8 Awesome Free Things To Do In Darwin (City).
Are you looking to explore the world-renowned culturally significant landscape known as Kakadu National Park and its waterfall heaven neighbourino, Litchfield National Park? Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses! By all means, those are breathtaking places to visit, and you should 100% go there, but don’t pass up on the Northern Territory’s capital, Darwin. After all, you’ll probably be going through there to get there. It might only be tiny, but between all its history and uber modernity, it is mighty. But if that’s not enough to get you to explore the capital a little deeper, how about a list of 10 Free Things To Do In Darwin to get you to consider visiting it?
- Drink In The Sunset Darwin’s Most Famous Beach. – Mindil Beach.
- See Some Cool Oceanside Cliffs. – Casurina Beach & The Dripstone Cliffs.
- See Darwin’s Rocky Beaches. – Vesty’s Beach & Lagoon.
- Swim Safely In The Ocean. – Darwin Waterfront.
- Learn What Makes Darwin Darwin. – Museum And Art Gallery Northern Territory (MAGNT).
- Combine Some Scenery With Some History. – Charles Darwin National Park.
- 7. Swim, Sightsee and Exercise At A Historically Significant Parkland.- East Point Reserve.
- Watch The Sky Electrify! – Numerous Places.
1. Drink In The Sunset At Darwin’s Most Famous Beach.
Mindil Beach.
First on the list of free things to do in Darwin is the city’s iconic seaside attraction, Mindil Beach. This beautiful sandy stretch of shoreline is a lovely place to breathe in some fresh Northern Territory air.
But if sharing territory where crocodiles sometimes roam gives you the heebie-jeebies, there’s a lookout on the headland at the northern end of the beach, where you can watch the waves crash on the picturesque coastline from above.
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Both are a relaxing way to experience some nature in the northern part of the city and are great places to watch the sunset light up the sky as the day bleeds into nightfall.
2. See Some Cool Oceanside Cliffs.
Casurina Beach & The Dripstone Cliffs.
If you’re enjoying the beach scene and hoping to stroll more of Darwin’s coastline, Casuarina Coastal Reserve’s southern end is another beautiful place to feel the cooling ocean winds and get in some gorgeous coastal views.
There’s also the Dripstone Cliffs, a small jagged, zig-zag cliff face that is an unmissable landmark on the picturesque sandy landscape that’s viewable from above or at beach level.
You can also see Old Man Rock peeking up out of the ocean at low tide here as well, but it’s not worth waiting until then. I made the mistake of visiting at low tide before realising if “I had to wait until the ocean cleared out to see it, it wasn’t going to be anything good”. Yeah, it was pretty anti-climactic.
3. See Darwin’s Rocky Beaches.
Vesty’s Beach & Vestys Lagoon.
Another picturesque part of Darwin’s coastline is viewable at Vesty’s Beach. You have to wear clothing of some sort here, but the rocky shoreline is a lovely change up to the typical sandy beaches, and it’s a beautiful place to take a stroll along the coastline.
It’s also next door to Vestys Lagoon, a small lake behind the beach that is a pretty and quiet place to hang out and enjoy the outdoors a bit longer.
4. Swim Safely In The Ocean.
Darwin Waterfront.
The thing about Darwin is that it’s hot. It’s also humid as hell, particularly during the wet season. Sweat practically flows out your armpits, and whenever you are outside, there’s a perpetual layer of moisture sitting on your skin that never ceases to stop.
An ideal way to combat that in the city of Darwin would be to take a refreshing dip in the ocean, right? But as beautiful and inviting those beaches are on those relentlessly hot days, the whole crocodile the Top End is known for doesn’t bode well for your chances of surviving your swim in the sea.
“But I’m dying out here! I need to cool off and give my armpits a break! They’re working overtime here, and you can’t tell me I can’t swim in those gorgeous, refreshing oceanic waters!”
Darwin hears you and presents to you the Darwin Waterfront. This stunning modern precinct is a fantastic place to spend a couple of hours. With a closed-off ocean fed beach and a recreation lagoon starring as the headliners, this gorgeously designed space provides all the natural salty swimming goodness of the sea to cool you off on those stinking hot days without making yourself chum for the local man-eaters.
The best thing about it is that, aside from not being eaten alive by dinosaur descendants or stung by jellyfish that also lurk in the ocean, is that it’s 100% free to swim in (except the inflatable water park). Oh, and there’s adorable little fish and sections with seaweed to make the swimming experience even more authentic, so bring along a snorkel if you have room. After your swim, wander around the shops or dine at a restaurant before heading off to your next destination.
Not only is Darwin Waterfront a fantastic mix of the city and nature, but the Kitchener Car Park within the precinct provides generous 2-hour free parking, making ocean swimming at this vibrant, modern space undoubtedly one of the best free things to do in Darwin.
5. Learn What Makes Darwin Darwin.
Museum And Art Gallery Northern Territory (MAGNT).
If you’re looking to get a glimpse into Darwin’s storied history and at some beautiful artworks from Australia’s indigenous peoples, head to the Museum And Art Gallery Northern Territory.
The museum is an intriguing mix of the city’s natural heritage, cultural ancestry, modern developments and disasters shown through stunning visual mediums that’ll captivate your attention for hours.
Key historical events on showcase include the early days of white settlement and the change that brought about to one of Earth’s oldest cultures, the aerial bombings Darwin endured during WWII from the Japanese and the devastating cyclone that destroyed the city in 1974.
There’s also an impressive collection of full-sized boats used for various purposes collected from northern Australia, South East Asia and the Western Pacific, as well as an incredible display of the creatures and gemstones that make up the Top End’s animal kingdom and geography.
The museums’ collection of Aboriginal artworks is equally as captivating. Many are classically indigenous, with the characteristics synonymous with the artistic style the first inhabitants of Australia exhibited for thousands of years. Others take those iconic techniques and give them a modern twist, like the superhero masks that feature dots, an integral part of Aboriginal artwork.
It’s is a great way to learn and understand the people and the significant events that transpired to make this vibrant micro-city all it is today. If that’s not enough for you to visit, there’s another reason you shouldn’t pass up the chance to see this fantastic place. It has air-con.
With the Top End’s unrelenting heat beating down on you, a great way to combat that is heading indoors where the air-conditioning is a welcome reprieve from being outdoors and the Museum And Art Gallery Northern Territory is just that. It’s the perfect thing to mention up to people who shudder at the thought of museums but want to get out of the heat to get them in the door to learn some facts about the city, further cementing the MAGNT as one of the best free things to do in Darwin.
6. Combine Some Scenery With Some History.
Charles Darwin National Park.
The beaches around Darwin are picturesque. But somewhere scenic that’s a little less sand and ocean orientated is Charles Darwin National Park, a beautiful parkland with a famous person’s name, World War II history and some lovely skyline views.
Named after the naturalist Charles Darwin, who popularized the notion of evolution, the national park in the city also named after him, is a fantastic place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the CBD.
What makes this serene place so intriguing is not its name, though. Charles Darwin National Park played a significant role in the World War II Japanese bombing of Darwin. Scattered throughout the park are numerous bunkers harkening back to those days when life was much scarier. On the drive into the park, you can learn about the bombings in a bunker turned mini-museum and see a few of them as you walk through the area before seeing more as you drive out.
Make sure to stop in at the lookout even if you don’t go bunker searching for some lovely skyline views of the city. Perhaps even stay a little longer and have a picnic or pull out the bike and hit the trails.
It’s a lovely place to escape to that’s not too far away from the city, where you can relax and unwind for a little while.
7. Swim, Sightsee and Exercise At A Historically Significant Parkland.
East Point Reserve.
If you enjoyed the views, the history and the walking trails, another free place to visit in Darwin is East Point Reserve. The picturesque parkland is located directly north of the city on the other side of Fannie Bay and is another fantastic place to breathe in a bit of nature.
With numerous short walks and concreted paths, it’s a popular place where locals love to come and exercise. There is also a small lake where they love to go kayaking and swimming, and open spaces, picnic tables, and BBQ’s where you can drink in the serenity for longer while you chow down on some grub.
Dudley Point Lookout is a highlight of the elevated park. With the scenery showcasing the aforementioned bay and the tiny northern city rising above the seascape, the lookout is a lovely place to pause for a moment. But it’s also more than just a pretty view.
East Point Reserve served as a strategic location to protect Darwin during World War II. Numerous structures lay scattered across the park serving as sobering reminders of what transpired here during the 1940s.
Discovering them is a great free way to explore the park and its dark past, but if you enjoy learning about Darwin’s wartime era, the pay-to-enter Darwin Military Museum is well worth the price of entry.
8. Watch The Sky Electrify!
Numerous Places.
The Northern Territory’s Top End is atmospherically unstable. Manifesting in the form of thunderstorms, visiting Darwin during the monsoon season when the sky is most turbulent is a visual feast for those who love seeing the sky light up.
There’s plenty of places in Darwin where you can observe the storm clouds gather and unleash their electrical payloads, such as the Stokes Hill Wharf, Charles Darwin National Park and East Point Reserve.
The multitudes of beautiful beaches that line the coastline also make fantastic vantage points to experience the rumble and rawness of mother nature in a place synonymous with thunderstorms.
And if you don’t like experiencing the weather out in the open, your hotel is a great place to watch the atmospheric fury light up the sky without the worry of getting zapped like a bug.
Conclusion.
Although Darwin is a small isolated city, it’s pretty jammed packed with the most tempting things for visitors: free attractions. Between all the history, culture and nature that’s available to you without rattling the wallet, Darwin is more than just a gateway to fabulous national parks.
