Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Darwin has two wildlife parks worth visiting. At the
Territory Wildlife Park
(
&
08/8988 7200
), 61km (38 miles) south of Darwin at Berry Springs, you can
take a free shuttle or walk 6km (3
3
⁄
4
miles) of bush trails to see native Northern
Territory wildlife in wonderfully re-created natural habitats including monsoon
rainforest boardwalks, lagoons with hides (shelters for watching birds), a walk-
through aviary, a walk-through aquarium housing sting rays and sawfish, and a
nocturnal house with marsupials such as the bilby. Bats, birds, spiders, crocs,
frill-neck lizards, kangaroos, and other creatures also make their home here (but
not koalas, because they don't live in the Territory). A program of animal talks
runs throughout the day. The best is the birds of prey show, at 10am and 3pm.
Go first thing to see the animals at their liveliest, and allow 4 hours to see every-
thing, plus 45 minutes traveling time. Open daily from 8:30am to 6pm (last
entry at 4pm), and closed Christmas. Admission is A$18 (US$12) for adults,
A$9 (US$5.85) for students and children 5 to 16, and A$40 (US$26) for a fam-
ily. Take the Stuart Highway for 50km (31 miles) and turn right onto the Cox
Peninsula Road for another 11km (7 miles). If you don't have your own wheels,
the cheapest way to get there is aboard the
Rainbow Down the Track and Back
(
&
08/8948 4248
) bus service that runs direct to the park for A$25 (US$16)
per person, round-trip, half price for kids under 5. It departs from the McCaf-
ferty's/Greyhound Pioneer coach terminal at 67-69 Mitchell St. (behind the
Darwin YHA hostel). Call for schedule details.
In addition to housing a small crocodile museum,
Crocodylus Park
(
&
08/
8922 4500
), a 15-minute drive from town at 815 McMillan's Rd., Berrimah
(opposite the police station), holds croc-feeding sessions and free, guided tours
at 10am, noon, 2 and 3:30pm. It also doubles as Darwin's zoo, with exotic
species including lions, Bengal tigers, and monkeys on display. It's open daily
from 9am to 5pm (closed Christmas). Admission is A$22 (US$14) for adults,
A$18 (US$12) for seniors, A$11 (US$7.15) for children 4 to 15, and A$57
(US$37) for a family of four. Take bus no. 5 (Mon-Fri only) or the park shut-
tle bus (
&
08/8928 1100
) that costs A$35 (US$23) adults or A$90 (US$59)
family for return transport from the city and park entrance.
The
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory,
Conacher Street,
Bullocky Point (
&
08/8999 8201
), also holds an attraction for crocodile fans—
the preserved body of
Sweetheart,
a 5m (16-ft.) man-eating saltwater croc cap-
tured in Kakadu National Park. The museum and gallery is a great place to learn
about Darwin's place in Australia's modern history. It has sections on Aboriginal,
Southeast Asian, and Pacific art and culture, and a maritime gallery with a
pearling lugger and other boats that have sailed into Darwin from Indonesia and
other northern parts. A highlight is the Cyclone Tracey gallery, where you can
stand in a small, dark room as the sound of the cyclone rages around you.
Gallery and museum are open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, and
10am to 5pm weekends and public holidays; closed Christmas, Boxing Day
(Dec 26), New Year's Day, and Good Friday. The cafe has lovely bay views.
Admission is free to the permanent exhibits. Take bus no. 4 or 6.
Darwin was bombed 64 times during World War II, and 12 ships were sunk
in the harbor. It was an Allied supply base, and many American airmen were based
here. The
East Point Military Museum,
East Point Road, East Point (
&
08/
8981 9702;
www.epmm.com.au), housed in a World War II gun command
post, plays a video of the 1942 to 1943 Japanese bombings and has small but
fine displays of photos, memorabilia, artillery, armored vehicles, weaponry old
and new, and gun emplacements outside. Open daily from 9:30am to 5pm
