Darwin at the beginning might not impress you as a city but it has a sort of quirky charm to it. It isn’t a large city with skyscrapers. Instead, it’s quite dangerous to swim in the ocean, and it gets hotter than 30C almost every single day!

As the capital city of the Northern Territory, Darwin sadly often gets forgotten about by tourists. If you love the outdoors, waterfalls, sunsets, wildlife and Aboriginal culture, then you will love Darwin too!

Below are the local highlights that you can do in Darwin city and surroundings. But don't forget that most of the beautiful nature and wildlife, would require driving or taking tours in order to explore more! Waterfront and Darwin City Lagoon: is located on the waterfront right next to the wave pool. It can be dangerous to swim in Darwin (mostly because of the crocs and jellyfish), and the lagoon is the only place in the city where it is actually safe to swim. It’s a small bay that has a net surrounding it to prevent those animals from entering the area. You can also take a day (or evening) walk here and eat, drink and entertain at the many restaurants at the ground floor of all the surrounding apartment buildings.

Darwin City centre (CBD): It's very easy to walk from one side to the other, characterised by the wide streets, shade structures, leafy parks, retail outlets and outdoor dining. You will see tall, modern structures are mixed between old colonial-style buildings. Some of the famous landmarks in Darwin’s city centre are:

Mitchel Street, is the main avenue in Darwin lined up with shops, supermarket, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions.

Brown’s Mart, built in 1883, this old sandstone building is now home to the Darwin Theatre Company. The Tree of Knowledge, an ancient banyan tree can be found out the front of the Civic Centre.

Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1902, the cathedral was damaged by the Bombing of Darwin and Cyclone Tracy. Darwin Entertainment Centre - located on Mitchell Street, the DEC hosts many exciting theatrical performances. Crocosaurus Cove - also located on Mitchell Street, you will find the Northern Territory's most famous inhabitants; the saltwater crocodiles.

The Chinese Temple, located on Litchfield Street, the current temple is built on the site of a temple that was constructed in 1887. Cavanagh Street, Darwin’s original Chinatown. In the late 1800s the southern end was full of ramshackle huts and shops and you’ll still see some of the original stone buildings near the Darwin Post Office.

Darwin Cenotaph, is an important memorial that commemorates the sacrifice of Australian service men and women who have served in conflicts in which Australia has been involved.

The old Town Hall, just past Smith Street Mall and originally built in 1882, this building was so severely damaged by Cyclone Tracey that it was never rebuilt. The remains of the original Palmerston Town Hall have been preserved for visitors to learn about the history and today, arts organisations use it as a performance venue.

Jumping croc cruise: Has to be the number one activity in Darwin as you will see many signs and advertising tours in Darwin for it! It’s basically a riverboat cruise on a river, full of saltwater crocodiles (the most dangerous type in the world). The tour guide will tie some raw chicken onto a stick and hang it over the water to tempt the crocodiles to come out for food.

The crocs literally peak out 50% of their bodies to grab the chicken! So although they don't literary jump but they do power themselves with great effort to reach for the food, and then creating a splash in the water! The speed and power they do it, is such a thrill.

This is your chance to get up close and personal with some wild crocs. Some of the boats are multi-level with the guide speaking on a speaker. it's better to choose those on smaller boats. With a maximum of 24 people per trip. Don’t forget to bring a water bottle, plenty of sunscreen, and a hat. Tours are around $185 AUD per person, which can be combined with other tours, like the national parks.

WWII Tunnels: Near the waterfront, are some original WWII Oil Storage Tunnels. Darwin has a well-known history of its involvement in WWII and much of the city was bombed during raids by the Japanese.

The old oil tunnels are still the original tunnels they built back in the day for WWII and were supposed to be used to store fuel. Today, for $12 AUD you can enter the tunnels and walk through them. They are all lit up and have write-ups and pictures about the tunnels and their use all the way through.

Although it’s just a quick activity in Darwin, visiting is worthwhile. The tunnels are open daily from 9 am to 4 pm from May to September and 9 am to 1 pm from October to April.

Explore Cullen Bay: is another great place for sunset in Darwin! The sunsets in Darwin are truly amazing, and you won’t want to miss it!

Cullen Bay is a cute little neighbourhood that’s about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the city center, so just a short 10-15 minute walk. There is a nice grassy area where you can sit and bring a picnic lunch or dinner, or there are a few different restaurants to choose from.

Cullen Bay is also one of the stops on this Hop-on Hop-off tourist bus. An adult ticket is only $48 AUD for the day and gets you around to some of the best places to check out around Darwin! So, stop off at Cullen Bay before the sun goes down to spend a nice couple of hours here.

Buley Rock Pools: Located within the Litchfield National Park, only an hour from Darwin and is one of the top attractions in Darwin. They’re essentially a series of connected natural pools that you can relax in or jump into. It’s also the perfect place to have a picnic. (but no glass bottles allowed).

The rock pools are almost always open for swimming – it is only during extreme weather conditions where they flood that they close, but this doesn’t happen often.

There’s also no entrance fee to Buley Rock Pools or Litchfield National Park in general, making it a great free activity. There’s an on-site car park not far from the rock pools, so it’s super easy to hire a rental car and drive yourself there.

Alternatively, you can also join a tour which take you to the National Park and gives time to swim in the pools.

Darwin Aviation Museum, for those interested in Aviation, its a well worth place to visit if you are staying extra days in Darwin. Located in Winnellie, it houses an impressive collection of the Territory's aviation history and is a reminder of Darwin's frontier role in World War II.

A massive B52 Bomber dwarfs other exhibits, including Mirage and Sabre jets, a Spitfire replica, Orion P3-C, Wessex and Huey Cobra helicopters. Other exhibits include engines and armament as well as many photographs of Darwin at war, pioneer flights and record breakers. Take advantage of the video presentations which make it more interactive. It also has a big shop and airplane memorabilia to buy. To ge there, take bus 8 from the city centre for about 20 min trip. Entrance to the museum costs A$20 per adult.

Charles Darwin National Park, is a small gem close to the centre of Darwin. The park has national significance for its ecological diversity and Aboriginal and World War II history. It also protects part of the Port Darwin wetland, one of Australia's most important wetlands.

Mountain bike riders can enjoy Darwin's best network of tracks and access the many fire break paths through the bushland. You can drive up to the lookout platform which has sweeping views of Darwin's skyline in the distance.

Historic sites are scattered through the park and there's a World War II display where you can learn about Darwin's role in the Pacific War. You can drive here from the city centre or take bus 5 and get off/on at Sweet Street, from here the walk is about 25 min one way.