Darwin

The free-spirited frontier town of Darwin is the capital and only real city of the Northern Territory, a region of Outback Australia covering about one sixth of the entire continent and isolated by the vast Australian desert. Darwin offers many sights from its colonial past, and serves as the gateway to the Kakadu National Park.

During WWII, a major Australian military base was established in Darwin and the Japanese bombed the city on several occasions. Darwin averages 8.5 hours of sunshine per day but heavy rainfall complicates the climate from around November to March. Between November and April the area is vulnerable to cyclones.

All year round it is tropically hot, suggesting very lightweight clothing. While Darwin's municipal attractions run from beaches to parks to museums to a casino, the city is best known as a gateway for Australia's Top End, a center for exploring the wild surrounding country and viewing exotic animals such as buffalo, crocodile, wallabies and birds.

General Information Ship berths alongside at Stokes Hill Wharf Points of Interest: Government House, Brown's Mart , Fanny Bay Gaol (now a museum), Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria Hotel, Admiralty House, Performing Arts Center, Botanical Gardens, Aquascene, Indo-Pacific Marine Aquarium, Museum of Arts and Sciences, and Kakadu National Park.