Darwin, NTKick back at a relaxed, tropical harbourside city
For some sophistication with your frontier-town experience, head to Darwin, a harbour city with an enviable lifestyle. It's Thursday night and a bustling market is in full swing on Darwin's Mindil Beach. You wander along the hawker's stalls, savouring the aromas, until you choose your dinner from the vast range of Asian-style food on offer. You find your spot under the coconut palms just as the tropical sun begins to slide into the Timor Sea. Revelling in the sunset is part of the outdoorsy, fun-loving experience of the Northern Territory's capital city. There's waterfront dining year-round here; you can choose from the numerous alfresco eateries or just celebrate day's end with a drink at East Point, Fannie Bay, Nightcliff and Casuarina. Movie buffs also take advantage of the warm evenings at the Deckchair Cinema, tucked between Parliament House and the harbour. You can bring your own food or buy it there, and enjoy new releases or art house movies under a starry sky. There's a rich history in Darwin. Make sure you see the great collection of Aboriginal art at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, where there's also a powerful exhibition on Cyclone Tracy. At the Military Museum in East Point Reserve, you will learn about the 64 bombings that hammered the city during World War II, and the Australian Pearling Exhibition will give you an insight into the early Aboriginal, Chinese and Japanese history of pearling. If you enjoy the cosmopolitan feel of the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, it's worth popping in to the Parap Markets on Saturday mornings, where you can purchase more Asian-inspired food and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. There are more markets in Nightcliff and Rapid Creek on Sunday mornings. A Darwin highlight is the Acquascene at Doctor's Gully, where it's a fish frenzy at high tide. Visitors hurl bread at hundreds of fish, including milkfish and mullets, as they swarm to a tiny cove at the end of Darwin Esplanade. You'll have them eating out of your hands - and the kids will love it. The city is also the gateway to some spectacular nature experiences. It's an easy two-hour drive south to Litchfield National Park, where you'll find yourself surrounded by striking waterfalls, rugged sandstone formations and rainforest, and you can witness the curious phenomenon of the magnetic termite mounds. Travel just over 150 kilometres east of Darwin and you'll arrive at the main entrance to World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, which teems with wildlife and stunning landscapes. But it's only a short drive from Darwin to a couple of other delightful nature encounters. At the Territory Wildlife Park, about 45 minutes' drive south of Darwin at Berry Springs, you'll see native wildlife in re-created natural habitats. And you can get up close and personal with a juvenile crocodile at Crocodylus Park in Berrimah, about 15 minutes' drive from Darwin. More than 1000 crocodiles, from hatchlings to huge five-metre long adults, are kept here and there's a museum and guided tours to help you come to grips with the facts and fiction about these impressive and feared reptiles. Back in town, there's no better way to finish the day with a cruise - and another fabulous sunset - on Darwin Harbour. It's just another reminder that this seaport, with its strong multicultural and indigenous cultural influences, has the sort of lifestyle we could all get used to. Photos from Darwin
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