Darwin, the capital of Australian Northern Territory, is one of those places where people come for a visit and often decide to stay. Its diversity is fascinating and local atmosphere seems to always cheer up.
Darwin is not a huge city, yet compared to the rest of the Northern Territory, its 128,000 inhabitants make a rather sizable population. It carries the name of Charles Darwin and in a way the city has embraced the legacy of the famous scientist. Darwin has many faces and the diversity of sites and activities ‘on offer’ make every visit there an unforgettable one.
The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens are an ideal place to start; while cyclone Tracy nearly destroyed them in 1974, the gardens have luckily recovered and until today, remained one of the few places in the entire world where both marine and estuarine plants are naturally sheltered.
Darwin has had quite a history and visiting the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory as well as the Darwin Museum are a must. Especially during WWII, the city suffered massively and the Japanese bomb-raid on 19th February 1942 literally destroyed the entire city, which had to be rebuilt from scratch.
When visiting the land “Down Under” there is no avoiding the unique fauna and flora. The Litchfield National Park features the much anticipated wildlife like Dingo, Northern Brushtail Possum, Fawn Antechinus, Blak and Little Red Flying-Foxes, Antilopine Wallaroo, and many more. If one is after a bit of thrill and adrenaline, perhaps the Darwin Crocodile Farm presenting over 15,000 saltwater crocodiles will be a decent lure.
Thrill seekers who desire a nearly eye-to-eye experience should seek local reputed Adeliade river crocodile feeding tours. The UNESCO-protected Kakadu National Park as well as Charles Darwin National Park are also in the vicinity and both are well worth the travel.