The Top End is a paradise ... but we need to make it even better, writes Matt Cunningham

THE Top End is paradise. Most of us know that, that’s why we live here. But we could also make it a tourist’s paradise, writes Matt Cunningham

Enjoying the sunset at Mindil Beach. Picture: Glenn Campbell

CORONA once ran a highly successful marketing campaign describing the beer as coming “from where you’d rather be”.

It featured images of palm trees, beautiful sunsets, beach shacks and buckets filled with ice-cold beer.

Those pictures might have been shot in the Bahamas, on the Mexican Coast or in the Caribbean, but they’ve always reminded me of the Darwin Ski Club on a Friday evening in the early wet season.

The build-up sometimes gets a bad rap in the Top End. But perhaps it’s time to start viewing this part of the year, not as a period of oppression, but as a time of opportunity. For where would you rather be right now; basking in the warm glow of the Darwin tropics, or freezing your way through a European winter?

That’s the question put this week by Bruce Munro.

Laneway Chef Dika Krishna with his Laksa flavoured rice bowl. The Darwin Laksa Festival has been a smart initiative to draw wet-season tourists. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“It is a challenge at this time of the year, but to be honest I am slightly confused about the hesitation (of travelling at this time of the year),” he said.

“We go to the West Indies at similar times of the year with similar conditions, and you don’t bat an eyelid. People love it for the difference. Maybe we all need to look at Darwin slightly differently.

“I have just come from a winter in the UK and sat through a month of drizzle. I’d take this place any day. And I’m sure most of the world would too.”

Munro’s Tropical Lights exhibition is the centrepiece of a new push to attract visitors to the Top End outside of the dry season. It’s a great idea.

For more than three decades the Top End’s tourism model has been based around cliches of Crocodile Dundee. Come to the Territory, trek through the red dirt, see a jumping croc, check out some Aboriginal art and go back home again.

For a while this strategy paid handsome dividends, but many of today’s tourists want a bit more. And anyone who’s lived here for a while knows Darwin has a lot more to offer.

Enjoying the sunset at the Mindil Beach markets. Picture: Glenn Campbell

We have some of the country’s best restaurants, awesome fishing, cool bars and cafes (just don’t call them ‘Melbourne-style’), beautiful beaches and marvellous markets. And all of this can be enjoyed year-round, not just in the Dry.

The hardest part about dealing with the build-up is when you have to work. Sweating through an October scorcher can be hard yakka. But that’s of no concern for a tourist. There’s nothing tough about sitting on the foreshore on a balmy build-up evening knocking back a cold one as you watch nature’s own light show take place on the horizon.

That’s the image we should be selling to people interstate and overseas. Having just returned from a trip to Victoria I know I’d rather be at Mindil Beach than jammed into a Melbourne train on a stinking hot day or sheltering from a hailstorm. (These two events actually occurred just two days apart on my recent visit).

Think of the potential holiday-maker’s Darwin itinerary for this weekend alone. Start with a drink at Dom’s Bar in Nightcliff on Friday night (sorry NIMBYs) before heading into town for the Tropical Lights. Hit the Parap Markets Saturday morning for a laksa, then on to Gardens Oval for the chance to see the Tiwi Bombers - and maybe even Cyril Rioli- take on the Waratahs before heading over the road to the casino for sunset drinks.

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Start Sunday with local mangoes at the Rapid Creek Markets, then head to the museum before wandering over the road to the Ski Club for a Corona as you watch the sun sink into the sea. If you can’t sell that as a weekend away you’re not trying.

To the NT Government’s credit, it has taken the lead on marketing this more refined image of Darwin. Munro’s light-show and the Darwin Laksa Festival have been two smart initiatives to draw wet-season tourists. The key to on-going success is to ensure those who do come have such a great experience they tell their friends all about it. This is where there’s still some work to be done.

Darwin’s accommodation options for tourists are limited. There are plenty of high-rise hotels in the CBD but they are hardly the kind of place you want to stay if you’re a family on holiday.

The Esplanade - without doubt the nicest part of the CBD - could be developed to become a tourist strip. The Mindil Beach casino is a terrific venue but maybe it could add to the tropical experience with some bean bags and umbrellas out on the beach for cocktails at sunset. Landbridge’s new six-star hotel will be a boon for the city, especially for luxury travellers, but Darwin also needs some cheaper, more family-friendly options closer to town, like the McDonnell Ranges Big 4 in Alice Springs.

Some other Top End attractions also need some love. The demise of Kakadu National Park is a disgrace. Former Solomon MPs Dave Tollner and Damien Hale are right to say Kakadu should be taken off Parks Australia and handed back to the NT Government. The jewels in Kakadu’s crown need to be accessible to tourists year-round, not just for a couple of weeks in the Dry, and the accommodation needs to be rescued from the 1980s.

The other key to making Darwin the ultimate holiday experience is the customer service.

Kakadu in the Wet ... Ubirr in Kakadu National Park. The jewels in Kakadu’s crown need to be accessible to tourists year-round, writes Matt Cunningham. Picture: Tourism NT

Here we’re competing not with Cairns or Broome, but with Bali, where holiday makers are treated like royalty. You can stay in the world’s flashest resort but if you spend half your time chasing the staff around to fill up your drink you’ll probably go home unhappy.

Darwin is paradise. Most of us know that, that’s why we live here. But if we can fix a few small things we could also make it a tourist’s paradise, and for more than just three months of the year.

It’s a great time to be in Darwin.

The poinciana trees are in full bloom, the mangoes are ripe and abundant and the storms have arrived.

And if you’re a tourist – even in the heat of the day, you’re never too far away from a swimming pool or an air-conditioned bar. I know where I’d rather be.