The city of Darwin has plenty of museums, Aboriginal art galleries, shops, markets and malls, cafés, restaurants, bars and pubs to keep you busy. Activities include walking and cycling tours, indigenous-guided tours (Batji Tours), a hop-on-hop-off tour by minibus with Tour Tub, swimming with crocs in the ‘Cage of Death’ at Aquascene, and cruises on historic pearl luggers including the 1959 Streeter and Cape Adieu.
Darwin is a great hub for trips to the Tiwi Islands (for a taste of island life and Aboriginal culture), Litchfield National Park (for swimming in tranquil lagoons and spectacular waterfalls), and Bamurru Plains (for wildlife-spotting safaris in a 4WD, bird-watching walks, edge-of-your-seat rides in a airboat across the wetlands, and fishing trips to catch the Top End’s famous barramundi). And don't miss UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park which is 170km to the SE of Darwin. You'll need a couple of nights here to make the most of the park. Get a birds-eye-view of its ruggedly gorgeous terrain on an aerial flight or helicopter ride.