We used to live in Darwin and we returned this year with our van for another visit. We absolutely love Darwin and think everyone should visit it at least once.
Most people also think the best of Darwin is the Highway south to the National Parks (YouTube Vids to come, but Litchfield guide is already on here!) We love the NPs too, but there is also heaps of things to love about Darwin.
In this YouTube Video we show you a few of our absolutely favourite places to eat and visit, however there is so much more that we didn’t get to see, which is what this article is about.
Watch our visit to Darwin on YouTube
I will list all of the amazing things we recommend you do in Darwin in categories of interest (time, interest and budget depending of course), hope this helps you when you visit Darwin.
Food
- Exoctic North Indian Cullen Bay
- Eva’s Cafe, Botanic Gardens
- Cucina Sotto Le Stelle, Nightcliff Woodfired Pizza
- Darwin Ski Club or Sailing Club
- Stokes Hill Wharf
- Mindil Markets – touristy but you can say you’ve experienced it
- Parap Markets – Saturday Morning, Mary’s Laksa and a fresh juice
- Tim’s surf & turf – used to have huge awesome meals, hope they still do!
- Pub Crawl down Mitchell Street
- Del Le Plague cafe
Nature Based Activities
- East Point Reserve including Lake Alexander and Military Museum
- Cullen Bay
- Walk along the Esplanade and around the city looking at all the WW2 history
- Nightcliff Jetty
- George Brown Botanic Gardens
- Rapid creek walk and explore
- Berry Springs
- Howard Springs Nature Park
- Casuarina Cliffs and beach for sunset
Water Based Activities
- Darwin Waterfront beach zone
- Palmerston water park
- Darwin Waterfront Wave pool
- Leanyr water park
- Lake Bennett
- Berry Springs
Paid / Unpaid Tourist Attractions
- Deck Chair Cinema
- Darwin Museum and Art Gallery
- Darwin Aviation Museum
- Territory Wildlife Park
- Crocodylis Park
- Crocosaurus Cove
- Fannie Bay GaolSunset sailing cruise from Cullen Bay
- Adelaide River Jumping Crocs
- Stokes Hill Wharf Flying Doctors Museum
- Oil Storage Tunnels
- Fish feeding in the city
Where to Stay?
There are quite a few caravan parks to choose from. The most popular are Free Spirit Resort approx. 20 minutes from the CBD and Discovery Parks Winnellie, approx. 10minutes from the CBD. Any that you choose will be a fabulous stay in Darwin.
Other notes to consider – there is NO Free camping in Darwin and the council is very onto it. They are really used to backpackers trying to free camp and keep a close eye on it. There is also only 1 public dump point in Winnellie if you are staying out of a van park at a private property or HipCamp etc. There are a few water fill up points available. Big Rig Parking is extremely difficult in all parts of Darwin, don’t expect to be able to go into the CBD or even any of the waterfront areas (Nightcliff, East Point etc) with a van.
If you’re in Darwin a MUST trip is to Litchfield National Park. If you are caravanning/camping then head there for a few days, if not, then a big day trip is doable too and you’ll still get to see it’s magic! We have a full guide on Litchfield National Park to help you out too!
A Selection of Images from the Darwin Area taken by Daniel Courtney Photography
Vestey’s Beach
You can see more of Daniel’s amazing landscape photography artworks from the Northern Territory on his website.
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