Hotels in Darwin

So I planned to see the croc infested waters etc in Darwin, the rains came and put a stop to all that. No tours were running at all anywhere as roads were flooded. What to do then? Well went out for coffee in various cute coffee shops, visited the NT Museum which was in a nice area and has a cool little café, so finished off with some prosecco as reward for being cultural lol. Other than that, not much could be done in the rain, we drank from day into night in the various bars, observing the locals on a Saturday night is a sight to watch, far more exciting than watching crocs I'm sure, fights galore, busy door men handling all situations very well, police being followed by camera crews with all the local activities after a few too many sherberts! We had a fabulous time. No one started on us but plenty approached us for a chat, but the door men stepped in immediately, friendly fella, chatting away, we went back to that bar every night we were there. If you have more than one drink the staff talk to you like you live there, super friendly. The bars are quite cool people watching. Don't go if you're after 'civilized' but if you have an open mind, you can see a rather different side to Auz from other parts. Its the polar opposite to Snooty Sydney. We loved it! Go Darwin lol Caroline and Anne

Interesting to see Darwin. Liked the general ambience once we had become used to the heat and humidity. We arrived via the GHAN from Adelaide (highly recommended) We walked mostly but drove out to the north and the beaches were lovely. The cost of living seems quite high cf the UK. We drove to Kakadu park which is a long drive. We were very disappointed. We have been to the USA parks, S.A, Far East, etc and this was a great difference. Maybe we should have gone on an organised tour and the guides would have known where to take us. We went to the visitor centre and were given walks to do. We are very good walkers but not many elderly folk would do them. The views from the summits were bland. The nature of the territory. The aboriginal artwork was good but one can view only so much. Didn't see much wildlife apart from the wallabies on the road. Again, we were restricted by time and ought to have gone down the various roads to billabongs, etc but there is only so much one can do in a day trip.

Best time to visit is from April to September. Heat can be overpowering in summer. Allow yourself enough time to visit surrounding areas - Litchfield, Kakadu, Katherine & Tiwi Islands. Visit the markets at Parap and Mindil Beach - some great food. Get yourself a good camera and open your eyes (and mind) - lots of unique birds, great sunsets, abundant wildlife and fabulous landscapes. Visit the museum. Go for nature not the shopping. Remember this is largely unspoilt country. There are venomous spiders, snakes, crocodiles, box jellyfish, irukandji and all sorts of other hazards. Use common sense and you will live through it all. Do some homework (planning) before you go.

Darwin is a tourist town launch pad. Not so much to do in the centre of Darwin other than the croc cove and Mindl beach market (if you are there during the right time of year) but so much to do in the surrounding areas, Kakadu nat pk and Litchfield etc are great trips. Also if you are into fishing there are plenty of tours that you can be apart of that take you barramundi fishing. The key thing to remember about darwin is the massive effect of the weather. There is just no point visiting in the summer months as everything worth seeing and doing is closed due to the weather conditions and lack of tourists... also it is so uncomfortably humid you will want to do nothing else other than sit in a well air conditioned bar.... which is all the locals do during this time. The biggest downside to Darwin is the aborigines that can make you feel a little uncomfortable due to their alcoholism...

Darwin is like a huge country town, you have all the highlights of a big city with the restaurants and hotels without the congestion of people and traffic. The sights and experiences you get in Darwin you can get in no other city in Australia. The prawn toast at the Lazy Susan is to die for and was like nothing I have ever tasted before. The esplanade is a nice place to walk along to watch the sunset or you can get up close and personal with a harbour cruise there is so much to take in at the waterfront precinct, the CBD area and also Casurina shopping. Darwin has it all.

Darwin is very easy to get around the people of Darwin are very friendly and relaxed. More people should visit Darwin in the wet. Accommodation is very affordable then. The storms and lightning are spectacular. There are still a lot of tourist attractions open in the wet. Litchfield park is very good. Visit the interesting old hotels many great lunches to be had. Dining down on the wharf is great and swimming in the enclosed beach or wave pool. Seeing all the different fruit, vegetables and crafts at the markets is excellent. Give the fruit a go. A good book is Darwin in the Wet by Sue Moffitt well worth purchasing if going to Darwin in the Wet or Dry. V8's in Darwin are well worth going to. It is very well run.