Darwin is the capital city of the
Northern Territory. Located between Beagle Gulf and Port
Darwin and situated on Fannie Bay, Darwin is a thriving
centre of over 70 000 people.
Darwin offers a blend of cosmopolitan and city pleasures.
It also acts as a gateway to key Top End natural and
cultural attractions Darwin sits on a harbour twice the size
of Sydney harbour and overlooks the Arafura Sea, offering
an array of waterfront delights including superb dining,
cruising, or wreck-diving.
The main industries in Darwin are mining and
administration. Darwin is also the doorway to the Northern
areas. The city is fairly small, situated on the peninsula
. The main highway leading through the city is Stuart
Highway, which heads around the city, leading south.
Although the city extends about 15km to the north and
east, the main centre only extends about 2-3 blocks from
the transit centre or mall.
Darwin is well known for the cyclone
[Cyclone Tracy] which hit on Christmas Day, 1974. It was,
quite simply, Australia's worst natural disaster. At 3 am
the anemometer at Darwin Airport recorded winds of 217 km/h
before it stopped working; winds of up to 250 km/h were
estimated to have hit the city; total damage exceeded $1000
million and 65 people were killed; about 26 000 people had
to be evaluated and over 1000 people needed medical
attention; 16 people were lost at sea, their bodies never
recovered; the ABC radio station, 8DR, was off the air for
34 hours; over 90 per cent of all buildings in the city were
seriously damaged.
Darwin has just two seasons -
tropical summer in November to March, and tropical winter in May to
October. It's warm all year-round, but summer is wetter and winter
is dry. The crisp, clean air, warm dry days, low humidity and cool
nights of Darwin's winter are perfect for outdoor adventures and
touring.
Summer is when the Top End
shows nature at its best, with spectacular lightning shows and sun
showers. Watch the waterfalls spring to life and wetlands become a
haven for vast flocks of birds.
