Welcome to Darwin!
Darwin is the capital city and the largest city of the Northern Territory of Australia, but it is still the smallest among other Australian capital cities. Darwin is situated on the Timor Sea and is the most northerly from other capital cities, it also acts as the Top End’s regional centre and is a large military base and the strategic point of the country. This city has a tropical savanna climate with a wet and dry season. During the wet season from November till April the temperature and humidity increase. Therefore, this is the period when many locals choose to leave the city. During the dry season from May till November, the city has clear skies and mild breezes, the temperature drops, but never has been recorded lower than 10 degrees Celsius. It is also interesting that Darwin has many Indigenous Australians living in the city – they make up to 10% of the people, which is more than any other state capital in Australia.
Actually, the city can be called as new as in December 1974 cyclone destroyed 70% of it and two-thirds of the residents were evacuated. Yeah, it is rebuilt now and houses many sites and places to visit. And here is our TOP 5 Must-See Places in Darwin we have explored ourselves. Enjoy!
1. George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens
The interesting part is that these gardens were the third attempt by European settlers of Darwin to establish a site where plants of economic importance could be tested for their suitability in the tropics. Initially the collection of the gardens was focused on economic gardening and the ornamental plantings. Of course, these gardens were affected by the cyclone Tracy in 1974 as well – 89% of all plants were lost. Restoration after the cyclone was led by George Brown, the Mayor of Darwin, so the gardens were renamed in 2002 to recognize George Brown’s contribution. Now it is possible to see the collection of Northern Australian monsoon flora like mangroves, also palms, gingers and so many beautiful birds! The entrance is free of charge and the park is open from 7AM to 7 PM.
2. Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory
Set in a scenic location at Bullocky Point in Darwin, MAGNT (Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory) is home to internationally renowned artistic, cultural and scientific collections and research programs. Here you will find exhibitions on animals living in the North of Australia, the Cyclone Tracy gallery which explains and shows those days of 1974 when the cyclone occurred, also the time of the city`s recovery. There is a hall of Aboriginal history and information on societies here. Huge ship-display hall and art gallery. These are all for free, the fee applies for the second-floor exhibitions that change. This is a very interesting place to visit to get to know more about the region and the city itself!
3. Bicentennial Park
Bicentennial Park is one of the most popular green spaces in Darwin. Its lush green surroundings overlook the harbor, creating picturesque views. The park is home to several monuments, e.g. the Darwin Cenotaph War Memorial, the Civilian Memorial, and the USS Peary Memorial. There are also some festivals held in the park, like Greek Glenti, dedicated to the city’s Greek community, and Darwin Festival. But the best is just a walk through the park on the network of shared paths for walking and cycling. It is clean, beautiful with many unusual trees and amazing seaside views.
4. Port Darwin
The port of Darwin is Australia’s nearest port to Asia and the nation’s “northern gateway” for Australian – Asian trade. It is also a key support hub for the expanding offshore oil and gas fields. Port Darwin provides world-class harbor control systems and is handling containers and general cargo also services cruise ships. Port Darwin is an important terminal for a wide variety of industries. Some of the vessels include Patrol Boats, Prawn Trawlers, Mandorah Ferry, Oil Rig Tender, Guided Missle Friggate, and Container ships. It is interesting to spot some of these or even to use the offers provided by the port. Have a look!
5. Those Beaches!
The city has many kilometres of beaches, e.g., Casuarina Beach and Mindil Beach. Though be very careful with swimming here! During the wet season from October till May sea contains deadly box jellyfish. There are also saltwater crocodiles that can be seen on the beaches and Darwin Harbor.
EXTRA.
Depending on the season, Darwin can offer many different activities. Some of them are Weekly Mindil Beach Sunset Markets with performers, souvenir stands and variety of food stalls. Also, annual Darwin Beer Can Regata, where people build boats out of beer cans, pop cans, and milk cartons. On 1 July, the Territory Day with fireworks has celebrated. There is also Darwin Festival that includes comedy, dance, theatre, music, film and visual art. There are different ethnicity festivals like Glenti, which showcases Darwin’s large Greek community, and India@Mindil, a similar festival held for the Indian community. And also the Chinese New Year.
Darwin is a wonderful place to visit. Here you will find so many ethnicities including the same Indigenous Australians! Two largest economic sectors are mining and, surprisingly, tourism as well. The most important mineral resources are gold, zinc, and bauxite, along with manganese and many others. The energy production is mostly offshore with oil and natural gas from the Timor Sea. And what about tourism? Well, to be honest, we didn’t see loads of tourists here, but we are sure that there are many reasons to explore Darwin! Welcome!