Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, in northern Australia. It's the smallest state/territory capital in Australia, home to just over 130,000 people, and we surprisingly really loved it.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For thousands of years, the Larrakia people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived.
The first European to sail to the area were aboard the HMS Beagle led by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes who named the port after Charles Darwin himself (although Darwin never actually visited Darwin!). The town was originally named Palmerston, established in 1869, which grew thanks to the discovery of gold just two years later in 1971. The town was renamed Darwin, including the original port, in 1911. The town suffered heavy bombing during the Second World War starting on 19 February 1942; 19 February has been a National Day of Observance since 2011.
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Useful Information for Darwin
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Darwin. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Darwin, the traditional language of the Larrakia people is Laragiya.
→ Learn more about the language of the Larrakia people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Free WiFi is available through the city on the City of Darwin Free Wi-Fi network.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Darwin in the north of the Northern Territory gets very hot during the summer and faces a high risk of flash floods and cyclones. The best time to visit is from April to October.
Length of stay: We spent four days exploring Darwin which gave us plenty of time to visit the tourist attractions, hang out at the beaches, visit musuems and eat delicious food.
How to Get to Darwin
As Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, home to just over 130,000 people, it is a major destination to travel to.
By flight: The easiest way to get to Darwin is by flying, connecting nationally to destinations all across Australia as well as a number of international destinations too such as East Timor, Singapore and Indonesia.
Darwin Airport is uniquely located right at the centre of the city with all the different neighbourhoods encircling it. That makes it really easy to get from the airport anywhere in the city in minutes. The main downtown area of Darwin is just 15 minutes away.
→ Rent a car at Darwin Airport.
If you don't want to drive, Uber is a popular choice here. You can also take the bus into the city.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Darwin is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
You might want to start in Darwin as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Darwin with Apollo, Camplify or Indie.
By guided tour: There are many tour operators who run multi-day expeditions on the north coast between Broome and Darwin through the Kimberley.
→ Book a multi-day guided tour to Darwin!
By coach: Greyhound runs long distance coaches around Australia including all the way up to Darwin.
How to Get Around Darwin
On foot: The main downtown area of Darwin, located in the southern part of the city, is very walkable, with everything quite compact tucked onto a peninsula with beaches on three sides.
By car: The easiest and most popular way of getting around is by car so you can park wherever you like and explore. This also means you can get out of the downtown area and out to other neighbourhoods and beaches.
→ Find out about parking in Darwin.
By bike: Getting around by bike is a popular alternative to cars with more than 70km of bike lanes throughout the city.
→ Check out Darwin's bike trails.
By bus: Darwin is well-connected with an extensive bus network making getting where you need to go easy and affordable.
By Uber: Uber is readily available in Darwin and can be a convenient way of getting around the city.
By guided tour: There are loads of guided tours available in Darwin including day trips down to nearby Litchfield National Park and Kakadu National Park, bus tours, boat cruises, crocodile expeditions, sailing trips and scenic flights over the outback.
Where to Stay in Darwin
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in Darwin.
→ Check out places to stay to suit your budget and accommodation type.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
While in Darwin, we checked into the Marrara Caravan Park, a beautiful, peaceful spot located just north of the airport and in driving access to everything we wanted to see. It's less than a 15-minute drive from the downtown area. It's a paid campground - we didn't find any free camping in the city - with all the amenities including a private bathroom, swimming pool, laundry facilities, kitchen and more. The staff were also great.
Where to Eat in Darwin
As the capital city of the Northern Territory, Darwin has an amazing food scene and we had some really delicious meals during our visit.
Brunch
Our absolute favourite spot for brunch in Darwin was Ray's, a bright, airy, cafeteria-style space in the heart of downtown Darwin. They had delicious, comfort food meals including lots of options for vegetarians and the coffee was great.
We also tried out Laneway Coffee which has a moody, brick interior with loads of greenery. The meals were a bit simple and the noise was a bit too loud for us, but it was a vibey spot for a quick breakfast or coffee in the Parap area.
Lunch & Dinner
Our favourite lunch spot was Big Bites, one of the best Vietnamese restaurants we've ever been to. The food was absolutely perfect, from the tofu to the spring rolls and the pho was just delectable. Wow!
We also loved the fresh poke bowls at Fat Tuna serving up fast food but healthy style with loads of yummy veggies and flavours. The portions are huge and the staff are lovely.
For a quick bite, we grabbed sushi rolls and a cup of miso soup from Chakoro, a delightful hole-in-the-wall in downtown Darwin.
On our last day, we had a cozy, comforting Indian curry from Darwin Tandoor, one of the permanent street market stalls at the Darwin Transit Centre run by a husband and wife duo.
Best Things to Do in Darwin
We spent four days exploring Darwin which gave us plenty of time to visit the tourist attractions, hang out at the beaches, visit musuems and eat delicious food.
Watch the sunset from Sunset Beach
Aptly named because it's one of the best spots to catch sunset in Darwin, Sunset Beach is hugely popular with the locals for not only sunset-watching but also picnics, running, biking, dog-walking and simply hanging out near the ocean.
Take in the view from Charles Darwin National Park
Charles Darwin National Park is home to a large ecological wetland with walkways and viewpoints to explore as well as a vast amount of war bunkers from the Second World War with historic artefacts to learn about. Our favourite part is the view from Charles Darwin Lookout giving a great overview of downtown Darwin across the water.
Visit the Darwin Aviation Musuem
This carefully curated museum features tons of military planes telling the story of Darwin's aviation history, especially during the Second World War, including housing the southern hemisphere's only B52 bomber jet, a simply massive plane. There are loads of things to look at and tons to read about, so give yourself a couple of hours to see it all!
Watch the sunset from Nightcliff Beach
Another of Darwin's fantastic sunset spots is a little bit north of the city at Nightcliff Beach with beautiful rock formations dotted along the sand with a perfect view over the ocean.
Visit the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
This fantastic museum is the main one in Darwin with a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions included Australia's natural history and its many fascinating animals, the story of the devastating Cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974, an Aboriginal art display, the local history of Darwin, a stunning maritime collection and even the taxidermized body of the 5-metre long Sweetheart, the most famous crocodile of the Northern Territory! While we visited, we also got to enjoy a stunning temporary art exhibit by local high schoolers.
Best of all? The entire thing is free. Truly a wonderful place that you need a least a few hours to explore properly!
Australia's natural history
Cyclone Tracy
Sweetheart, the most famous croc of the NT!
Temporary high school art exhibit
Local history of Darwin
Maritime collection
Go swimming in Litchfield National Park
Just two hours south of Darwin is Litchfield National Park, perfect for a little getaway from the city home to gorgeous waterfalls and swimming holes.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
