitable for weddings, functions, and conferences. The events centre will be equipped with shared toilet facilities, a food preparation area, cold storage, storeroom, and delivery area.
Incorporating a small retail space where George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens staff can greet visitors, assist with information and guide visitors on how they can enjoy the iconic gardens. Space will also include a small selection of Territory made souvenirs.
The visitor centre will include an interpretive display that houses a mixture of permanent and temporary exhibitions and displays, which are centered on plants, places, and people who have made our gardens unique. The display will also have a dual multimedia viewing room that displays, simultaneously, in unison a wet season and dry season composition for visitors to immerse their senses.
The interpretation displays will combine the history of the garden, telling stories about the role of the Holtz family, George Brown and the inception of the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens from its move from Fannie Bay to the Gardens through a timeline through history that draws the viewer to an interactive Larrakia Aboriginal seasons calendar.
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens events area, retail space and visitor centre are linked with expansive decks built from local Darwin stringybark and will be located at the base of Frangipani Hill, on Royal Palm Avenue. With close proximity to the waterfall and car park, the centre will be well placed and will complement the iconic gardens allowing locals and visitors alike, to enjoy many more events and festivals and learn more about their botanical gardens.
Source — Turbochargingtourism.nt.gov.au
5. Crocodylus Park
It's a recurring theme that many of Darwin's attractions involve crocodiles in some fashion, whether it's in the wild or controlled captivity, but Crocodylus Park is an attraction that showcases the crocs while also balancing things out with a variety of other animal species as well.
Sure, there are a ton of crocs of varying ages and sizes – everything from 30cm long babies all the way up to titanic 4.8m adults can be found here – but it's the likes of the big cats, monkeys, Aussie native wildlife and other species that round out the experience and help to separate Crocodylus Park from some of the other local animal attractions and tours.
Located just outside the Darwin city centre (approx. 15 minutes drive), the park is packed to the brim with crocodiles in a range of different pens – there are even specialised breeding pens with matched males and females, which makes it interesting to see the juxtaposition of sizes, and the keepers will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Crocodile feeding time is an obvious highlight, with a smaller-scale “jumping for food” activity that features the crocs springing out of the water for their food. For more detailed croc-related information, Crocodylus Park also has a crocodile museum that offers plenty of background info on how the crocodiles evolved, behave and coexist.
One of the newer and more enjoyable highlights of the park is their recently-added boat cruise – navigating its way through a man-made lagoon, the water-borne tour offers a great way to get acquainted with not only the crocodiles outside of their regular enclosures but also a range of regional NT birdlife, trees, and plants which are all explained in detail by the cruising guide.
There's some fantastic insight to be had on the Northern Territory's complex ecosystems in general here, and it's a must-do if you are visiting the park.
Rounding out the offerings here is the great little zoo section featuring the other non-crocodile animal varieties – there's a surprising amount of diversity here, with plenty of rare reptiles, playful monkeys, as well as Aussie favourites like emus and kangaroos.
It's the big cats that are the undisputed stars of the show here, and they're simply amazing – tigers, ocelots and even the newly-added and extremely beautiful white lions are wonderful to see close-up, and the ability to come near to them makes it possible to come away with some great photos of these majestic creatures.
Opportunities for some “hands-on” encounters are also possible, with visitors getting the option to hold a baby crocodile, or perhaps drape a snake around your neck! In all, if you're looking for an easy-to-access showcase of crocs augmented with some other animal types, then Crocodylus Park makes for a great all-rounder.
Source — Experienceoz.com.au
6. Mindil Beach Sunset Market
The world-famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets are renowned for awesome sunsets over the sea, in a relaxed, yet vibrant, tropical setting.
Markets are open on Thursday and Sunday from 4.00 pm- 9.00 pm from April to October
There are many food stalls serving cuisine from five continents and over thirty different countries. With so much on offer, the hardest part is the choice.
The market is famed for the huge range and quality of its art and craftwork. Visitors to the market get a taste of tropical life as stallholders converge on Mindil to sell their hand made wares. Crocodile, kangaroo and Barramundi products, Indigenous and Bush Art, clothing, sculpture, pottery, puppets, soaps, and didgeridoos. You name it and it’s likely that you can get it at Mindil Beach.
Book a tour, get a massage, have your palm read, have a Tarot reading, watch the buskers and performing artists, listen to the live bands or just kick back, eat great food and watch the sunset. Make sure you come to Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Bring your own chairs, blankets, and BYO
Source — Tourismtopend.com.au
7. Kakadu National Park
This has earned it a World Heritage listing for both its cultural and natural values.
Kakadu is rich in natural beauty and has an abundance of native wildlife.
Bininj/Mungguy people have lived on and cared for this country for 65,000 years. Come to marvel at some of the park's prolific rock art, and get a sense of one of the longest historical records of any group of people on earth.
As you explore you will see a sample of the more than 2,000 plant species, a quarter of Australia's freshwater fish species and more than a third of its birds that are residents in the park. Join a cruise to see saltwater crocodiles, and go mad with the camera at sunrise and sunset. Challenge yourself to tackle one of the extensive networks of four-wheel drive and bushwalking trails.
Kakadu is three hours from Darwin on Nature's Way tourism drive.
Source — Northernterritory.com
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