Out and About in Darwin
Darwin Harbour is about twice the size of Sydney Harbour and has the remains of sunken ships from WWll, Cyclone Tracy and confiscated Indonesian fishing vessels scattered along its floor.
At the edge of the harbour is Stokes Hill Wharf, which is the centre of Darwin’s maritime culture. Here visitors can look at historic WWll oil storage tunnels, view the Australian Pearling Exhibition, which outlines the history of Northern Australia’s pearling industry, and take in the Indo-Pacific Marine exhibits of living coral reef ecosystems.
The top end of Australia is famous for its crocodiles, and visitors can get a closer look at these prehistoric creatures at Crocodylus Park at Berrimah, and at the Darwin Crocodile Farm, which is 40km south of the city near Noonamah. East Point Reserve at Fannie Bay is a 200ha recreational park with natural forest and mangroves, parklands and safe saltwater swimming away from the sea in Lake Alexander. Darwin’s frontier role in WWll is outlined at the Aviation Heritage Centre. Exhibits include aircraft such as a B-52 Bomber, armament and photographs of Darwin at war.
Fannie Bay Gaol, along East Point Road, was built in 1883 and was Darwin’s main jail until 1979. The jail is intact, including the gallows used for the Territory’s last execution in 1952. Darwin Botanic Gardens showcase the flora of Northern Australia and other tropical habitats around the world. A popular attraction is the self-guided Aboriginal Plant Use Walk. At Aquascene visitors are able to feed the hundreds of fish that find their way to Doctors Gully to be hand-fed bread at high tide. Casurina Coastal Reserve at Brinkin features 7km of beach including a nude bathing area north of Dripstone Park, as well as pockets of monsoon forest and WWll observation posts.