Travel to Darwin in Australia. Darwin is a small yet cosmopolitan city. People from more than 50 nations make up its population of 150,000. It is on the Timor Sea (a branch of the Indian Ocean) in north-central Australia. Darwin is the tropical capital city of the Northern Territory.Darwin has a relaxed lifestyle and unique multiculturalism, where people from over 50 different cultures live and work side by side. The regular Asian-style markets that form an intrinsic part of the everyday Darwin landscape for local residents sea food, music, language, and culture from just about every Asian nation, alongside “crocodile hunters”, local Aboriginal artists, musicians of every genre, sports fishing operators, sunset sails, and families with children playing on the beach. Darwin’s unique cosmopolitan makeup has been recognised as an “multicultural icon of national significance” by the Australian National Trust. Darwin’s tropical climate has two major seasons, the ‘dry’, from about May to October, and the ‘wet’, from November to April. Major cyclones have occurred approximately once every three decades. Much of the city was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Darwin is also the only Australian capital city to have come under substantial attack during a war. On 19 February, 1942, Japanese planes made two major air raids on Darwin from the aircraft carrier fleet that had attacked Pearl Harbor less than 3 months earlier. These were the first of 64 air attacks experienced by the city during World War II, the last being on 12 November, 1943. (Other areas in northern Queensland and northern Western Australia were also bombed by Japanese aircraft.)Darwin was first named in 1839 by John Lort Stokes during the third voyage of the Beagle. It was named after his former shipmate and famous naturalist Charles Darwin. Darwin’s development was accelerated by the discovery of gold at Pine Creek, about 200 km south of the city in 1871. After the gold rush Darwin’s growth slowed mainly due to the harsh, tropical climate, distance and poor communications with other Australian cities. The Second World War put Darwin back on the map when the town became an important base for Allied action against the Japanese in the Pacific. The road south to the railhead at Alice Springs was surfaced, putting the city in direct contact with the rest of the country. Modern Darwin is one of Australia’s most cosmopolitan cities, more open to Asia than perhaps any other Australian city. It plays an important role as the door to Australia’s northern region. Natural wonders such as Kakadu, Katherine Gorge, and Litchfield are all within driving distance from the city and still contain near pre-colonial populations of crocodiles, goannas, snakes and wallabies.Today Darwin is a fast growing regional centre that has unique history, culture and adventure.Darwin’s ClimateThe following chart outlines Darwin’s monthly climate averages as an indicator for the whole northern region.Jan – Feb Min average temperature – 24C (75 F) Max average temperature – 31C (88 F)Mar – Apr Min average temperature – 24C (75 F) Max average temperature – 32C (90 F)May – Sept Min average temperature – 21C (69 F) Max average temperature – 31C (88 F)Oct – Dec Min average temperature – 25C (77 F) Max average temperature – 32C (91 F)The Top End, which includes Darwin, Katherine, Kakadu National Park and Arnhem Land, has a tropical climate. Darwin has an average temperature of 32C (90 F) all year, with varying humidity. Darwin is climatically perfect to visit from May to October. There is no need to check the weather forecast as it is nearly always 31C (89 F) and sunny during the day, with cooler nights. November and December the build up, or pre-monsoon season, begins and humidity levels start their rise. The summer rains bring the natural landscape to life and deliver the picturesque storms and sunsets the Northern Territory is renowned for. Some people enjoy this aspect of the wet, with the rivers and waterfalls in full glory, and the landscape greener.Darwin Airport has domestic flights to all major Australian Capitals and key airports in the Northern Territory. As of July 2019, international flights to / from Darwin are operating to has international flights to Bali (Jetstar, Virgin Australia – seasonal),Shenzen (Donghai Airlines), Singapore (Jetstar,Silkair), and Dili, East Timor (Airnorth).Darwin is easily accessible from most major Australian cities by several domestic carriers. There is a airport shuttle bus (tickets $18 one way), which meets all flights 24 hours, and taxis are available. Uber has operated since early 2019. However, a price enquiry in early July 2019 found the cost of uber to Mitchell Street was similar to a taxi fare. There are limited public transport services to the airport. Bus 3 has two deviations (c) and (d) which service Charles Eaton Drive and Henry Wrigley Drive. Bus 3(c) services run at three times between 6:25 and 8:05am, one at 12:30pm Mon-Fri. Bus 3(d) services run at three times between 3:55 and 5:20 pm Mon-Fri. If you are travelling outside these times, it is still possible to catch bus 3, get off just after stop C (Jingili shops) just before the bus turns down Scales St, and walk the 2km down Henry Wrigley Drive to the Airport. Allow 30mins to walk there. Once you check in at the airport and go through security, there are free (hot) showers upstairs (turn right at the top of the escalators) to freshen up after your walk. Bus 3 is a circuit service starting and finishing at Casuarina Interchange (so you could also use this service to get from the airport to town). If you are travelling from the Darwin city centre, bus 10 operates from Darwin Interchange to Casuarina Interchange where you can then catch bus 3 to the airport. Other option might be Bus 5 between Casuarina to Darwin Interchange – closest bus stop at Rothdale Rd, 2km from Airport

Airport: DRW Darwin International Airport Cities in Australia

Country: Australia