- Posted: 8 October, 2018
- Category: Oceania
Darwin, Australia | Hello965
Darwin was the last stop during our trip to Australia in August, 2018. It is Australia’s only tropical capital city. Darwin is the gateway to many adventures!!
It is also known as “The Top End,” Darwin perches on the Timor Sea, giving it striking views of the ocean. Due to its distance from other Australian cities, it is somewhat isolated, leading to a real sense of small-town community despite its status as a large city.
My first impression about Darwin was that it reminded me a lot of Laos! Backpackers, active nightlife, bars and restaurants!
How to reach Darwin? I’ve arrived via Qantas Airlines, to Darwin International Airport.
I loved flying on Qantas and recommend it. There are also other options you can fly on such as:
- Airnorth
- Jetstar
- Virgin Australia
If you are in Adelaide and Alice Springs and wanna travel via Train you could check www.gsr.com.au
So if you are not just stopping in Darwin to go on an adventure elsewhere, take a day or two in Darwin to check it out.. try a Darwin tour by stopping at the Mindil Beach Markets; on Thursdays and Sundays, you can run into almost half the city as residents turn out to shop at the various vendors and devour local multicultural cuisine.
Another option is to checkout Darwin Museum and Art Gallery if you are interested to see Australian culture and artwork.
Later, checkout Crocadylys Park, which is where you’ll find Darwin’s famous salt and freshwater crocodiles. The Darwin region is home to over 20 national parks, so you can get a taste of the Australian outback without venturing too far from civilization.
If you are into fishing, checkout Daly or Mary rivers for barramundi fishing.
Another major attraction is Litchfield National Park where you’ll checkout crystal clear rock pool!
If you’d like to experience the unique indigenous culture, plan a visit to Tiwi Islands!
Kakadu National Park was the main reason for our interest to be in Darwin (before seeing how cute it was).
Food and Cafes in Darwin:
- Four Birds Cafe for a light breakfast/sandwiches and coffee!
- Roma Bar for breakfast
- Crustaceans (seafood)
- Hot Tamale (mexican)
- Moorish Cafe (Middle Eastern)
- Char Restaurant (Steaks
- Laneway Speciality Coffee
- Cyclone Cafe
- Pavonia Place
- Bogarts Bar (nightlife)
- Beachfront Hotel (nightlife)
- Deck Bar (nightlife
One more thing that was fun to checkout was the Darwin Waterfront. The waterfront has some hotels in it, boutique restaurants and shopping.
If you have other ideas on mind such as Sunset Sailing? Contact Darwin Sailing Club; www.dwnsail.com.au
If I had more time, I would checkout Skydiving too! (costs around 380 dollars); www.topendtandems.com.au
About the Aboriginals
The Larrakia aboriginal people lived for thousands of years in Darwin, hunting, fishing and more!
Aborigines are Australia’s indigenous people. Recent government statistics counted approximately 400,000 aboriginal people, or about 2% of Australia’s total population. Australian Aborigines migrated from somewhere in Asia at least 30,000 years ago.
TIP:
I would recommend renting a car and driving yourself in Darwin. Get a car from the airport and have it with you till you’re done. Most of the places and national parks are far and not located near by, you’d definitely need a car to go see different areas and spots.
Safe travels!