The Larrakia people have lived in and cared for the area of Darwin for more than 60,000 years. The city has sometimes been seen as a stopover, a gateway to the rest of the magnificent Northern Territory, but Garramilla has got it going on all by itself, whether you make it any further afield or not.
Accommodation can be tricky so book early. There’s a bit of an apartment vibe in the hotels that suits long term guests. More hotels are being built on the waterfront in the near future.
- Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront
- Darwin Waterfront Luxury Suites.
- Hilton Garden Inn Darwin.
- Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory. The MAGNT is in a league of it’s own, especially if you can catch the yearly NATSIAA exhibition.
- Street Art. All over the centre of the city. There’s even the Darwin Street Art Festival every May.
- East Point Reserve and Mindil Beach for sandy sunsets.
- Mary Ann Butler is an Australian writer and playwright living in Darwin. Her plays have won the Victorian Prize for Literature, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama, two NT Chief Minister’s Book of the Year Awards and four NT Literary Awards for Best Script. Her 2020 play Cusp examines the lives of 3 teenagers from the Northern Territory on the verge of adulthood.
- The Bookshop Darwin is independently owned and operated since 2006. 1/30 Smith St.
Coffee and Breakfast The 1995, 2/35 Cavenagh St.
Lunch Hanuman, 93 Mitchell St.
Dinner Ella by Minoli, 20 West Lane.
Yots Greek Taverna, 4/54 Marina Blvd.
PepperBerry, 32 Mitchell St.
- Flights are currently not ideal, mostly leaving other cities in Australia in the evening and arriving after midnight. The flight out can be even more punishing with the same planes turning around so departing around 1am. Everyone is doing it tough though, so the airport in the middle of the night is quite jolly.
- There’s a direct flight from Singapore on Singapore Airlines.
- Or arrive in style on the luxury train service The Ghan.
Darwin 2030: City for People. City of Colour is a strategic plan being worked through. Darwin has already declared a climate emergency and is aiming for a cool, clean and green city by:
Increasing the total kilometres of walking and cycling paths, including shaded pathways, to improve community connectivity and mobility.
- The Darwin Renewable Energy Facility produces electricity from methane gas harvested from landfill which powers 1000 Darwin homes.
- Darwin is planning for a net gain of 18,000 street and park trees, 900 shading trees near key transit routes, and 225 city centre hardscape trees.
Darwin is collaborating with Larrakia Nation to combine Traditional Ecological Knowledge with western science to enhance knowledge and decisions to support biodiversity and wildlife corridors through the city.
- Ben Graetz was born and raised in Darwin and has just led the NIMAs for his 4th and final year. He’s been a creative director for Sydney WorldPride and was a Northern Territory finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards. His community activism and cross-cultural drive has made him responsible for many breakaway Darwin cultural success stories.
- Jennie Hughes is the Director of Screen Territory, having joined in 2018 following a number of high level Film and TV executives roles in Australia and overseas. She is responsible for many of the initiatives that have put the Territory back on the film world map and jobs into the economy.
- August for DAFF, NATSIAA, NIMA, NIFA and Darwin Festival.
- May for Bass in the Grass.
- Browns Mart Theatre offers a year round programme- check out their diary.
- The Darwin Entertainment Centre hosts big name tours and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra has two more concerts this year. There’s also Sooshi Mango, Postmodern Jukebox, The Nutcracker, and Mary Poppins on the slate over the next 6 months.
- Darwin Sailing Club, 5 Atkins Dr, Fannie Bay, for a sundowner.
- Stone House Wine Bar & Kitchen, 33 Cavenagh St.
- Baraki Meze and Bar, 17/56 Smith St,
- The Trader Bar, 3 Harriet Pl.
- Charlie’s of Darwin, Hidden entry on Austin lane. Enter where the roller door is on the left and take the lift.
Hanky Panky Lounge, 3/32 Mitchell St.
Art
Matt Ward and Paul Johnstone are gallerists in Darwin who set up Salon Arts projects. They specialise in ethically sourced, superior quality paintings, works on paper, textiles and 3D works sourced from Aboriginal-owned art centres throughout Australia. They also host the Salon des Refusés – an exhibition of works submitted, but not selected, for the annual National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).
Jewellery, bush medicine, food, beauty products
The Aboriginal Bush Traders at 19 The Mall is 100% not for profit that sells ethically sourced and sustainable products that directly support local Indigenous communities. And there’s a cafe. You won’t leave empty handed.
- The 2019 Box Office hit Top End Wedding featured Darwin Waterfront, Darwin Ski Club bar and Nightcliff Beach amongst its filming locations. An 8-part TV spin-off Top End Bub is in production and will be revisiting many Darwin and NT locations.
- Season 2 of Prime Video hit Deadloch will be filmed in Darwin and other parts of the NT.
- In the original Crocodile Dundee from 1986. the crocodile attack scene was filmed in Girraween Lagoon, just out of Darwin.
- Baz Lurhmann’s Australia from 2008, which featured a lot of Darwin’s history, filmed scenes in Darwin Harbour.
- Runway resurfacing at Darwin airport should stop affecting customers by October 2024, which will hopefully improve flight timings.
- Construction has begun on Darwin’s bird- inspired Larrakia Cultural Centre, which will house a museum and an art gallery. The project was recently awarded a $56 million grant, and should complete in 2025.
- Charles Darwin University is creating a new hub in the centre of the city with both a new campus and student accommodation giving a boost to the CBD.
