Top things to do in Darwin, Northern Territory
Spectacular scenery and wonderful wildlife abound in the Northern Territory capital
IT isn’t often you watch a movie with a barking owl, a frog hopping about your feet and the occasional bat drifting through the projector’s beam. Welcome to Darwin’s Deckchair Cinema.
Once the dry season begins, so does Deckchair Cinema. It’s a place where deckchairs and cushions are provided, feasts are available for $14 and a colourful, artsy licensed bar keeps you hydrated with beers, wines, ice creams and goodies such as chocolate bananas.
There are plenty of mozzies to contend with, but insect sprays and roll-ons are available.
Deckchair diehards Di and Stefan Koser, who have visited their favourite outdoor cinema “at least twice a week” for the past 20 years, know they have something special.
“If you live here, it’s what you do,” says Di, with a look suggesting I should already know that. “We love it.”
Fitted out with a new digital projector and sound system, Deckchair Cinema is a short walk from city hotels and a scenic stroll via the Damoe Ra Park walkway, downstairs from the Cenotaph (War Memorial).
“The Deckchair is a community venue and our patrons feel a sense of ownership,” general manager Steven Noble says.
“Darwin residents become members of the film society and they’re actively involved.
“Every Thursday night is fundraiser and we donate the box office proceeds to a different charity every week and actively promote their cause by screening a relevant film.
“We use the commercial capacity of the business to support so many Darwinites.”
Best for markets
Someone once told me you haven’t seen a real market until you’ve been to the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets.
It’s held every Thursday and Sunday in the dry season, and market-goers converge on the beach for a 15-minute spectacular orange sunset before heading back into the fray.
Imagine a melting pot of food stalls dishing up the best of Asian, Greek, South American, Mexican and Italian cuisines. Locals dance under the coconut palms to rhythms and amplified didgeridoo.
Pathways lead to local arts and crafts, massage tents, mystics and tarot card readers, and even a whip-cracking zone.
I bump into Enrico, a Venezuelan-born stallholder of seven years who personifies this multicultural world of discovery.
Despite visiting 60 countries, possessing four passports, and having lived in New Zealand and Sweden, Enrico says he has settled in Darwin for keeps thanks to the markets.
“I’ve been doing markets all my life in Europe, North America and in Australia,” he says while engraving my daughter’s name on to one of the bracelets I’ve just purchased.
“It’s a cultural market, it’s not just a market. There are people here from all over the world.
“Walk over there and there is every type of food imaginable.
“Then there is the beach, the sunset, the music — it has everything.”
Enrico stops engraving for a moment, looks up from under his fedora hat and whispers: “Sometimes the atmosphere is so good I even sneak a little tequila from under the table.”
See: www.mindil.com.au
Best for national parks
Kakadu National Park is in the wet-dry tropics east of Darwin.
There’s no better way to experience its beauty than with an experienced tour guide such as Victor Cooper of Ayal Aboriginal Tours.
A former ranger and traditional land owner, he gives you the kind of inside word you’d never get by exploring on your own.
Kakadu covers an area of almost 20,000sq km from the coast in the north; the southern hills and basins 150km south; the Arnhem Land sandstone plateau in the east; and 120km through wooded savannas to the western boundary.
Hang out with a guide like Victor and you’ll come away with a sound knowledge of the region .
You’ll also have and some incredible stories to pass on to family and friends.
“Kakadu is a big place and you need to have a guide. If you don’t, there are a lot of things you would miss,” Victor says, as we set off on a day of discovery through the East and South Alligator regions exploring the Ubirr Rock Art site, Nourlangie Rock, Anbangbang Billabong and floodplain country.
(The next day I head south to Gunlom for the natural plunge pools and some spectacular views of Kakadu.)
“A lot of the stories that relate to the paintings about how our history came in, the pre-contact period, how the estuaries work … there are a lot of stories wherever you go in Kakadu, but if you have a guide, you get a much better understanding.
“This is a great way to learn about our history, the sites and bush tucker, and getting a real taste of the culture.”
Best for eco lodges
Wildman Wilderness Lodge offers a world of contrasts.
It’s wild all right, but it’s set in a beautifully natural environment in a part of northern Australia with the largest concentration of estuarine crocodiles and water buffalo.
Therefore, it’s best to stick to the designated paths and watch where you go for a dip.
It also happens to be home to a beautiful central lodge, 10 air-conditioned cabins or “Habitats” and 15 spacious safari tents with ensuite bathrooms.
Teeming with birdlife and a community of wallabies grazing throughout the groundsoutside while you’re grazing on the delectable flavours of the Territory being dished up in the dining room, it’s a special touch of luxury but with nature’s best in the Top End.
“We’re only about 90 minutes from Darwin, we’re locatedin the Mary River National Park adjacent to Kakadu, and Wildman Wilderness Lodge gives you all the adventure, excitement and the relaxation aspect of what you can’t get in Kakadu,” Wildman manager Jason Yule says.
“Our absolute rock star activity is the Wetlands Airboat Safari experience as well as our more gentle Home Billabong Cruise, so there is an opportunity of meeting or possibly seeing Big Arse, our 6msix-metre local crocodile.
“We also have a Mary River Rockhole cruise which is great for wildlife, the croc spotting and it gives you a really good adventure for around two to two and a half hours in the Mary River park.”
Rates start from $180 a night in safari tents ($260 with dinner and breakfast) or $250 a night in a habitat ($350 with dinner and breakfast) and if you jump in and book before June 30 there’s a stay-for-three-pay-for-two deal.
See wildmanwildernesslodge.com.au
Best for crocodile tours
Ten minutes behind schedule before setting off on my much-hyped Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise, charismatic manager Peter Roper seems surprised I hadn’t heard about “NT time”.
“NT, it means not today, not tomorrow, not Tuesday, not Thursday… it’s next train,” he points out as I arrive after a one-hour drive from Darwin.
You quickly learn there’s no rush out here.
It’s a relaxed environment where you can spend time handling some resident pet pythons and enjoy free coffee and toast before boarding the boat.
Once cruising the Adelaide River, huge saltwater crocodiles creep up and start launching themselves vertically out of the water to claim a piece of meat dangling on a stick held by the tour guides.
“They are definitely man-eaters,” Peter tells his gobsmacked guests. “But, I can assure you, they will just as easily eat women and children.”
The cruises run every day for $35 (adults) and $20 (children) and the company’s Crocodile Express is a bus service that collects and returns guests from the Darwin CBD.
The writer was a guest of Tourism NT
Go2 Darwin
Getting there:
Virgin Australia flies directly to Darwin from Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Broome and Kununurra. www.virginaustralia.com
Budget
See Aboriginal art displays and get a feel for Darwin’s horrid Cyclone Tracy experience through an exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of NT. It’s free.
Sleep Set up camp at Gagudju Lodge Cooinda, centrally located in Kakadu with great rates for cabins and sites.
gagudju-dreaming.com/Gagudju-Lodge-Cooinda/Overview.aspx
Eat Mindil Beach Sunset Markets for a melting pot of cuisines available for about the $10 mark.
Do Hit the wavepool to cool off with a swim at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct. It costs only $5 a person for a half-day pass or $16 for a family pass for the day.
Mid-Range:
See Bark Hut Inn on the way to Kakadu along the Arnhem Highway for a cold beer, a warm welcome and loads of quirky bibs and bobs on show. Even feed Jack, the resident buffalo. It’s the Ettamogah of the Top End!
Sleep
Adina Apartment Hotels at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, a stone’s throw away from busy Mitchell St. Well-appointed rooms and close to everything.
Eat
Hanuman Thai Restaurant. Visually stunning, impeccable customer service and first-class food. The Hanuman Starting Plate for two is unmissable.
Do
Yellow Waters Cruise. This network of billabongs is home to giant crocs and a massive array of bird life.
Luxury
See Get a bird’s-eye view of Kakadu or Litchfield on a scenic flight through Darwin Helicopter Tours.
Sleep Absolute tropical luxury has arrived in Darwin at SKYCITY’s new expanded resort and lagoon pool featuring a swim-up bar and white sandy beach. Exquisite high-end rooms with all the mod-cons.
Eat If you can prise yourself from your Lagoon Room at SKYCITY, venture over to Cove for a big dose of contemporary and classic Australian seafood.
skycitydarwin.com.au/restaurants/cove
Do Pamper yourself at Cullen Bay Day Spa, the premier medi-spa in the region. Also offers double rooms for couples.
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