Top End Activities

Worth getting out of bed for

Viewpoint

The only way to really see this ruggedly beautiful and largely uninhabited landscape is from the air. Kakadu Air (www.kakaduair.com.au) and North Australian Helicopters (www.northaustralianhelicopters.com.au) offer scenic tours.

Arts and culture

The Top End’s cultural centre is indisputably Darwin. There’s a great collection of Aboriginal art at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (www.magnt.nt.gov.au), where there’s also a powerful exhibition on Cyclone Tracy, which devastated the city on Christmas Eve 1974. The East Point Military Museum (+61 (0)8 8981 9702) provides a sobering reminder of Darwin’s World War II history, when Japanese bombs rained down on the city.

Something for nothing

Take part in the daily fish-feeding frenzy that takes place in Doctor’s Gully at the end of Darwin Esplanade. Hundreds of fish swarm into the cove at high tide to be met by adults and excitable children with armfuls of bread. You’ll have them eating out of your hand – literally. Times are published in the Northern Territory News.

Shopping

The Top End is the best place in Australia to pick up some affordable aboriginal art, either directly from the artist in the markets or from one of the numerous galleries that can be found in and around Darwin city centre. The world’s best South Sea pearls are farmed in the region. Pick some up from Paspaley Pearls (+61 (0)8 8982 5555), on the corner of Bennett Street and the Mall in Darwin. It’s also acceptable to buy a didgeridoo from here – you are in their original home, after all. Just don’t go mad once you get back to the UK and team it with one from Camden Market.

Daytripper

Take a scenic flight to the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park in the adjacent Kimberley region, where you’ll fly over the 45,000 hectares of orange- and black-striped beehive-like mounds that make up the famous Bungle Bungle range.

Best beach

Casuarina Beach, just minutes from Darwin’s city centre, is the best of the glorious white-sand beaches close to the state capital. Prudes beware, though; it does have a ‘clothes optional’ section. Swimming in the sea during the humid tropical summer can be dangerous – keep an eye out for deadly box jellyfish, and take note of any warning signs.

Perfect picnic

If you’re visiting the Top End during the dry season, pick up supplies from Darwin’s Mindil Beach Sunset Market, then head out to either Berry Springs or Annaburroo Billabong, both near the Mary River, for a day of lazy lounging and crocodile-free swimming.

Walks

Litchfield National Park, just 100 kilometres south of Darwin, has spectacular spring-fed waterfalls that cascade down rocky cliffs into crocodile-free swimming holes. There are plenty of clearly marked walking trails that leave from the car parks, including one that takes walkers through a series of unusual rock towers known as the Lost City.

Children

Crocosaurus Cove (www.crocosauruscove.com) in the centre of Darwin houses some of the biggest captive saltwater crocodiles in the world. Brave children will love the Cage of Death, a Perspex box that is lowered into a croc-swarming tank. It may be perfectly safe, but it still provides a serious adrenaline rush.

Activities

The aforementioned Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin is a must if you’re visiting the region during the dry season. Held on Thursday and Sunday evenings, it draws a huge crowd who come for the cosmopolitan cuisine, free entertainment and fabulous sunsets. Sample food from more than 30 nations, and pick up everything from Aboriginal art and crafts to kangaroo-skin belts. Round off your evening at the harbourside Deckchair Cinema (www.deckchaircinema.com), where you can watch stars both on the screen and in the sky.

And...

Warning signs are displayed at the edge of waterways if they are known to be inhabited by crocodiles. You may not see the snap-happy reptiles, but they are sure to be watching you – so NEVER get into water unless you are absolutely sure it’s safe.