Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia, and its northernmost city in the country. We spend three weeks in the beautiful area of Darwin and its surroundings.
Getting to Darwin can be done by plane, or when you’re willing to drive for a few days (like we did) you can get here by car as well.
Darwin is surrounded by beautiful nature and some of the most amazing national parks like the stunning Kakadu National Park and Lichfield National park.
Darwin is a city with a unique history in Australia since it was largely destroyed during the second world war. On February 19, 1942, the city was attacked by about 150 Japanese fighter planes, which makes it a larger attack than the better known Pearl Harbor attack. So, if you like history Darwin has a few interesting spots to visit.
However, when you visit Darwin with kids these historical points are probably not the most fun for them.
Read our suggestions when you visit Darwin with kids. There’s plenty to explore!
Darwin Waterfront Precinct
This artificial beach is free to visit and one of the best spots to cool off during hot days.
There’s a playground, many great cafes and restaurants, and if the kids want more you can visit the Wave Lagoon (swimming pool) or go play to the Aqua Park with its inflatable obstacle course. Both for a small fee.
The precinct has life guards, which makes it feel very safe.
Extra tip: We had an excellent lunch a Snapper Rocks - read our Google review here
Parap Village Markets
We loved this Saturday market with all its food stands, local products and amazing coffee. Parap Market is one of the few day-markets in Darwin, which makes it great for kids.
The market is a big feast for the senses, and you can get especially great asian food. We went for Mary's Laksa, pancakes, sushi and shave ice..
Parap Markets runs every Saturday (in dry-season) from 8am-2pm.
» Visit Parap Village Markets website
De la Plage
This beach café is wonderful if you want to get out of the city.
With its sandy beach and picnic-like set-up, there’s plenty of room for kids to play and go on adventure. The food is also very tasty, but might take a while on busy days. Not a problem since you then have to spend more time in this relaxed ambience.
» Visit De La Plage website
Crocosaurus Cove
Crocosaurus Cove, located in the heart of Darwin city, provides a unique, up close view of the Saltwater Crocodiles. It has feeding shows and a spectacular diving cage, so you can ‘swim’ with real crocs (min. age is 15).
- Attractions for kids near Darwin -
Territory Wildlife Park
A great park to visit and see Australian animals up close in its original habitat. Walk through the nocturnal house, into a monsoon forest, or under the aquarium inhabited by saltwater crocodiles. If you’re lucky you can hold a mighty snake too. - 45 minutes from Darwin by car
Jumping Crocodile cruises
Go on a 1-hour cruise over the Adelaide River to find the huge saltwater crocodiles in the wild. You will certainly see a few of this magnificent animals and the captain will feed them and have them jumping from the water (not in the boat luckily) 😁 - 50 minutes from Darwin by car.
What we did in Darwin with our kids - itinerary
The first full day after arriving in Darwin we were looking for a nice spot to chill and relax a bit. We've driven many kilometers to get to Darwin so we needed some quiet time. So, on day one we went to De la Plage, which was perfect.
Our third day in Darwin was a Saturday, so we went to Parap Village Markets. It was a warm day, and therefore we enjoyed the shaved ice and lemonade stand the most. But the laksa of Mary's Laksa and the pancakes were really nice as well.
The fourth day was a Sunday which we spend pretty much completely on the Waterfront Precinct. A superb spot for the kids to play in the water and the playground. We had lunch at Snapper Rocks and they lent you balls to play with for the kids. Great!
On day 7 we went on a day trip to the Jumping Crocodile Cruises on Adelaide River, and from day 8 we went to visit Kakadu National Park for a few days, and continued to Litchfield National Park after that.