Darwin and the area around, known as the Top End, is the stereotypical place that people often imagine when they think of Australia. That and the Red Desert around Uluru, which you can read about here. At least, that’s what we at Blueprint Travelers had in mind, especially since the top grossing Australian film, Crocodile Dundee, was filmed in Kakadu National Park outside of Darwin. The city is the capital city of the Northern Territory region of Australia and is a great place to anchor yourself when exploring the wildlife all around. Continue reading to find out how you can maximize your time in this region by taking various day trips from Darwin to explore the exciting region.
The Northern Territory, including the Uluru area, has the densest population of Aboriginal people in Australia. There is a wrought history regarding European colonizers and their treatment of the Aboriginal people who have occupied the Australian continent for over 50,000 years. The traditional owners and guardians of this area are the Anangu people. Traditional owners are the different Aboriginal groups that have inhabited the land for over 50,000 years. They see themselves as caretakers of the land, appreciative of what their ancestors have provided for them and maintaining the Earth for future generations. Because of this, they have a spiritual connection with the land and have many dreamtime stories (traditional narratives that explain creation of the world and animals, provide warnings for different natural phenomena, and explain the spiritual law that the communities abide by) that are tied to these important landmarks.
A Sample 4-Day Itinerary to Visiting the Top End with Day Trips from Darwin
The following itinerary is intended to be a starting point for visiting Darwin. It allows you to see the highlights of the region through a variety of group tours or independent travel, mostly as day trips from Darwin. You should tailor the itinerary to your own interests.
Day 1
Explore Darwin by visiting the RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility, the central business district to see Darwin’s street art, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and Mindil beach.
Day 2
Take a day tour of Litchfield National Park
Day 3
Take a day tour of Kakadu National Park
Day 4
Take a day tour of the Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) National Park
Options for Visiting the Darwin Region
The main reasons to visit the Darwin area is to learn more about the Aboriginal people of Australia and to explore some of the incredibly unique wildlife that makes this country so infamous. The climate here is incredibly harsh. Throughout the year, the temperature hovers between 70° F (21° C) as the low and 90° F (32° C) as the high. The seasonal differentiator is that the dry season happens between May and October and the wet season lasts between November and April.
Most touring happens during the dry season for a number of reasons. First, the wet season brings torrential rain storms, some of which are even cyclones, making it challenging and unpredictable to tour throughout the region. Second, and more frighteningly, with the major increase in flooding and water levels, the large crocodiles have more mobility in the region since they prefer to reside in water, allowing them to reside in places you may have wanted to visit. Lastly, the large amount of rain could bring about flash floods, flood roadways, etc. making it challenging to navigate the region. In fact, you will see that most locals have large 4×4 cars with snorkels to allow cars to navigate the flooded roads during the wet season.
Visiting Independently versus Using Tours for Day Trips from Darwin
Visiting Independently
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- Most flexibility with exploring the different national parks and how to spend your time
- Should only visit independently in the dry season with a 4×4 vehicle to best navigate the unpaved and potentially flooded roads
- Swim in the water holes that you want during the dry season so long that they have been marked free of crocodiles by the national park services
While you will have the utmost independence, you will have to drive the long distances of this part of the country and you will not get the perspective and information that a tour guide can provide.
Using Group Tours
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- An efficient and easy way to explore the variety of national parks around Darwin without having to drive large distances, especially as day trips from Darwin
- Avoid renting a vehicle and eliminate the need for you to do additional research and develop your own itinerary. Many of these tours pick you up directly from your accommodation.
Look into Offroad Dreaming or Kapalga Travel if you want to use a local group tour operator. If you are looking for a larger organization for your day trips from Darwin, consider Autopia Tours, an Australian tour company focused on smaller group ecotourism opportunities.
Multi-day Tours in the Top End
You may also want to consider a multi-day tour with any of the companies listed above to visit different and varied parts of the region. These tours may include the different parks listed below and provide an authentic camping experience throughout the region (or hotel lodging if that is preferred). The other option is to work with a bespoke tour company, such as Cyaround Australia Tours, to develop tours that are truly tailored to what you want to see all while giving you the utmost service and information to best enjoy the Top End. We cannot recommend Cyaround Australia Tours more for visiting the area around Darwin.
Day 1: Exploring the City of Darwin Itself
If you are visiting the Darwin area, it may be worth spending a day exploring the city itself before taking day trips from Darwin. You will be able to learn about the city’s role as a capital city of a territory, the importance of WWII in the region, and absorb the multi-cultural aspects of the region. Below are the top things to do within the city of Darwin.
Itinerary Recommendation:
We recommend starting the day by visiting the RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility and spending time in the Darwin Waterfront Precinct. Then, walk to the Central Business District to see Darwin’s street art. Then, make your way to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory to see some beautiful art that represents the region, and end the day catching the sunset at Mindil beach.
Darwin Waterfront Precinct
Darwin’s waterfront precinct is a newer part of town and was constructed to take advantage of its coastal location. The neighborhood is full of restaurants and bars and includes a protected beach area (no crocodiles!) and a wave park, both of which are incredibly family friendly. This is a nice area to relax and refresh yourself in the Darwin heat.
Darwin’s Role in WWII
Darwin, being the northernmost port city of Australia, was impacted by the naval battles of World War II in the Pacific Ocean. The Darwin port and some other parts of the city were attacked by Japanese war planes, the same ones that attacked Pearl Harbor. You can learn more about the role of the country and this particular location in the war at a few different museums in Darwin. In addition, you can find some evidence of the war in the city today, including the tunnels and bunkers adjacent to the waterfront precinct.
Darwin Military Museum
The Darwin Military Museum is located at East Point along with the Defence of Darwin Experience. The museum has a number of artifacts from the war and explains Australia’s involvement in conflicts where troops were deployed over the last few centuries.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
The RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility is located at the pier of the waterfront precinct. This facility specifically discusses the role of Darwin in World War II through different mediums. They have virtual reality simulations of the attacks, short films of different stories of those who were in the war, and panels of information about the war itself. The museum, while small, is dense with information that focuses on the Northern Territory and Top End region.
The second part of the museum has to do with the Royal Flying Doctor Services, an aeromedical service that supports the vast and vacant areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Their work includes bringing physical, mental, and oral health clinics directly to rural communities and providing emergency medical services that fly directly to clients for life-saving services. You can learn more about their work, especially within the unique circumstances of the large Australian continent, at this museum.
Austin Lane and West Lane: Darwin’s Street Art
Darwin’s central business district is full of beautiful street art that celebrates the culture of the Top End, the nature in this area, and the Aboriginal people who have inhabited this land for so long. The local government has developed an app that can give you information about the artwork that you are looking at throughout the city. You can learn more about the app here. Much of the art is concentrated on Austin Lane and West Lane within the city center so wander through these two lanes to see the beautiful artwork.
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory holds a concentration of local art in the region. If you are interested in seeing original and modern Aboriginal artwork along with explanations of what you are seeing, then consider visiting this free museum. In addition, the museum has some permanent exhibitions about the animals, plants, and people of the region. And there are rotating exhibits that explain local history, such as the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy that ripped through the Top End and caused major destruction on Christmas Eve 50 years prior.
Parap Market
Every Saturday between 8 AM and 2 PM, the Parap neighborhood of Darwin hosts a market. At this market, you can find artisanal goods and delicious laksa. Laksa is a rich coconut curry soup that originates in Malaysia. Due to the city’s proximity to Asia, there is a large influence and immigration population here, and as a result, laksa is one of the most highly acclaimed dishes in the city.
Mindil Beach
During the dry season, Mindil beach hosts an evening market on Thursdays and Sundays where you can find a wide variety of stalls that celebrate the diverse culture of the Darwin area. During the dry season, you can swim in the water at this beach and there are lifeguards that patrol the area to keep people safe. Signs will indicate if there are crocodiles or irukandji (box jellyfish) in the water so pay attention to these! In addition, you can experience one of the beautiful sunsets that make this part of Darwin so popular to watch the sun go down.
Where to Stay in Darwin
The Waterfront Precinct
The waterfront precinct of Darwin is a modern and new area of the city that has restaurants, bars, a protected beach and pool area, a wave park, a hotel, and more. (Admittedly, it feels very manufactured.) If you are looking for a modern, easy, and quiet area, consider staying in the waterfront precinct. While it is isolated, it is easy to access the central business district via the elevator and walkway that goes directly there.
the Central Business District (CBD)
The Central Business District of Darwin is where most of the commercial center of the city is located. Here, you will find local restaurants, cafes, shops, tourist offices, galleries, etc. This is the city center of a capital city, so there may be some more character in this part of town. That being said, if you are aware of your surroundings and avoid putting yourself in vulnerable situations (walking down dark and empty streets), you will still be able to enjoy the conveniences of being in this part of town. And when in doubt, consider taking a taxi or Uber to get around town.
Looking for where to stay for in Darwin? You can check out various hotels here.
Day 2: Day Trips From Darwin to Litchfield National Park
On your second day, consider doing one of the day trips from Darwin to Litchfield National Park. This national park is a protected nature reserve that is easier to access than Kakadu National Park, being less than 2 hours from Darwin. Because of this, it is more accessible to people to visit for a day trip, either independently or as part of a tour group. Below are some of the different things to do on the way and within Litchfield National Park. We recommend using this tour to get a great introduction to the different parts of the park.
Swimming Waterholes and Waterfalls
One of the main features of the park are the waterholes throughout the park, some of which can be visited year round and others that can only be swum in during the dry season. It is incredibly important to pay attention to the signs that are posted around various waterholes to understand the risk of there being a crocodile in the area. Some of the waterholes we recommend checking out include Buley Rockhole (a cascading set of pools that can be visited throughout the year), Wangi Falls (dry season only), and Florence Falls (includes a beautiful walk down from the carpark).
Termite Mounds
The termite mounds of Litchfield National Park are incredible and quite significant. As you drive through the park, you will see them towering along the side of the road. There are two kinds of termites and their mounds in the national park. The first are the Cathedral Termite Mounds that make enormous mounds that can reach upwards of 15 feet (4.5 meters) in height.
The second of the termite mounds are the Magnetic Termite Mounds, which cover large fields in a tomb-like fashion. The mounds are incredibly narrow with the large, flat face of the mound facing north-south to help maintain the temperature of the mound. As a result, all of the mounds line up facing the same direction in these fields. For both of these phenomena, there are viewing areas and platforms within the park where you can get the best views while on one of the day trips from Darwin.
The Blueprint Travelers Staples for Day Trips From Darwin
Day 3: Day Trips From Darwin to Kakadu National Park
For your third day in Darwin, you can take another of the day trips from Darwin to Kakadu National Park, an enormous natural reserve within the Top End of Australia, located about 3 hours away from Darwin. The park is famous for its incredible landscapes, wildlife, including the impressive saltwater crocodiles, and beautiful rock paintings by the local Aboriginal people. Because of its distance from Darwin, we recommend using a tour group or, even better, a private tour with Cyaround Australia Tours to best explore this complex national park.
You can read more about the different touring options here
Day 4: Day Trips From Darwin to Explore Other National Parks
Here are some other national parks that you can visit as one of the multi-day or day trips from Darwin. These national parks in the Top End are worth visiting to see more extraordinary nature and learn more about the Aboriginal people and culture that has inhabited this land for over 50,000 years. Because of the distance between all the national parks in the region, we recommend finding tour groups to visit the different areas or even exploring a multi-day tour option to get the most out of the Darwin area.
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park
The Katherine Gorge National Park is located 3 hours south of Darwin, making it quite a distance to travel, which is why we recommend using a tour group to explore this national park. You can take a boat cruise through the gorge, learn more about the Jawoyn people (the Aboriginal people of the area), and swim in Edith Falls or other swimming pools (depending on the season).
Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands are located a ferry ride away from Darwin and are the home of the Tiwi people. A tour to these islands is a cultural experience, diving deeper into the religion, way-of-life, history, and culture of this Aboriginal group. Often, tours are led by a local Tiwi guide, giving a more fulfilling and local perspective on this modern Aboriginal community. You will need to have a tour to visit the island and get a lot of value out of the experience. The ferries and tours to the island only run during the dry season.
A Small Note about Seeing Saltwater Crocodiles as Part of Day Trips from Darwin
One of the main attractions to the Darwin region is the ability to see saltwater crocodiles in the wild and much of the tourism in the region is built off of this attraction. You will find that most day trips from Darwin to the different national parks include a stop at a crocodile cruise. While some cruises only navigate rivers and point out these impressive creatures, others bait the crocodiles with pieces of meat to show you their impressive capabilities.
There are always questions over the morality of this practice so attending one of these tours is truly up to you. Getting the opportunity to see a crocodile lunge out of the water is frighteningly thrilling. However, does this make these crocodiles dependent on humans to feed them? The tour operators claim that this is not the case. They claim that, as apex predators, these crocodiles are capable of finding their own source of food and the food that they supply would not be sufficient for them to survive. Even with the food provided by these tours, the animals continue to show their natural instincts by maintaining their territories, guarding their female crocodiles from other males, and even going so far as to eat crocodiles that they consider threats. Should we be making them jump out of the water with the dangle of food for our enjoyment? The answer to that question is really up to you.
