Darwin is Australia’s northernmost and least populated capital city, this gives Darwin a big country town feel to the city, with tourist’s and backpackers flocking to Darwin for its laid back lifestyle.
Darwin is a modern city that does have a rich heritage, the city was bombed by the Japanese in WW2 and was mostly destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Today there are only a few heritage buildings left that have been rebuilt since Tracy blew most of the town away in an estimated 300klm winds, no one’s quite sure of the wind speed that day as the wind gauge blew away when it hit 217klm’s.
Many tourists flock to Darwin to experience the local Aboriginal culture as well as the natural beauty found in places like Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park and Katherine Gorge. Not far from Darwin, these national treasures are home to abundant wild life like crocs and plenty of unique birds, as well as Aboriginal rock art dating back thousands of years.
Darwin is a tropical city, and its seasons are often simply known as the wet and dry seasons. The dry season runs from May to September and when many parts of Australia are shivering away in the winter, Darwin’s days are warm and sunny. The best time for tourists to visit is between June and August as there is little rainfall and the days are pleasant, many of Darwin’s major events are scheduled around the dry season. The rest of the year is known as the wet season, the days are humid and often rainy with thunderstorms, tropical cyclones and monsoonal rains all hitting the top end of Australia.
