Recline in a deckchair to catch a movie, check out the vibrant street art scene and get up really close to the NT’s most famous inhabitants, its crocodiles.
Catch a movie from the comfort of a deckchair
An enjoyable way to go to the movies in the northern capital is at Deckchair Cinema, which takes place seven nights a week during the dry season. Set up at the edge of Darwin Harbour, the pre-film show is as impressive as any blockbuster you will see up on the screen, a Northern Territory sunset of reds, oranges and yellows. Then it’s time to grab some snacks from the kiosk, settle into your deckchair and enjoy the atmosphere.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
Your parents can catch a show of their own at Brown’s Mart, the city’s iconic performance space housed in a heritage building that sits on Larrakia land.
Watch one of Darwin’s famous sunsets.
Get up (really) close to a Crocodile
Your parents might not like the name so much, but Crocosaurus Cove’s Cage of Death is perfectly safe, if not a bit nerve-racking. It involves being lowered into a tank with a five-metre saltwater crocodile for 15 minutes, allowing you to observe these fascinating creatures from up close
The crocodile is fed during the experience so that you can see its natural instincts and impressive bite force first hand.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
You need to be 15 to book into the Cage of Death, and you need an adult with you if you are aged 15–17, so it looks like you are going to have to hold one of your parents’ hands to get them through this experience.
Meet the local Darwin crocodiles.
Watch sweet treats in the making
Visit Darwin Chocolate Factory in Berrimah to watch the chocolatiers at work creating the magic through a big viewing window. Depending on the day you visit, you might see chocolate barks being poured or truffles being created, and once you are finished watching you can get busy eating by stocking up at the factory store.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
Charles Darwin National Park is a little over five minutes’ drive away and has mangroves, bike tracks and Aboriginal and Second World War history to discover.
Wonder at shipping containers like giant Lego
The innocuous steel shipping container has increasingly become the symbol of our modern-day globalisation, transporting everything from coffee to fashion from where it is made to where you want to consume it. The significance of the humble container is explored in Container: the box that changed the world at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) until 25 July. The fun bit is exploring each of the six containers scattered around the museum, all painted as if like giant Lego blocks.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
Point them in the direction of Mindil Beach Casino Resort for lunch and a cooling glass of wine.
Cool your jets
OOSeven offers thrills worthy of a James Bond movie, conducting Darwin’s only guided jet ski tours up and down the city’s stunning coastline. There are six different tours to choose from (cheekily named with 007 references) that include everything from drifting over Second World War relics to relaxing on a deserted sand bar.
You need to be at least 10 to be a passenger on a jet ski, while if you are 16 and up you can take the handles of your own ski during a tour and live out your secret agent dreams.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
Set your folks up at one of the restaurants at Stokes Hill Wharf and wave at them as you pass by.
Explore the city on foot.
Walk the walls of the city
Darwin is earning itself quite the reputation as a street art hotspot, with an increasing number of inner-city walls getting colourful makeovers in the pursuit of art for all. Walk Darwin runs Wander Darwin’s Walls, a 2.5-hour street art tour that takes in Austin Lane, Shadforth Lane, Peel Street, Nuttall Place and West Lane to see the colourful art and murals featured there. You’ll also get a potted history of the street art movement, from its origins in the New York graffiti scene to the democratic art movement that it is today.
Park your parents here while you have fun…
Suggest high tea at Eva’s Cafe, housed in the heritage-listed Wesleyan Church building in the city’s lush Botanic Gardens. They can walk the gardens once the finger sandwiches and sweet treats are finished.
Take a street art tour (Photo: Darwin Street Art Festival).
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