Territorians, southerners, to lap up the best dry season we’ve ever had

The Top End is preparing for the most anticipated dry season recent memory, with locals and southerners expected to embrace the events which were cancelled or altered by COVID-19.

THE TOP End is preparing for the most anticipated dry season recent memory, with locals and southerners expected to embrace the events which were cancelled or altered by COVID-19.

As the weather cools down is embraced by Territorians like Hayley Jarvis, the long list of dry season events are just around the corner.

The Territory missed out on the Royal Darwin Show last year but it will be back to celebrate their milestone 70th anniversary in 2021.

Hayley Jarvis enjoying the coming of "winter" in the Top End as the dry season officially kicks off. Picture Glenn Campbell

“It seems people are really eager to come back to the show who really missed it, like we all did last year,” show chief executive Cherry Court said.

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“We were all sort of virtually closeted away, we couldn’t fly away and lived a very cloistered life, I think everyone’s dying to get out and enjoy themselves.”

Mindil Beach Market organiser Peter Ayre said he was optimistic it would be a successful dry season after the market’s opening night on Thursday.

“It’s the atmosphere … for me when I look around and see thousands of people walking around and having a good time, that’s what it’s for,” he said. “I’m very optimistic, I think potentially Darwin could have a really good year.”

Tourism Top End chief executive Glen Hingley said 2021 presented a once in a lifetime opportunity for tourism operators.

“The 5.8 million Australians who went overseas in 2019 can’t travel overseas this year and many of them are considering travelling to the NT for the first time and the Top End,” he said.

“While many of them will be doing it because it’s on the tick-the-box list of places they always wanted to go, we hope they get here and discover it’s more than just a once in a lifetime opportunity, that Darwin and the Top End is the kind of place you can’t do everything in a week, you need to come back more than once a year.”

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce now more than ever we should be celebrating the Top End’s dry season. “There are events and activities happening up here that are the envy of the nation,” he said.