Darwin City Guide
A complete accommodation and tour guide in Darwin
Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, is a place of sunshine, beaches and hectic nightlife. Darwin has a pleasant relaxed atmosphere and a population of 124,800 making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities. It is the smallest and most northerly of the Australian capital cities, and acts as the Top End’s regional centre.
Darwin is a multicultural cities and its proximity to Asia makes it an important Australian gateway to countries such as Indonesia and East Timor. Darwin has a tropical climate, and therefore no summer and winter, but instead a wet season from November until April and a dry season from May until October.
Darwin was badly damaged twice, first during the World War 2 and second by Cyclone Tracey that struck on Christmas Eve 1974. It was rebuilt and now Darwin has a well designed Central Business District with parks and outdoor malls.
Watch out for Darwin’s living fruit tingles, the Green Ant. These little critters do hurt when they bite, but they are also great source of bush tucker for the Aboriginies, who gather the nests and roll the contained larvae into a ball to eat.
Alternatively, they sometimes boil them up to make a hearty tea packed with vitamins. If this is not quite your cuppa, make sure you get out and enjoy the many delicious Asian flavours on offer in Darwin.
What’s On Darwin
For anyone intending to spend some times in Darwin, they wont be dissapointed as there seems to be something going on every single month in the city. From the festival of Darwin to the Cup Carnival and the Sunset Jazz Festival to the Beer Can Derby, there should always be something for everyone to enjoy their holidays in Darwin.
Recommended Tour
Darwin has a variety of options of entertainment, from 24-hour nightclubs to Irish bars, outback style Aussie pubs to cabaret shows which will ensure that your nights will be equally as eventful as your days in the city.
There is also a host of venues featuring a variety of national and international performers who will treat you from anything from comedy to opera singing. In order to keep up to date with these events, however, you should either check with the locals or consult the event listings in the local newspapers.
If you find you’re not spending enough of your money at the various pubs and clubs throughout the city why not head to the casino and try out your luck at Roulette, Black Jack and the like.
Finally for those of you who prefer something a little more sedate is the Deckchair Cinema where you can catch your favourite movie under the stars.
Getting Around Darwin
There is a good bus service operating in the city but it does stop running at lunch time on Saturdays and it doesn't run at all on Sundays. The buses leave from the terminal on Harry Chan Avenue. Fares are calculated on a zone system whereby travel through one or two zones will cost about $1.50 and through all zones will cost $2.10.
As well as the public bus system, there are also a number of private companies who run tours throughout the city. The Tour Tub is the most popular stopping at all the major tourist attractions. A one-day ticket will cost you $20 and is a flat rate. Some of the other companies do offer cheaper tickets but you may not get to see as much of the city. Taxis are also available and there are a number of companies in operation in Darwin.
Wining And Dining In Darwin
For great food and lively evening, book a table at Christo’s on Mitchell Street. Christo is a popular local and his seafood restaurant, which serves Greek cuisine mixed with Asian flavours, has a faithful following.
Salvatore’s Cafe, Smith Street, serves up some of the best coffee in Darwin, as well as light meals and delicious pastries. Now with two coffee machines to keep up with demand, this is the best coffee in town. Great place to sit back and watch the passing parade.
