Darwin – a diamond in the rough
With clear blue skies and temps between 28 and 31 degrees, a harbour twice the size of Sydney’s and the city flush with tropical plants and flowers, Darwin literally blooms during the dry season. Home to 100,000 people, it’s friendly and easy to get around, but be warned – it is not unusual for the city’s better hotels to be booked out at the peak of the season, especially at Darwin Cup time in August.
Places to go
Darwin’s famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets are walking distance from the city and feature everything from clothes and pearl jewellery to didgeridoos, local handicrafts and live music. Sit on the beach in front of the markets with a cold drink while the sun sinks into the Timor Sea; it’s not hard to see why people brave the cyclones and crocodiles to live here.
Dinner options range from wood-fired pizza and gourmet crepes through to satay and other Asian staples. Choose cuisine from Turkey, Greece, Sri Lanka, South America, North Africa, India and all over South-East Asia.
The markets are on every Thursday and Sunday evening from about 4pm. Parking is available and a bus runs from the city terminal to the markets at regular intervals.
Another unique attraction – and a sure-fire kid pleaser – is the fish-feeding sessions at Aquascene in Doctors Gully, again walking distance from the city.
The sessions are held at high tide – check the local newspaper for times – and draw hundreds of thrashing fish into the shallows. Bread is provided so kids (big and small) can grab a handful and feed hungry mullet, milkfish, parrot fish and rays – some up to a metre long – by hand.
Darwin literally blooms during the dry season
Darwin’s Military Museum (its first museum) at East Point Reserve is worth a visit for those interested in the city’s little-known but fascinating wartime history. Between February 1942 and November 1943, Darwin was bombed 64 times. The first raid, in February 1942, killed 252 people and was planned and executed by the same commander who engineered the attack on Pearl Harbour 10 weeks earlier.
The museum has a fascinating collection of photographs and memorabilia and is a short stroll from the gun turrets, erected to protect the city from invasion. You can get there by car or tour bus. Ask hotels or travel agents for details.
If you want to sit back and relax under the stars, you can check out a film at the Deckchair Cinema below Parliament House, which is on most evenings from April to November.
Places to stay
Darwin has a good range of hotels from luxury to budget. SkyCity Casino on Mindil Beach and Crowne Plaza in the city are the five-star venues, and there are plenty of four-and-a-half star options, including the Saville Park Suites and the Novotel Atrium, both with great views over the harbour.
The Alatai Holiday Apartments and Best Western Top End are centrally located and affordable, at three-and-a-half stars.
For the budget-conscious, Darwin’s newest backpacker complex, the two-and-a-half star Melaleuca on Mitchell, has a restaurant, bar and swimming pool, and is a notch above the other backpacker options.
If you’re on a self-drive trip, or just want to stay out of town, the FreeSpirit Resort, 15 minutes south of Darwin city, is set on 11 hectares of lush gardens and has cabin, chalet or camping-style accommodation.
Things to eat
Not surprisingly, Darwin’s culinary strength is its Asian food. From the food stalls at Mindil night markets to the modern delights of Darwin’s favourite restaurant, Hanuman on Mitchell St, Darwin chefs are known for their use of fresh ingredients and their modern take on well-loved dishes from around the region.
Pee Wees, in the wilds of Darwin’s East Point Reserve, is a fine dining experience with a modern international bent and fabulous views. If you can, time your visit for sunset and watch the tide rise over the mangroves as the sun disappears into the bay’s turquoise green waters.
Moorish Cafe on Knuckey St specialises in tapas and Middle Eastern cuisine and is a casual option, as is the Trailer Boat Club on East Point Rd. The club has an extensive pub-style menu and is a quintessential Darwin experience, with alfresco dining under palm trees and beautiful water views.
Festivals and sporting events
For horseracing buffs, the Darwin Cup Carnival runs from July to August and culminates in the hugely popular Darwin Cup (known as the Melbourne Cup of the north) on August 7. For AFL fans, the Western Bulldogs play Port Adelaide at Marrara Oval in August in Round 19 of the AFL Toyota Premiership.
For lovers of the arts, the Darwin Fringe Festival from July 21 to August 13 features local comedy, music and drama acts and is a ‘taster’ for the more mainstream Darwin Festival, which kicks off at the Botanical Gardens in August.
The Darwin Festival includes high-profile international and national acts plus local performances, and is worth a visit for its food stalls and magical lighting as well as its acts.
A more quirky drawcard is the famous Beer Can Regatta, held at Mindil Beach in July each year. The Regatta raises money for charity and involves ‘boats’ made from thousands of empty beer cans roped together. It’s fun to watch the boats make their way out to sea and then slowly fall apart as they stage mock battles with each other. The day also features concerts, dances and unusual contests.
For more information on what to do when you’re in Darwin call 13 67 68 or visit the Northern Territory's Official Travel Site.
Touring the Territory |
Darwin is a great starting spot to see the Top End. Both Kakadu (the route to get there is known as Nature’s Way) and Alice Springs (part of the route is called Explorer’s Way) are accessible by sealed roads and take in nature at its best, from cascading waterfalls to the vivid colours of the Centre.
Darwin to Jabiru (250km)
Head down the Stuart Highway then join the Arnhem Highway just outside Coolalinga. Check out the Windows on the Wetlands display on Beatrice Hill. Fun displays explain the ecology of the area and touch screen computers provide information on the Aboriginal and European history.
Back on the Arnhem Highway, stop for lunch at the Bark Hut Inn before heading to the Mamukala Wetlands. The dry season sees thousands of magpie geese meet to feed, and you can take various walks though the Wetlands. Before you get to Jabiru, stop at the famous rock art galleries in Ubirr. Park rangers give free scheduled talks during the winter months and the galleries follow a 1km easy walking track.
Jabiru
Jabiru is the only Australian town set inside a national park with the spectacular Arnhem Escarpment as a backdrop. There’s lots to do in Jabiru so it all depends on how much time you have and where your interests lie. You can go on a scenic flight, swim, play golf, take an Aboriginal culture guided tour or learn about the pioneering history of Jabiru.
Jabiru to Pine Creek (212km)
It’s worth stopping at Nourlangie (35km from Jabiru) where park rangers explain the rich spiritual tradition of the ancient galleries and rock shelters (from April to October). There are also various climbs you can do to take in sweeping views of the escarpment. In addition, take a detour to Cooinda and enjoy a cruise along Yellow Water billabong and view all manner of birdlife, saltwater crocs and kangaroos, as well as beautiful pink waterlillies and paperbark forests. For some home comfort stay overnight at Gagudju Lodge. At Pine Creek you can go one of two ways: head south to Katherine and on to Alice Springs or head north back to Darwin.
Drive 1: Pine Creek to Darwin (225km)
Continue along the Kakadu Highway to Pine Creek, an old gold mining town dating back to 1871. Grab a pub lunch and check out the original buildings from the 1800s. Then head up the Stuart Highway stopping at the historic WWII township of Adelaide River. Take a trip to Litchfield National Park and visit its thundering waterfalls and amazing termite mounds, and have a dip in its crystal clear swimming holes. Also, take a wildlife cruise on the Reynolds River, which borders a cattle station, before travelling the 90 minutes to Darwin.
Drive 2: Pine Creek to Alice Springs via Katherine
At Pine Creek join the Stuart Highway and head south 90km to Katherine. Explore Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge) by foot via a bushwalk or take to the water with a boat cruise or canoe. Enjoy a Devonshire tea at the 1871 sandstone-built Springvale Homestead, just outside Katherine. At Mataranka (105km from Katherine) finish the day with a dip in the warm thermal springs and then stay over at a motel, the campsite at Mataranka or camp in Elsey National Park.
Mataranka to Daly Waters (165km)
Still on the Stuart Highway, stop in at the Larrimah Wayside Inn for a cool drink, visit the Larrimah Museum for an insight into the area’s WWII heritage and stay in the tiny hamlet of Daly Waters, built around the Territory’s oldest pub.
Daly Waters to Tennant Creek (400km)
If you can, take some time to travel the network of roads that make up the Elliott and Newcastle Waters Discovery Trail (careful, some are 4WD only) off the main highway and visit huge cattle stations and outback pubs. Cool off with a dip in Mary Ann Dam before taking in the tours and heritage sites, or fossicking for your gold-coloured fortune in Tennant Creek.
Tennant Creek to Wycliffe Wells (130km)
Just before Wauchope, look for the huge boulders of Devils Marbles; its history is explained at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Culture Centre. By day, take in the rich red scenery and come nightfall, check the sky for extra-terrestrial aircraft (Wycliffe Wells is said to be the UFO capital of Australia).
Just before Wauchope, look for the huge boulders of Devils Marbles; its history is explained at the Nyinkka Nyunyu Culture Centre. By day, take in the rich red scenery and come nightfall, check the sky for extra-terrestrial aircraft (Wycliffe Wells is said to be the UFO capital of Australia).
Wycliffe Wells to Alice Springs (375km)
Stop at Ti Tree and taste fine table grapes and sparkling mango wine produced in the outback. Just make sure you haven’t sampled too much before you get back behind the wheel! Then it’s on to the Alice!
DRIVING IN THE TOP END
Port Douglas – live the highlife on a budget
Port Douglas, an hour north of Cairns, is not all five-star resorts, expensive restaurants and exclusive golf courses. It is possible to pull off a budget holiday in Port, right alongside the rich and famous.
Get on the net
Tempting package deals to Port spring up as winter looms, but you can organise your own holiday for less money and few hassles if you have internet access. NRMA’s Travel Planner allows you to book accommodation online and offers Member discounts at some places.
You might not find a place right on the beach for peanuts, but there’s plenty of affordable accommodation just a few streets back from the beach. We randomly picked the nice-enough-no-frills Ti-Tree Resort, a friendly four-star resort with self-contained units encircling a large pool and spa, barbecue area and tennis court.
It was only a five-minute walk to the beach, had a bus stop out the front with a regular service to town and a supermarket nearby so we could buy our own food and cook most meals in our unit. That saved us a small fortune. We paid $125 a night (for two people), and with two bedrooms and heaps of living space it could have easily accommodated four.
If you’ve booked your accommodation early enough, you should be able to score a cheap flight. If you can, start your holiday mid-week because flights are usually cheaper then.
The Ti-Tree Resort organised our bus transfers from Cairns airport for $30 per person each way. It wasn’t cheap but it was a spectacular hour’s drive along one of Australia’s most scenic stretches of road, the crystalline waters of the Coral Sea to the right and jungle-clad mountains jutting skywards to the left.
... it was a spectacular drive along one of Australia's most scenic roads.
More budget accommodation options
Apart from the budget resorts, Port Douglas also has a great backpackers resort called Dougies, with different accommodation options, camping and good facilities. (The pool facing the main road into town is a bit of a downer though.) There are also three caravan parks: Tropic Breeze Van Village, Pandanus Caravan Park, and the Glengarry Caravan Park which is about 3km out of town.
A bite to eat
Food could really break the budget in Port Douglas. The main drag, Macrossan St, is teeming with expensive restaurants but there’s some good-value eating to be had if you know where to go. The family-friendly Mango Jam offers great gourmet wood-fired pizzas at reasonable prices, and the Star of Siam does inexpensive, tasty Thai food. Beaches Cafe on The Esplanade, overlooking Four Mile Beach, was our fave for a good meal.
Back on Macrossan St, we spent lazy afternoons on the verandah of the Iron Bar, a rustic old pub decorated with features like a vintage tractor radiator transformed into a table. We got an enormous T-bone steak with salad and chips for $14.90 that put the competition to shame. If you happen to be there on the right day of the week, you can take part in cane toad races – that’s if you’re willing to kiss the back of your toad to wish it good luck!
Getting around
The cheapest way to get around the compact village (apart from the trusty foot-mobile) is to hire bikes and take advantage of handy cycle-ways and flat roads. Numerous bike hire shops offer different deals – we paid $60 each and mountain bikes and helmets were ours for a week. One of our daily pleasures was a morning ride to town along the firm sand of Four Mile Beach, a pristine stretch of paradise, lined with palm trees and framed by a mountainous backdrop.
Things to do
You don’t go to Port Douglas without doing the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef, and here’s where your budget can go awry. We could have paid over $200 each for a Daintree tour. Instead we hired a car and ventured off to the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation.
First stop was lush Mossman Gorge, about 25km north of Port. Next, we beat the tour buses to the car ferry, which takes about 20 cars at a time across the Daintree River and into the unspoilt rainforest wilderness of the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park. We visited the Daintree Treetops Walk, had lunch in a seaside cafe and walked along the blowy beach at Cape Tribulation, before returning to the ferry.
Save your pennies for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We went with Quicksilver, which offers the best facilities, especially for families. It’s the only operator with a permanent pontoon on the reef, and included in the price of a day trip is an enormous buffet lunch aboard the pontoon.
Another good-value family attraction is the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, 6km from the heart of Port.
On Sunday, visit the waterfront market in Anzac Park at the end of Macrossan St followed by a visit to the charming white wooden church, St Mary’s by the Sea. Grab some lunch at a food stall, drink chilled coconut milk straight from the nut, then in the late afternoon head to the Court House Hotel across the road, nab an outdoor table and settle in for some free live music while watching the fiery tropical sun melt into the water as daylight fades to dusk.
For more details, call Port Douglas Tourist Information Centre on (07) 4099 5599. All prices correct at time of writing.
Touring Far North Queensland |
Far North Queensland has a diverse landscape. The drive route below takes you from the Great Barrier Reef through the rainforests of the wet tropics to the grassy savannah of outback Queensland. It is approximately 2000km, but you can tailor it to suit your circumstances – and interests. Most of the drive is on sealed roads; however, there are short sections suitable for 4WD vehicles only.
Mareeba to Undara Volcanic National Park (267km)
HOW YOU CAN SAVE ON YOUR TROPICAL TOUR
4WD
