As the Radiance of the Seas pulled into the port of Darwin, I really didn’t know what to expect from this tropical capital of the Northern Territories. The ship offered options like a boat tour to see jumping crocodiles, a discovery of the untamed countryside of Litchfield Park, an interactive eco-adventure tour, as well as other buses, walking, or harbour cruise tours. We opted to visit Darwin on our own with the Darwin Explorer hop on hop off bus.
We disembarked and hopped on the bus at stop 11 conveniently located outside the cruise ship terminal, making it an ideal option for anyone not wanting to take a ship’s excursion. The bus makes 11 stops around the city and offers fascinating commentary as we travel. With one bus every 20-25 minutes, we can hop off at any stop, stay as long as we want, and then board another bus to continue the loop.
Here are some of our highlights:
We spent a large amount of time at the city centre (stop 1) having a coffee in the mall (a modern outdoor shopping area), walking a self-guided Darwin city heritage walk, and listening to a street performer. (We could have easily walked to this spot from the ship.)
Built in 1902, Christ Church Cathedral was devastated by Cyclone Tracy. Now it is a mix of the old and modern.
The Old Town Hall are pre-Cyclone Tracey ruins.
Radiance of the Seas as seen from the Bicentennial Park.
Pineapple at George Brown Botanic Gardens.
Some of the interesting trees we saw at the Botanic Gardens. We also stopped in at Eva’s Botanic Garden Cafe for a refreshing organic smoothy. It was a charming place founded in 1886.
Aboriginal art in the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory.
Lorikeet eating berries that hubby spotted in a tree near the museum.
Looking out the front window from the upper deck of the Darwin Explorer Bus on way to East Point Military Museum.
Lake Alexander is a man-made lake that is safe for swimming. It is located in the East Point reserve, which is home to 600 wallabies, plus bandicoots, brushtail possums, and 35 species of butterflies. (Seen from the bus between stops 7 and 8.)
Frances Bay mooring basin, a marina mostly used for commercial fishing, is accessed through a lock.
Explorer bus on Stokes Hill Wharf in Darwin Australia. This is the stop #9, home to the Royal Flying Doctors Military museum.
View from a pedestrian bridge to Darwin Waterfront Precinct.
Wave Lagoon in the Waterfront Precinct.
A perfect end to our day in Darwin.
The Darwin Explorer makes a 90-minute loop stopping at:
- City Center and Tourist Information
- Crocosaurus Cove
- Doctor’s Gully Aquascene Fish Feeding
- Cullen Bay Jetty
- Cullen Bay Apts
- Casino and Botanic Gardens
- Museum and Art Gallery of Nothern Territory and then on to East Point Reserve
- Parap Parap Markets (open only on Saturday)
- Stokes Hill Wharf and Military Museum
- Waterfront Precinct
- Fort Hill Wharf (Cruise Terminal)
We opted to board and then completed one loop so we could hear all of the history and options of where to stop. I think a better option would be to get off at each location of interest, therefore completing only one lap of the bus route.
More About Darwin:
- During much of the year, swimming in the ocean is not recommended due to crocodiles, box jellies, and Irukandji.
- Cullen Bay is a registered cyclone haven for small to medium sized ships.
- Cyclone Tracey devastated Darwin destroying more than 70% of its buildings on Christmas day 1974.
- Darwin was bombed in WWII on 19 February 1942 by the same planes that bombed Pearl Harbor.
- Darwin’s population of only 142, 300 is half of the population of the Northern Territory.
- The Northern Territory is equivalent to the size of France, Spain, and Italy combined.
- Darwin is situated on the Timor Sea in the Indian Ocean. It has two seasons, dry season (May 1 to October 1) and the wet season.
- Darwin is a former frontier outpost and the gateway to Kakadu National Park.
**We are currently cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas. She is a lovely ship that is taking us around the top side of Australia from Sydney to Perth, with port stops in Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Bali (Indonesia), Port Hedlands, and Geraldton.
Have you been to Darwin? Will you take the Darwin Explorer Bus when you visit?
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Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary Darwin Explorer tour for the purpose of this review. In addition, Royal Caribbean has provided VIP treatment onboard the Radiance of the Seas as well as many complimentary extras. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
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Such a variety – something for everyone. The museum looks fascinating.
There was so much more to this museum than I could fit on the page. Plus, I think you would have liked the museum out on Stokes Hill Wharf as it had a lot of virtual reality.
Your travel adventure articles are always so vividly descriptive. I almost feel as though I am there. Your photos are A-grade wonderful.
Thanks Lorelei. That’s my goal 🙂
Hi Rhonda – what a great way to see the city and surroundings … and be able to get out and about too … looks a great city. Thanks for the photos – the wave lagoon must be fun … but seeing the museum and the ruins from the pre cyclone Tracey days … wonderful .. thanks for sharing – cheers Hilary
It was an interesting city, and one I hope to get back to some day. I would like to explore Kakadu.
How fun. What great shots too. I’m glad you’re having a fabulous birthday cruise.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Thanks Sandee 🙂
Your pictures are beautiful! The color of the water especially! Thanks for sharing.
I think the water colour is on of my favourite things about being in the tropics.
I’m going to sound so stupid saying this, but it’s a lot greener than I imagined it to be. Also, that wave lagoon looks like a place I’d like to be. Less crocodiles and jellyfish!
There is a big swimming lagoon in Cairns for the same reason – only the one in Cairns is free 🙂
Wow that water is soooo pristine!! Makes me want to go on a cruise again! #wkendtravelinspiration
Hope on, we still have a week left 🙂
Looks like a fascinating place. Lake Alexander looks beautiful and the wave pool looks like fun. #wkendtravelinspiration
Darwin is beautiful, and those two swimming spots are really needed as it is quite humid and hot.
Darwin looks like it has changed a lot since I was last there, a few years after Cyclone Tracy. I have been trying to get David to add it to our travel wishlist without much success so far. I’ll show him this post and see if it helps. I love your photo of the lorikeet.
Thanks Lyn. We quite enjoyed the day there and would love to get out to Kakadu some other time. It’s an easy city to be in.
I LOVE Hop-On Hop-Off buses! Darwin looks interesting and fun. 😀
We hadn’t done one in many years and forgot how great they are.
That Cycone Tracy must have been huge if it knocked down buildings. It must have been very scary for the people in houses. I love all the greenery in the pictures. But where were the jumping alligators?? Those sound really cool. lol
We opted not to go on the jumping crocodile tour as they bait the animals to get them to jump out for food.
I’m about to start planning my trip to Australia, so this is extremely helpful. Definitely bookmarking this post. Thanks! xoxo, nano | http://www.travelwithnanob.com
I will have about 2 months on Australia, so watch this space 🙂
I’ve always wanted to go to Darwin. I’ve heard it’s super – muggy. Is that true? I also don’t mind taking hop on/off buses…sometimes. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Sadly, yes, it is very humid and hot.
We didn’t get to Darwin, so many places to see!!! I love hop on tours.
Maybe next time you are in Australia it will be on your list. This is my fourth visit to Aussie, and first time in the Northern Territories.
So much of Australia to explore. Love this idea of a self-guided shore tour. Good for you!
Australia is so big, we are just scratching the surface.
Since the city is so picturesque, it makes sense to explore on an open top bus. I would like to explore the natural nearby attractions. #wkendtravelinspiration
I would love to explore the nearby parks. I have seen photos of Kakadu, and hope I get back here for a serious amount of time in the future.
I haven’t been to Darwin. Taking the hop-on/hop-off bus sounds like ts the way to see the city and learn about its history. Thanks for sharing!
We learned so many interesting tidbits and things we otherwise never would have discovered.
You just gave me a great idea, Rhonda. I thing the best way to visit Australia would be to take a cruise. I could get an idea about this continent and then go back to visit the places I found the most interesting. I’d love to do that.
LOL – Yes, cruising is a great way to get the flavour of an area. It’s quite far for you, so be sure to visit New Zealand when you get to this side of the world.
Such a fabulous idea, to have a bus tour that takes you to a city’s highlights to make it easier for tourists to become aquainted with the area! Thank you for sharing, i hope i can get to see it myself someday.
The best part of the bus is that we can get on and off as many times as we want to, and any of the sights.
I have been to Darwin a few years ago and enjoyed my stay very much. We went out to Adelaide River to see the jumping crocs and also to Litchfield National Park which was awesome. Darwin itself is an interesting city to explore. So much history and so much turmoil.
Yes, there are many things to do in this Northern Territory capitol city. I could have spent more time here exploring.
I would love to read more about your time on the cruise ship too! The budget, what you do on board and so on! With your weekly posts, you are tempting me to hop on one of them aswell! Darwin looks beautiful and as always, your photographs are spot on! Loving the facts you added in the end! Especially the one about the bombing in !942 by the same planes that bombed Pearl Harbor!
Thanks. There is more coming on the cruise and the upcoming ports.
Looks like you got to see a lot in the short amount of time you had in Darwin. Looks like a nice mix of nice scenery and history!
I think the hop on hop off bus was the optimum way to see the city from downtown to the most popular close in sites.
you know, it has never occurred to me to cruise around Australia, but there is so much territory to cover that it makes sense. I’d love to see a post on your while itinerary. I’m interested in how long the cruise, all the places it stopped, how long you had in each place and between destinations. The church is really interesting! Here in NY we have added modern fronts to old buildings. Adding a modern building to an old front is different. they both stop you in your tracks but I can appreciate what they are doing and why.
Great idea. I am planning on doing this as a conclusion to this series.
Cruising around Australia gives you a taste of the port cities without having to fly (or drive) the vast distances between them. I also liked that the cruise made a stop in Bali, Indonesia.
many to see in such a short time! I hope you can manage to enjoy your stop in Bali as well, Rhonda
The port stops on a cruise ship are typically for five to ten hours. You can see a lot if you research the port a bit and plan out what you want to do. An excursion from the ship does the planning and scheduling for you.
Gordon has been to Darwin but I haven’t. I would like to visit one day, and your photos are enticing.
It is quite an interesting place. I would like to go further out next time, perhaps Litchfield National Park.
Hi, Rhonda. Darwin is an interesting looking city. Love that blue sky! The hop-on/hop-off bus seems like a good option. I did that in Porto last year and wasn’t that impressed. However, I think it depends on your driver! Thanks for linking up. #TPThursday
In Darwin the Hop on / Hop off bus had a recorded commentary, so it was always the same, and quite good.
Darwin, Australia looks amazing! I’d love to visit Australia someday and looking at your pictures has me desiring it even more! I love the shot of the sunset and Lorikeet! So colorful! And, of course, the image from Bicentennial Park had me clicking through to read this post instead of the one above it. No one can resist beautiful water shots! 🙂
Darwin is famous for its sunsets, and the shots over the water are wonderful.