Darwin

About Darwin

Darwin sits at the top end of Australia, closer to Bali than to Sydney, and the tropical heat makes that obvious. Fort Hill Wharf is the cruise terminal, a short ride from the compact city centre. The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is the best single stop: Aboriginal bark paintings and woven sculptures on one floor, and a harrowing Cyclone Tracy exhibit on another. Tracy flattened Darwin on Christmas Day 1974. Aquascene, at the nearby Doctor's Gully, lets you hand-feed schools of mullet and milkfish at high tide. The Jumping Crocodile Cruise on the Adelaide River is the classic Darwin excursion, where saltwater crocs launch themselves out of the water for dangled buffalo meat. Litchfield National Park, about 90 minutes south, has swimming holes beneath waterfalls surrounded by monsoon forest. In town, Smith Street Mall is the shopping strip, and the waterfront restaurants serve barramundi, buffalo steaks, and kangaroo. The Mindil Beach Sunset Market (Thursday and Sunday in the dry season) has 60-plus food stalls and a good atmosphere. Walk or take the hop-on-hop-off bus.

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