Top places to visit in Darwin

• Crocosaurus Cove

  Wildlife · 4.3 rating · about 2 h · entry AUD 42

  A city-centre crocodile attraction where you can meet giant salties and take the Cage of Death dive with a croc.

• Charles Darwin National Park

  Nature · 4.2 rating · about 1.5 h

  A pocket of monsoon forest and mangroves on the harbour edge with WWII bunkers, mangrove boardwalks and city-skyline views — free.

• Aquascene Fish Feeding

  Wildlife · 4.3 rating · about 1 h · entry AUD 18

  A Darwin institution at Doctors Gully where, at high tide, you can hand-feed hundreds of wild milkfish, catfish and mullet.

• Darwin Waterfront Precinct

  Beach · about 2 h

  A revitalised harbour precinct with a stinger-free wave lagoon and recreation lagoon, restaurants and boardwalks — free swimming.

• Mindil Beach Sunset Market

  Market · about 2.5 h

  Darwin's iconic dry-season night market (May–Oct) — global street food, crafts and music as the sun sets over the Arafura Sea.

• Museum & Art Gallery of the NT

  Museum · about 2 h

  The Territory's museum on Fannie Bay — Aboriginal art, the Cyclone Tracy gallery and Sweetheart the giant crocodile, free.

• George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens

  Nature · about 1.3 h

  Historic tropical gardens with rainforest, a monsoon-vine forest, palms and a wetland — a green escape near the city, free.

• East Point Reserve

  Nature · about 1.5 h

  A coastal reserve of monsoon forest and WWII gun emplacements, with wallabies at dusk, Lake Alexander and sunset views — free.

• Litchfield National Park

  Waterfall · about 7 h

  A day-trip park of spectacular waterfalls and clear plunge pools — Wangi, Florence and Buley — plus giant termite mounds.

• Kakadu National Park

  Nature · about 10 h · entry AUD 40

  A vast World Heritage wilderness of wetlands, waterfalls and 20,000-year-old Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr and Nourlangie.

• Cullen Bay Marina

  Activity · about 1.5 h

  A waterfront marina precinct of restaurants and bars, and the launch point for Darwin Harbour sunset cruises.

• Territory Wildlife Park

  Wildlife · about 4 h · entry AUD 36

  A large open bushland park south of Darwin showcasing NT wildlife — walk-through aviary, aquarium tunnel and nocturnal house.

Things to do

• Litchfield National Park Waterfalls Day Tour Tour · 10 h · from AUD 175 per person
• Kakadu National Park Day Tour Tour · 13 h · from AUD 245 per person
• Darwin Harbour Sunset Dinner Cruise Cruise · 3 h · from AUD 129 per person
• Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise Tour · 5 h · from AUD 99 per person
• Cage of Death Crocodile Dive Adventure · 0.5 h · from AUD 185 per person
• Mindil Beach Sunset Market Food Tour Food · 2.5 h · from AUD 79 per person

Day trips and tours

• Litchfield Waterfalls Day Escape 10 h · from AUD 175

Where to stay in Darwin

• City Center about AUD 2,500 per night

  Northern Territory capital

• Cullen Bay about AUD 200 per night

  Marina precinct with waterfront dining and easy access to sunset cruises.

Hotels

• Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront 4-star · AUD 200 to AUD 400 per night
• Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront 4-star · AUD 180 to AUD 340 per night
• Hilton Darwin 5-star · AUD 190 to AUD 380 per night
• Mindil Beach Casino Resort 5-star · AUD 260 to AUD 550 per night
• Melaleuca on Mitchell 3-star · AUD 35 to AUD 140 per night

Where to eat

• Pee Wee's at the Point Modern Australian, Seafood · about AUD 110 per person
• Hanuman Thai, Indian · about AUD 65 per person
• Char Restaurant Steakhouse, Seafood · about AUD 85 per person
• Crustaceans on the Wharf Seafood · about AUD 70 per person
• Little Miss Korea Korean, BBQ · about AUD 60 per person
• Darwin Ski Club Pub, Australian · about AUD 30 per person

Getting around

• Bus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Car Rental Self main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Backpacker job-deposit

  Major tourist zones

  Online "casual work" offer demands $50–200 deposit for "uniform/training"; job doesn't exist.

  How to avoid it: Never pay deposit for a job before starting. Use official jobactive portal.

More in Australia

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Perth
• Adelaide
• Gold Coast