Darwin, NT

The Top End, where Darwin is located in the Northern Territory, has two seasons. Dry and wet … the latter lasting from December through April. Nonetheless, for our visit on the last day of not just December, but of 2023 as well, we had blue skies. That it was hot and humid goes without saying as that seems to be the norm for these parts.

On a cooler day, we would have followed the pathway from Fort Hill Wharf where Regatta docked and taken the elevator from the Waterfront Precinct to the Darwin CBD. Not today. Instead, we hopped on the shuttle to the drop off at the Visitor Center near the Smith Street Mall.

With the feels like temp expected to top 111F (and it did), our plan was to stay indoors … somewhere interesting and fun … with A/C. To that end, with the locals recommending against the public bus — we got the distinct impression that the bus depot is not in the safest neighborhood — we Ubered to the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory … MAGNT.

Arriving with 30 minutes to spare before the museum opened at 10:00a, we wandered down to the beach for a stroll on the hard-packed sand at low tide. A lovely breeze made for pleasant conditions … if only briefly.

MAGNT bills itself as the “Northern Territory’s premier cultural organization.” Located at Bullocky Point, it is home to cultural and scientific collections, hosting a variety of exhibits. It is a fantastic place to visit … in fact, we were there so long that the women at the front desk couldn’t help commenting on it.

The galleries feature a variety of exhibits … from Telstra’s NATSIAA (National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Art Awards); to Darwin before and after the devastation wreaked by Cyclone Tracy; to Transformations … tracing the evolution of Australia’s natural history; and more. Of course, we also made sure to visit Sweetheart, the crocodile that has become an icon of the region!

As well-done as the entire museum is, I have to admit that the art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait People was what charmed us the most.

Chats with the locals while awaiting the shuttle into the city had made it clear that very little would be open around the CBD — this being New Year’s Eve … and Sunday, to boot. So, we opted to have lunch at the Saltwater @ Bundilla … the café at the museum. It was simply too hot out on the deck … best to sit inside. While the café didn’t have much ambiance and the menu was limited, the food was very good.

Taking an Uber back into the city, we couldn’t resist getting off at the far end of the Smith Street Mall for a stroll to check it out as we made our way to the shuttle stop. It was quite dead … one local remarking that everyone was at home “getting ready to party in the New Year.”

We’ll be returning to Darwin a few times during our overland as it is the gateway for a couple of our planned activities. Perhaps we will have better luck with the heat then to check out some of the other things the area has to offer.

Now to see if we can stay up to see the New Year in!Read more