Budget Darwin, NORTHERN TERRITORY
Airing Date: Jun 19th, 2006
Most travellers today want to get good value for money, full stop. See & experience things they wouldn't in their own backyard, get a sense of place and have a lot of fun, without spending the huge bucks and in Darwin you can get all that....
An exuberant tropical lifestyle, the unique natural wonders, cosmopolitan atmosphere, buzzing nightlife and the people. Whatever it is, people just flock to Darwin for a good time and as any true blue Darwinite will tell you, once this part of Australia gets into your blood, it's hard to leave and impossible to forget. Darwin is the Top End's big smoke. It's set on a harbour twice as big as Sydney's and on average the population here are younger than the rest of Australia! It's a pretty hip place for young travellers - Darwin seems to always be on the destination itinerary of international and domestic backpackers and couples alike, not to mention the other end of the scale too - the grey nomads. It's considered Australia's most successful multicultural city - more than 50 nationalities make up Darwin's 100,000 population (approximately), including the area's traditional owners, the Larrakia Aboriginal people
The influence of so many different cultures makes for fantastic culinary experiences - whether the food comes from a silver service restaurant, a fish and chip shop at the wharf or one of the stalls of Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern and modern Australian food at the local markets. Part of the allure of Darwin is that everything is so accessible once you're here - you can do the entire town in a day including lots of tourist sights. And one of the newest, funkiest and central places to use as your base is Melaleuca on Mitchell. Winner of the 2005 Brolga Award for best backpacker accommodation, MOM doesn't just cater for the young single travellers - they have double rooms with ensuites, and family rooms too. But if you're young and single this four star joint is the place to be!
The world famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets are now celebrating their 20th year! In 1987 six people's vision to bring a taste of Asia's night market to Australia came to fruition. Since that time the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets has become one of the Top Ends most popular tourist attractions and meeting place. The 2006 season will commence on the 27th April 2006 to the last Thursday in October 2006.
Thursdays 5.00pm- 10.00pm and Sundays 4.00pm-9.00pm Experience Darwin after dark on the city's first ever Double Decker Tour, with great music, games, prizes and a great way to meet people. Dinner is included and you receive a complimentary drink, with VIP entry to all five party venues! You'll also receive a Double Decker Tour T-shirt and complimentary BBQ at the Cavenagh on Sunday. That's a lot of partying, drinking and eating for $60! Tours run every Tuesday Wednesday Friday & Saturday. If you only have a little time in the Top End, then Kaka-don't. That place needs a week on its own. Instead, do go to Litchfield National Park, closer to Darwin than the better-known Kakadu National Park and it's more convenient for day-trippers who find they have more time to spend in the park itself. Located 100 km south-west of Darwin, the Park is generally accessible all year (sealed roads) via Batchelor.
At Doctors Gully, right in the heart of Darwin and within walking distance of most city hotels is a unique attraction which has been featured in countless television programs and magazine articles world wide and voted most popular attraction in tourism surveys. AQUASCENE is where hundreds of fish come to shore at high tide to be fed by hand. It is a ritual that began in the late 1950's when a local resident threw scraps of food to a few mullet. Somehow word got around in the fish populace and now milkfish, bream, catfish and many other species join the mullet in the skirmish for a meal.
Further Information
Qantas one way to Darwin from:
$251 ex Brisbane
$289 ex Sydney
$317 ex Melbourne
$324 ex Adelaide
$333 ex Perth
Prices available online and include surcharges, fees & taxes, subject to fluctuation. Conditions apply.
www.qantas.com
Prices correct at 19/5/06
Melaluca On Mitchell double rooms from $75 a night. Dorm beds From $22 a person.
1300 723 437
Prices correct at 19/6/06
Aquascene Fish feeding from $8 Adult $5 Child.
08 8981 7837
Prices correct at 19/6/06
