Darwin mummies

[Teley]

Hello Darwin mummies!

We are contemplating a holiday in Darwin sometime during the summer holidays (still deciding between this and a few other places) - could any of the mums on here please let us know what some good places to go to are?

Thank you so much to anyone who answers! One little side note also - we don't have a car.

[shantelleB]

hello, im not sure how good the public transport is around here but here is a few suggestions :

the recreation park at leanyer- it is a free entry and free to ride water park, not sur how old your children are but i take my 19 month old there and he loves it. there is 3 main big slides a pool and a water park, in the same venue there is a fully shaded park, skate park and basketball courts also bbq areas.


planet ten pin at night cliff-
offers ten pin bowling, a kids planet which is tunnels and slides and ball pits, there is also putt putt, pool tables and some games.

there is crocdylus park,
i havent been here yet but i thik its where you get see crocs and feed them along with other stuff.

there is a golf driving range fairly cheap and also offers archery.

i have only lived here about 2 months and still have heaps to investigate but i hope this helps you a bit

[Opinionated]

Darwin wharf is great. It has a little beach area that is safe from crocs and stingers and has great fish and chips out on the end. It's the type of place that I would take my kids to when the sun is going down to swim and play and then wander out to the end of the wharf, get dinner and a beer or two and watch the sunset. It is quite popular.

[lonnie86]

Hi.

I've lived here for 3 years! wonderful place!! are you hiring a car though? Heres a few ideas:

• Litchfield national park is a good place but thats about an hour out of darwin.
• Berry springs national park.
• Crocodilus park
• Croc cove the new crocodile park in the city.
• The Aviation museum
• The Museum (has a good section on cyclone tracey in there)
• The wharf
• The mindil beach markets
• The city has some good pubs/clubs,Restaurants.
• The new wave pool
• The world war 11 tunnels
• The Territory Wildlife park (near berry springs)
• Australian Pearling Exhibition
• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
• Fannie Bay Goal
• The Aquascene fish feeding
• The Casino

Hope this helps abit, heaps to see & do..

Take Care
Lauren

[lonnie86]

Have a look at this site, may get some ideas on whats to do in darwin!

www.darwineguide.com/attraction.php

Lauren

[Teley]

Thanks guys so much! Darwin looks very tempting (although not so sure on the swimming anywhere non pool Opinionated lol).

Is it too hot over the summer holidays? I'm a bit of a lover of extremes....and Darwin is the top end....don't want anyone to get heat stroke though or anything.

Also, how is the public transport in Darwin? Or can you walk the whole city on foot?

[lonnie86]

Hi,
lol- I agree with the swimming comment, in our last weekend NT paper a lady from cullen bay spotted a crocodile in the ocean.. bit scary!

With the too Hot comment! We go on wet & dry seasons up here, so your Summer time down there, may be to Hot up here! It is the wet season at the moment: Starts from November till march!

& the dry season is from April to November!

During the wet season it is very Humid, with average tempertures of 35 degrees, with approx 90% humidity! During this time most of the attractions are closed due to exessive rain, Roads flooded the rivers etc fill up & the crocs can come through, so all the fun attractions/water spots are closed etc Litchfield national park, Berry springs. (It is awesome to come in the wet seasons, as watching the storms build up over the wharf in the afternoons is a great experience!) But most people find this time of the year, the weather to be quiet uncomportable.

The Dry seasons is the ideal time for Tourists, as all the National Parks are opened, Mindil Beach markets are on, & all the other markets around the city etc are opened. parap markets, Palmerton markets. The weather is more comportable ranging from 19- 30 degrees. The weather is a dry feel, instead of the horrible wet, muggy weather that you feel in the wet season. Can go fishing, & hiking etc, always rememeber plenty of water though!

With the transport question, our Taxi service is pretty good, can catch a taxi all around the city, or you can get on a Tourist little buses that goes around to all the attractions in the city & surrounding suburbs, & you can get on & off when you want to. (Can find these at the backpackers lodges in the city, they have info on them) Or if you want to plan a trip out to Litchfield, can catch a tour bus out there, they have plenty of different tours coaches in darwin. Its normally a whole day thing, They Pick you up from wherever your staying, & take you out to Litchfield, & take you to all the attraction/water holes out there & other attractions- the termite moulds etc!, They also provide you Lunch. I went on one of these when we first came up here, found it very good as the tour guides are very informational about the Territory! Also you can get on a Fairy in the city & go along the darwin river for a nice night out these a quiet good, Also they have plenty of fishing charters, if your into that, some of the good ones, The deckys do all your baiting, lining etc, so you dont have to touch the fish lol, Lunch & morning/afternoon tea is provided, same thing is a whole day out. Or you can get a tour bus out, to the Jumping croc cruise! this is a good day out aswell... Plenty to do in Darwin! Just think the dry season is better as most of the attractions arent opened in the wet season!!

Hope this has helped you! & if you do decide to come up here, Hope you & your family have a lovely Holiday!

Lauren

[Annabella]

I'm from Darwin, like others have said its VERY hot in the Wet Season, Cairns is a bit nicer climate, still very hot but not as bad. But I've never known anyone to have heat stroke and stuff. We didn't have aircon when we lived there and we survived!

But Darwin has heaps to do for kids but I would hire a car. There's a few things to do in the city that wouldn't require a car (you can walk or catch bus/min-bus) like Crocosaurus Cove (kind of a crocodile park thing which I think is a bit of a rip off personally), Aqauascene fish feeding, the wharf where they have a new wave pool and lagoon style pool and fish and chips etc. But the rest would be a car drive or bus trip away and imo, Darwin has a crap public transport system.

There is Lake Leanyer which PP mentioned is THE BEST, we go there every day when we go home to visit as its free, has stuff for big and little kids like water slides, a kind of pool/lagoon thing and dry and wet play areas and bbqs. You could catch a bus there from the city (where most accommodation is), but you might need to get 2 buses, not sure, and they are not that regular, but it could be done. There is also Crocodylus Park which has lots of crocs but is also like a mini zoo type place, and the Territory Wildlife Park which is long way out, maybe an hour in the car, not public transport but its kind of like a zoo but there's a little car/train type thing that takes you to each stop, my kids love it. Also Litchfield Park, I think parts are usually open all year but some parts will be closed but its really beautiful and good swimming. Its about an hr and half out of Darwin, need a car. And Jumping Crocodile cruise also out of Darwin but could get tours there from city I think....

I'd probably stay in a Caravan Park with cabins and pool/ playground etc if I didn't stay with family just to keep the kids entertained and have a bit more room to run around, but would need to also hire a car for that as they are not in the city.

I love Darwin and highly recommend it but it is hot at this time of year

[Teley]

But I would only have the opportunity to come these summer holidays. I actually get a bit excited at the thought of seeing a 'real' wet season.

Little note: don't mention cars, I don't have my licence - nobody ain't hiring out a car to me so I can zoom all over the NT and crash haha.

Would the fish feeding still be on even though it is wet season? Are there any good caravan parks that are near the city so have public transport or are walking distance? The museums sound interesting to me actually - I know DS is a fan of planes and you have the aviation museum, and Crocodylus Park is right next to it. hey?:tree: (DS likes emoticons). Plus if we're staying somewhere they'll always be a pool - and we could go in the afternoons to the wharf I'm thinking. And Leanyer Park should be open right? - no crocodiles there I'm hoping lol? As long as there's public transport to get there I'm quite happy.

I just love the build up before storms, the humidity during the day and the relief when the rains come (they don't come here that often, so I'm thinking Darwin might be nice).

Things would still be open in the morning when it's not raining right? When do the rains in the afternoon begin?

Really - I'm pretty hell bent on getting there in wet season. Plus, I hate tourists (I know I am a hypocrite but I hate tourist hot spots/times, they ruin the atmosphere for me - I prefer to pretend to be one of the locals).

Am I really stupid to want to go there in the middle of wet season? Answer honestly please.

[Teley]

Also Litchfield Park, I think parts are usually open all year but some parts will be closed but its really beautiful and good swimming. Its about an hr and half out of Darwin, need a car. And Jumping Crocodile cruise also out of Darwin but could get tours

I looked into Litchfield Park but it would probably cost a fortune - and I don't know how DS will handle it aged 4 - will it be appropriate?

Jumping Crocodile sounds fantastic but again, I need a licence lol. Once I get my licence, I'm not even going to bother going that far, I have so much to discover around me that I haven't being able to yet because you need a car! . If there's a coach service that goes there, I'll try to sort one out once I get to Darwin - hopefully there is something on like that, going somewhere.

Note: we are on a VERY tight budget