Question 1

Darwin on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Darwin's sights are spread out and the heat makes walking hard work, so plan short legs, dress to stay cool and carry water. A simple plan is the waterfront and the wartime tunnels in the morning, lunch in the city, and a taxi to the museum at Fannie Bay if you have time. The Darwin Waterfront: The Waterfront's man-made beach and Recreation Lagoon are free, patrolled by lifeguards, and safe from crocodiles because a seawall separates them from the harbor. The WWII oil storage tunnels: Long tunnels bored into the cliff to store oil during the war now hold historic photographs. They are on Kitchener Drive, opposite the wharf precinct. The city center: Smith Street Mall is the place to start shopping, and Survivors Lookout, opposite the rebuilt Administrator's Office, looks out over the marina. MAGNT: The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory is in Fannie Bay, a taxi ride from the center. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except some holidays, so check before you go. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match local clocks or your phone. Darwin is half an hour behind Queensland and New South Wales in winter and an hour and a half behind the southeastern states when they are on daylight saving time.

Question 2

Getting Around Darwin

Accepted Answer

Darwin's public buses run throughout the city and suburbs and are free to ride, with more frequent services close to the center; check before you go. Walking is possible in the center, but the heat and humidity make even short distances tiring. Services are less frequent away from the center, and limited on Sundays, so plan around the timetable. Mindil Beach, home of the Sunset Market, is in the suburb of The Gardens, near the city center.

Question 3

What to Eat in Darwin

Accepted Answer

Darwin's food reflects its closeness to Asia and its harbor: Asian market stalls, laksa and fresh barramundi are everyday fare. The city's markets are the easiest way to try a lot in one go. The Mindil Beach Sunset Market, on Thursdays and Sundays from 4 p.m. during the dry season, has more than 150 food and specialty stalls; check before you go. The Parap Village Market on Saturday mornings has Asian food stalls, laksa among them. Barramundi, a fish of coastal waters, estuaries and rivers, takes its name from an Aboriginal language word for a large-scaled river fish. Stokes Hill Wharf has casual takeaway food, such as stir-fried noodles, battered barramundi and calamari, eaten at tables over the water.

Question 4

Tipping in Australia

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not customary in Australia, though a tip is accepted if you choose to leave one. Restaurants must include the cost of service and taxes in the prices they show. Restaurants: No tip is expected. Taxis and guides: Taxi drivers, hotel staff, porters and tour guides do not expect tips. Currency: Australia uses the Australian dollar.

Question 5

Larrakia Country and a Multicultural City

Accepted Answer

The Larrakia people are the traditional owners of the Darwin area, and their name for it, Garramilla, means white stone, after the pale rock of the sea cliffs. Today people from more than 50 cultures live in the city, and its festivals and markets reflect that mix. Stokes Hill, beside the wharf, is a registered Aboriginal sacred site, believed by the Larrakia to hold an ancestral being who sometimes appears as a tawny frogmouth. The Chinese Temple was founded in 1887 and rebuilt after cyclones, wartime bombing and Cyclone Tracy, most recently in 1978. MAGNT presents the art, culture and natural history of the region, and it hosts the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. The Deckchair Cinema on Darwin Harbour is an open-air cinema that runs through the dry season. Territory Day, on July 1, is one of the few days of the year when fireworks are allowed, and the main celebrations are at Mindil Beach. Darwin's Greek, Indian and Chinese communities hold their own festivals, including the Glenti and Chinese New Year.

Question 6

Isolation, Invasion, and Cyclone Tracy

Accepted Answer

Darwin was Larrakia country long before HMS Beagle sailed into the harbor in 1839. The town was founded as Palmerston in 1869, renamed in 1911, bombed in 1942 and devastated by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, and each time it rebuilt. The Larrakia: The Larrakia, the earliest known people of the area, traded with Southeast Asia and with peoples far across the continent. HMS Beagle, 1839: On September 9, 1839, the Beagle sailed into the harbor, and its commander, John Clements Wickham, named it Port Darwin after Charles Darwin, who had sailed on the ship's earlier voyage. Palmerston, 1869: George Goyder, South Australia's Surveyor-General, set up a settlement of 135 people between Fort Hill and the escarpment on February 5, 1869, and named it Palmerston. Telegraph and gold: The first poles of the Overland Telegraph went up in Darwin in 1870, linking Australia to the world, and gold found by telegraph workers at Pine Creek started a rush. Many Chinese came to work the goldfields and build the railway. A new name, 1911: The Northern Territory passed from South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911, and Palmerston was renamed Darwin. The air raids, 1942: On February 19, 1942, 188 Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin in two waves, the largest single attack ever made on Australia by a foreign power and the first of more than 100 air raids on Australia in 1942 and 1943. Cyclone Tracy, 1974: The cyclone struck overnight on Christmas Eve 1974 and destroyed more than 70 percent of the city's buildings. More than 30,000 people were evacuated in the largest airlift in Australia's history, and the city was rebuilt to stricter building standards. A new museum, 1981: After the Northern Territory gained self-government, work began in 1979 on a museum at Fannie Bay, which opened in 1981. To learn more ashore: MAGNT, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, is at 19 Conacher Street in Fannie Bay, on the harbor shore.

Question 7

Darwin with Children and Families

Accepted Answer

With children, Darwin works well for swimming at the crocodile-safe Waterfront beach and for close-up looks at the crocodiles themselves. Plan indoor or shaded time for the middle of the day. Younger children: The Waterfront's beach has sand play, sun loungers and saltwater swimming under lifeguards' eyes. Lifeguards clear the lagoons when a thunderstorm is close. School age: Crocosaurus Cove on Mitchell Street, in the city center, is a crocodile and reptile park with a 200,000-liter freshwater aquarium. A shady walk: The George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, about 2 km north of the center, have a large collection of northern Australian monsoon plants and are free. Teenagers: The Darwin Military Museum at East Point stands among concrete gun emplacements and shows the city's war, and the WWII oil storage tunnels are near the Waterfront, about 2 km by road from the cruise berth.

Question 8

Accessibility in Darwin

Accepted Answer

Heat and humidity are the biggest challenge for anyone with limited mobility, and sights are spread out, so plan short distances and rest in the shade. The Darwin Waterfront has made its beach and lagoon usable for wheelchair users. At the Waterfront beach, lifeguards put out a ramp and a Mobi-Mat every day, and a beach wheelchair is available for sand and water access. Lifeguards clear both lagoons during thunderstorms, which are common from October to April, so allow for waiting time. Ask your ship how far it is from the berth to the passenger terminal exit, and whether a shuttle runs.

Question 9

Shopping in Darwin

Accepted Answer

Smith Street Mall in the city center is the starting point for shopping, with Aboriginal art galleries and shops selling pearls in the surrounding streets. The markets add local crafts, art and food. Galleries specializing in Aboriginal art are spread through the streets around Smith Street Mall. Specialty shops in the center also sell crocodile-skin products.

Question 10

Beaches Near Darwin

Accepted Answer

Darwin has many kilometers of beaches, including Mindil Beach and Casuarina Beach, but the sea brings two real dangers: box jellyfish and saltwater crocodiles. For a swim on a port day, the crocodile-safe Waterfront beach and lagoon are the practical choice. Box jellyfish, known locally as stingers, are in the sea from October to May. Saltwater crocodiles are common in all the waterways around Darwin and are sometimes found in the harbor and on beaches. The Northern Territory government traps crocodiles in Darwin's urban waters. Mindil Beach, near the city center, is known for its sunset market and the yearly Beer Can Regatta. Casuarina Coastal Reserve has 8 km of sandy beaches backed by cliffs.

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