5 things to do in Darwin this weekend

Darwin's weekend culture is shaped by the tropical climate and the laid-back Territory personality that makes the city unlike anywhere else in Australia. Here's what to do when the temperature drops slightly and Darwin comes alive.

Mindil Beach Sunset Market

The Mindil Beach Sunset Market operates Thursday and Sunday evenings during the dry season and is the quintessential Darwin experience, 60 food stalls representing the Asian and Pacific diversity of Darwin's community, craft market vendors, live music, and the famous Darwin sunset that turns the Indian Ocean horizon into the kind of orange-red spectacle that visitors photograph and fail to adequately capture.

Crocosaurus Cove

In the CBD itself, Crocosaurus Cove offers the City of Darwin's most distinctive tourist attraction, the Cage of Death, which lowers visitors in a perspex cylinder into a pool containing 5-metre saltwater crocodiles. It's terrifying and completely safe and you will never forget it.

Darwin Waterfront

The wave lagoon and recreation lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront are the perfect compromise between beach swimming and crocodile safety. The waterfront precinct's restaurants and bars are the best sunset-watching spots in the city that doesn't have the Mindil Beach market running.

Territory Wildlife Park

An hour south in Berry Springs, the Territory Wildlife Park houses the full range of Top End fauna in impressively large naturalistic enclosures. The walk-through aviary, the nocturnal animal house, and the excellent presentation of saltwater crocodiles in a near-natural billabong setting make this one of Australia's best wildlife parks.

Kakadu day trip

Three hours east is Kakadu National Park, 20,000 square kilometres of World Heritage-listed wilderness, ancient rock art, and wildlife that makes it one of the most extraordinary natural areas on earth. The Twin Falls gorge, the Ubirr rock art site, and the Yellow Water cruise are full days in themselves.