Darwin, the Northern Territory's capital is located on the far northern coastline on the edge of the Timor Sea. Darwin is a tropical city having just two seasons, the wet season from November to March and the dry season from April to November.

The city of Darwin has a population of approximately 120,000 people stretching across an area of 1,660 sq km and there is a good choice of accommodation, restaurants and nightlife in and around the centre.

It was originally called Palmerston but was renamed in 1911 after Charles Darwin, as it’s site had been a stop during a voyage of Darwin’s ship, the Beagle, in 1839.

It is the only Australian city to come under enemy attack during the Second World War. On 19th February 1942 the Japanese air force made two major attacks on the city killing a least 243 people. Another 62 attacks followed during the course of the war.

Compared to the other major cities of Australia on the east coast, Darwin is very remote and, until 2003, it had no rail connection to any other city until the line to Adelaide was completed.

A large part of Darwin’s population is made up of Australian military personnel and their dependents, but, as a multicultural society, it also has quite a large population of Chinese and Aboriginal.

There are plenty of beaches around Darwin including Vestey’s and Mindil though you must be careful during the wet season (Oct-April ) as the deadly box jellyfish are very numerous at this time and,if stung by one of these, humans have little chance of survival unless treated immediately. Nightcliff Beach in North Darwin however has a stinger net protecting part of it. Casuarina Beach to the east has a 7km stretch designated for naturists (nudists) so you have been warned! The harbour at Darwin has a healthy population of barramundi and other tropical fish which makes fishing in it’s turquoise waters very tempting.

The night market at Mindil Beach is a busy area where you can buy meals and snacks of Thai, Chinese, Indian, Sri Lankan Portuguese and Greek origin as well as browsing market stalls selling cakes, fruit, handicrafts and beer and if you’re lucky there may also be some entertainment in the form of a band or street theatre taking place. People bring their own chairs and families here and settle down for several hours having their own picnics and mini parties. There is also a casino at Mindil Beach.

Fannie Bay is host to the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in which the highlight is it’s collection of Aboriginal Art including carvings and bark paintings from Arnhem Land, Bathurst and Melville Islands.

East Point Reserve, an undeveloped area of bushland to the north of Fannie Bay, is a good place to visit in the afternoon which is the time when wallabies come out to feed. A salt-water lake is available in which to swim all year round as there are no jellyfish present at anytime.

The aquarium displaying the Indo-Pacific Marine & Australian Pearling Exhibition shows living coral ecosystems and a fine array of exotic creatures associated with coral such as clown fish, butterfly fish and sea horses. The Pearling Exhibition shows the history of the industry of pearling and has very informative and interesting audiovisual displays.

South of Darwin is the Darwin Crocodile Farm. It lies about 40km from the city and has about 8000 saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. Around 2000 of these crocodiles are killed each year for their meat and skins and you will find crocodile burgers and steaks all over Darwin and surrounding area.

To the East of Darwin lies Howard Springs, a swimming hole, free of crocodiles, and lying in a pleasant spot amongst forest. It can get very busy at weekends and holidays but there are some short walking tracks to help you escape the crowds and do some nature watching as there are lots of birds, turtles and fish to see.

Another National Park, south of Darwin, is Litchfield National Park. The park lies 140km from Darwin and covers 1500 sq km. It encompasses much of the Tabletop Range, a wide plateau of sandstone surrounded by cliffs. During the monsoon season, thundering from the edge of this plateau are four waterfalls, and it’s their surrounding rainforest patches which, during the rest of the year when the water flows more gently, are the park’s main attractions as at the bottom of each waterfall is a swimming hole. Camping is also allowed at the park and the Reynolds River System that runs through the park hosts it’s own river cruises.

Darwin (DRW) International Airport is located approximately 13 km from the Darwin central business district and is the main international and domestic gateway to the Northern Territory.