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Darwin Journals

The Top End in 5 days

An August 2003 trip to Darwin by beachs

Before the Yellow Water Cruise Photo - Kakadu National Park, Darwin, Australia More Photos
Quote: This was a quick visit to Darwin and Kakadu in the Northern Territory of Australia (and it's HOT up here). See the best of wetlands scenery and aboriginal art site and of course the crocs (sans Steve Erwin).
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The Top End in 5 days Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Quote:
The best things to do in Darwin are go see Mindil Markets, have dinner at the wharf precinct (it's cheap and the view is fantastic), feed the fish at Doctors Gully, visit the Cyclone Tracey exhibit at the Museum and don't miss the highlight: spend a few days at Kakadu National Park.

Quick Tips:

We got a dead cheap flight to Darwin with Virgin Blue around AU. Stay in town because it's too hot and too far to walk to reach the attractions if you don't.

Best Way To Get Around:

Spend the first day walking around town and surrounds to get a feel for this lovely tropical city and then hire a car to go and see the places further out. Taxis are quite expensive.

Aurora Kakadu Best of IgoUgo

Hotel

Quote:
While this was a nice place to stay, the accommodation was pretty average for AU$149. Leftover from the '70s decor! However, the bed was firm, the TV worked, and the air-conditioner was functional but noisy. We booked though quickbeds.com.au and got a discount on dinner and breakfast. The dinner was a choice of either hot or cold buffet and the food was very, very good. With the 50% discount, we paid AU$12.50 for a hot or cold buffet. Unbelievable value and great tiramisu! The other astonishing thing was the friendliness of the staff. On the downside, the hotel is at least 30 minutes from mos...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on August 18, 2003

Aurora Kakadu
Arnhem Highway
Darwin, Australia
(08) 8979-0166

Quality Hotel Frontier Darwin Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Aurora Frontier Hotel Darwin"

Quote:
We stayed in rooms 101 and 601 and the rooms on the top floors are much better. We even got better towels!!! Basically, this is a room with an air-conditioner, a large TV, and a good sized fridge. I couldn't fault the actual accommodation,but it was about a 10 minute walk to town. In the Darwin heat,that could be a problem. We booked though QuickBeds.com.au and got the room for AU$109 (normally $149).

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 18, 2003

Quality Hotel Frontier Darwin
3 Buffalo Court
Darwin, Australia NT 0800
+61 8 8981 5333

The Jetty Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Quote:
This is a brand new restaurant at the Wharf precinct. We had the hot and cold seafood buffet (including prawns, oysters, sushi, BBQ and steaks done to perfection) for AU$22. Imagine yourself dining on the sea (cystal clear, green) with the sun setting as you sip champagne and eat prawns (very cheaply) . . . then the Jetty is for you!! Run, don't walk there, before everyone else finds out about this place.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 19, 2003

The Jetty
Stokes Hill Wharf
Darwin, Australia
8981-8658

Kakadu National Park Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Before the Yellow Water Cruise Photo - Kakadu National Park, Darwin, Australia
Quote:
Kakadu National Park is World Heritage listed located an easy 250 km scenic drive from Darwin. It covers 19,000 sq km and is a habitat for more than 270 species of bird, 1600 different types of plants, and quite spectacular landscapes.

Adventure programmes in Kakadu incorporate the unique landscapes, flora and fauna but also include the aboriginal experience. The Kakadu escarpment contains some of the oldest aboriginal rock art galleries.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 10, 2003

Kakadu National Park
South Alligator, Northern Territory
Darwin, Australia

Aquascene (fish feeding) Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Fish feeding is at high tide each day. You will see huge, fat, diamond-scaled mullets, milkfish, catfish, green-backed mullets, bream, teira batfish, shovel-nosed rays, and blue-spotted fantail rays. Click here for pictures.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 19, 2003

Aquascene (fish feeding)
Doctors Gully
Darwin, Australia

About the Writer

beachs

beachs
Balmoral, Australia

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