18 Things You Should Know About Darwin Australia

18 Things You Should Know About Darwin Australia

Darwin is one of the most underrated cities in Australia. Do you know there is a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Darwin operated by Malaysia Airlines? It is also one of the cheapest flight to Australia averaging around RM 1,100+ for return flight? During promos, you can get it lower than RM 1000 inclusive of taxes.

Darwin is a city located in the state of Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the south of Timor Leste, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. We spend almost a week in Darwin, venturing and trying to understand more about the city so we can share our experiences.

If you are planning to visit Darwin or want to know more about this city, you should bookmarked our story.

Here is the list of 18 Things You Should Know About Darwin

1. Weather and Climate

The good news is the weather and climate of Darwin is very similar to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia so it is either hot (sunny) and wet (rain). There are only two seasons in Darwin, sunny days and rainy days. That’s why there are open for certain months a year.

2. Best Dates to Visit Darwin

When is the best time to visit Darwin? According to the locals and also Tourism Northern Territory of Australia, April until September are the best months to visit Darwin. Remember, you can fly direct from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to Darwin with Malaysia Airlines.

3. World War 2 History

We all know Pearl Harbour got attacked by Japanese during World War 2 but no one actually talks about Darwin. There are so many things happened in Darwin during the World War 2 and you can head to the Musuem, World War 2 Bunkers and some of the World War 2 places of interests to understand more about the history.

4. Aborigines and Tiwi Island

There are thousands of different aborigines in Australia. Aborigines are like our ‘orang asli’ and you can find many of them in Darwin.

What is interesting is you can do a day trip to Tiwi Island to interact and understand more about the life and culture of the aborigines on the island. Get up close and personal with them and also their history, art and culture on Tiwi Island. There are day tours available to Tiwi Island from Darwin.

5. Swim with Crocodiles and Wild Crocodiles

We swim with blue fin tuna in South Australia ago and do you know you can actually ‘swim with crocodiles’ in Darwin? It is called Swim with Crocodiles at Cage of Death in Crocosaurus Darwin. We went to Crorosaurus but didn’t book the slot ahead so we didn’t manage to swim with crocodiles. You need advance booking to swim with crocodiles in Crocosaurus so remember to book ahead before your trip to Darwin. This is a must do thing in Darwin and probably in your life. You can also learn and experience more on crocodiles in Crocosaurus.

Wild Crocodiles

There are many wild crocodiles in Northern Territory of Australia thanks to tough laws and wildlife conservation efforts from the authority.

When you visit Darwin, you should check out the wild crocodiles in tours like The Jumping Crocodile Tours. The wild crocodiles are different than the ones you see in Crocosaurus.

There are also two different types of wild crocodiles you can find in Darwin, sea water crocodiles and freshwater crocodiles. The Northern Territory of Australia is the home of the most crocodiles in terms of numbers in the world.

6. The missing Chinatown

There are Chinatowns in most cities in Australia except Darwin. There was a Chinatown in Darwin until it was totally destroyed during the World War 2 and the city decided NOT to rebuild Chinatown. You can read the whole story here.

7. Typhoon and Cyclone

Darwin have been target of typhoons and cyclones for centuries. On 1974, Cyclone Tracy almost completely destroyed Darwin during the Christmas Eve. Thousands lost their homes and it is one of the most important histories of Darwin Australia.

8.Cruise tours

We did two different types of cruise tours in Darwin. The sunset cruise with dinner and the bird watching cruise in Billabong.

The sunset cruise with dinner is the city and it is called Cape Adieu Harbour Cruises while the bird watching cruise is called Corroboree Billabong Wetland Cruises is a few hours away from the city.

9. Flying tours

There are also two different types of flying tours in Darwin. The seaplane tour and the Naulitus Aviation helicopter ride. We did the helicopter ride and cruising on top of Darwin city is cooler than you can imagine.

10. Sunset hot spots

The sunset in Darwin is nothing less than spectacular. We went to three different places to view the sunset. You can read our experiences here.

11. Trishaw Rides

You can find trishaws in some Asian countries like Malaysia. Thus, you can find them in Darwin city. They are probably the only city where you can find bright and shiny trisshaws on the streets of Darwin. Another surprise is most of the trishaw rider are ladies. They usually pick up guests from bars at night back to their hotels. This is something cool you might want to try.

12. Beach is really pretty

There are a few popular beaches in Darwin and we strongly recommend Mindil Beach. On Thursdays and Sundays evening, they will play host to Mindil Beach Sunset Night Market. It is similar to our night markets in Asia with plenty of things to shop and food to eat. You can read more here.

13. Waterfall is breathtaking

There are a few spectacular waterfalls near Darwin. The one we went is called Florence Waterfall and the tour is paired with Buley Rockholes. There are many mini day tours available in Darwin and it is paired with other tours such as Jumping Crocodile Tour or Corroboree Billabong tours (depending on travel companies).

The Florence Waterfall is a destination you can consider visiting if you are in Darwin.

14. Billabong for birds watching

The best part of Darwin is you get the opportunity to visit the billabong. The Corroboree Billabong tour offer bird watching and if you are lucky, you might spot freshwater crocodiles (which is smaller in size than seawater crocodiles). The Corroboree Billabong tour includes healthy lunch on the boat in the middle of mother nature. If you are a bird lover, remember to do visit the Corroboree Billabong and get your binoculars ready. You can find many types of birds here and the tour guide will explain in details.

15. Termite Mounds

The termites we know and understand are basically insects that consumes wood and inflict damages in our homes. However, there are many other species of termites on this planet. What is interesting is you can find termite mounds outside of Darwin. The termite mounds look like little fortress on top of the ground. The reason the termites build these mounds is so they can live above the ground during the raining season as the rainwater will flood the entire area for weeks.

16.So many food options

There are many different types of cuisines you can find in Darwin as there are many different Asians staying in the city. On top of local Australian food, you can find Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian and other Asian cuisine in Darwin. The beauty of Darwin is it is relatively small so you can explore the food scene in the city by foot. Remember to book the restaurant in advance.

17. Shopping places

There are a few shopping malls in Darwin and we do recommend Darwin Mall as the shops offer local products and souvenirs. It is located in the city and there are also cafés and restaurants in the mall.

For other shopping experiences, we recommend Mindil Beach Sunset Night Market on Thursdays and Sundays at Mindil Beach. It is Darwin’s own night market and you can get interesting things offer by the local stalls.

18. 24 Hours Airport

What is the big deal about Darwin International Airport? Well, it is a 24 hours airport and there are restaurants, cafes and shops open around the clock. We remembered when we reached Darwin 3.20 am in the morning (on MH 144), there were sales ladies greet us in Duty Free Shops and we were like you girls don’t sleep? Remember, the flight from Darwin to Kuala Lumpur is at 4 am so you have to take your supper in the airport and you can also do last minute shopping in the duty free shops too.

We hope you can visit Darwin one day as it is unlike the other cities in Australia. You can read all our stories on Darwin here and we hope this story will enlightened you before you visit Darwin. Thank you for reading.

This story is sponsored by Tourism NT and Tourism Australia Malaysia.