Destination: The Top End, Darwin, NT
Tropical Darwin is a vibrant multicultural city serving as the gateway for Top End tourism.
The Northern Capital
The City of Darwin sprawls across a broad peninsula facing Beagle Gulf, which separates the mainland from Bathurst and Tiwi Islands. With a population of around 148,000, it is the Northern Territory’s most densely populated area and supports the largest concentration of commerce and industry in the Top End.
Darwin International Airport and RAAF Base Darwin lie roughly in the centre of the peninsula, with the central business district to its south, the residential suburbs around the shopping precinct of Casuarina in the north, and the main industrial areas to the east, stretching along the Stuart Highway through Winnellie towards the satellite city of Palmerston.
The CBD occupies a low bluff between Fannie Bay and Frances Bay, overlooking Darwin Harbour. Fannie Bay is edged with beaches and recreational reserves, while wharves, slipways and marinas face Frances Bay and extensive mangrove forests on the other side of Sadgroves Creek.
The southeastern end of the CBD runs into the bustling Waterfront Precinct. This billion-dollar redevelopment of the Stokes Hill wharf area encompasses the multi-purpose Convention and Exhibition Centre, hotels, residential apartments, and public spaces that include barbecue and picnic areas, a recreation lagoon and water park, and open entertainment facilities.
The dynamic climate
Like much of the Top End, Darwin experiences a tropical monsoon climate with distinct wet and dry seasons, and a year-round average temperature of 32 degrees Celsius. The so-called "build-up" to the wet season occurs during October-November when temperature and humidity increase to uncomfortable levels.
The wet season typically spans late-November to March/April, bringing heavy monsoonal downpours and thunderstorms with spectacular displays of lightning. Darwin receives most of its annual rainfall of 1,700mm during this period. The city is within the southern zone for tropical cyclones, which may occur at any time in the wet season, causing gale to hurricane force winds within 200nm of their centre. Australia's worst natural disaster occurred on Christmas Day 1974, when TC Tracy devastated Darwin with winds up to 250 km/h, causing damage in excess of $1 billion and claiming the lives of 71 people.
During the dry season (May to September), Darwin skies are clear, humidity is much lower and sea breezes temper the heat in the city. Average sea temperatures range from 25 to 31 degrees Celsius, and the coolest, driest months of June and July are the most preferred for cruising in these northern waters.
Darwin Harbour
The city lies on the northeastern shore of Darwin Harbour, a large indented bay that opens into the Beagle Gulf. The harbour and its catchment of 3,230sq.km embrace the tributaries and estuarine areas of Cox Peninsula, West Arm, Middle Arm and East Arm. The Blackmore, Elizabeth, Darwin and Howard Rivers drain into the harbour around its southern perimeter. The harbour has semi-diurnal tides that reach a maximum range of 8m, producing strong and complex currents.
The Darwin CBD looks out onto Darwin Harbour
The harbour and it’s estuaries are fringed by extensive tidal mudflats and mangrove forests, backed by savanna woodlands and patches of monsoon rainforest. The harbour estuaries shelter one of the largest and most varied mangrove environments in the Northern Territory, providing important habitats for highly specialised fauna and natural protection for the coastline from storm surge and cyclones.
The waters of Darwin Harbour are one the most pristine marine environments in the Asia-Pacific region, which is unusual given its proximity to a populous city and a working commercial harbour. It supports 415 fish species and a range of marine animals that include dugongs, dolphins, turtles and critically endangered northern river sharks and green sawfish.
North Marine Region
Beyond the Territory’s coastal waters lies Australia’s North Marine Region, 625,689sq.km of tropical seas from the NT/WA border to the western side of Cape York, extending 200nm to the boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Region includes eight Commonwealth marine parks, each protecting physical features that support distinctive and important ecosystems — a wide, relatively shallow continental shelf with two large basins (Bonaparte Basin and Gulf of Carpentaria Basin), submerged coral reefs, carbonate banks and terraces, limestone pinnacles, plateaux and canyons. These formations and the warm waters that flow around them teem with a rich diversity of marine life and are globally significant havens for threatened species, such as the rare snubfin dolphin, dugongs and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle.
Aboriginal heritage
The archaeological record of northern Australia provides evidence of human settlement as early as 60,000 years ago, at a time when sea levels were about 150m lower than at present, and Australia was connected by a land bridge with New Guinea across what is now the Timor Sea.
Descendants of these First Australians, the Larrakia Aboriginal people, occupied the site of present-day Darwin for countless generations before the arrival of European settlers. They called the area Garramilla, meaning "white stone", a reference to the colour of the local rock. Their traditional lands extended from the Cox Peninsula in the west to Gunn Point in the north, Adelaide River to the east and inland for about 70km to the south.
The Larrakia were known as "Saltwater People", with a vibrant culture based on a close relationship with the sea and trade with neighbouring groups such as the Tiwi, Wagait and Wulna, with whom they intermarried and shared ceremonies and song lines. In 1979, the Larrakia presented a native title claim (known as the Kenbi Land Claim) over the land, waters and islands encompassing the Cox Peninsula, which triggered what has been described as “the most complex and hard-fought land claim in the history of the Northern Territory.” The claim was settled in 2016 with a grant of 52,000ha on the peninsula, while retaining public access to the intertidal zone and beaches for recreational fishing and camping.
European exploration and settlement
Dutch navigators Willem Janszoon (1606) and Abel Tasman (1644) explored the region, named many landmarks and made observations of the Indigenous people. They were followed by Matthew Flinders (1802-03) and Phillip Parker King (1818-22), who surveyed and charted the northern coastline and its islands.
Exploring the coast in 1839, Captain John Clements Wickham sailed into a natural harbour aboard HMS Beagle and named it Port Darwin, in honour of naturalist Charles Darwin, who had sailed with him on a previous expedition in that vessel.
The impressive NT Legislative Assembly building
During the mid-19th century, the British made four unsuccessful attempts to settle the Northern Territory coast — Fort Dundas on Melville Island (1824-28), Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay (1827-29), Fort Victoria at Port Essington (1838-39) and Escape Cliffs (1867-69). Finally, in February 1869, George Goyder, the Surveyor-General of South Australia, established a small settlement of 135 men and women near Fort Hill at Port Darwin, naming the settlement Palmerston after the British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston. The town’s name was changed back to Darwin when the Northern Territory was transferred from South Australia to the Commonwealth in 1911.
The Port of Darwin
Darwin Port is owned and operated by the Landbridge Group, a large private company based in Rizhao (China), under a 99-year lease from the Northern Territory Government. Landbridge is responsible for developing and maintaining port infrastructure, providing key commercial maritime services such as pilotage and navigation, and the maintenance of the commercial shipping channels in the port waters.
Pre-dawn light over Darwin City
The port operations are conducted at three locations around Darwin Harbour. East Arm Wharf is a multi-user facility with 4 berths for handling general cargo, containers, motor vehicles, livestock, bulk ore and a bulk fuel transfer facility. The Marine Supply Base is a facility for loading and unloading support vessels (rig tenders) with supplies and equipment required by offshore oil and gas platforms. Located close to the CBD, the Fort Hill Wharf services naval vessels, cruise ships and small non-cargo carrying vessels, and includes a passenger terminal.
Darwin is the only major port in the Top End and is strategically positioned as the ‘northern gateway’ to Australia’s trading partners in Asia. In 2020/21, the port handled more than 2 million tonnes of trade goods (imports and exports), with an estimated combined value of $13.4 billion. It is a hub for industries pivotal to the Territory economy and a service centre for mining, defence and energy sectors of national significance.
Marinas
Darwin has four marinas, all accessed via locks due to the extreme tidal range, with different access rules supervised by lockmasters. The locks have different dimensions and you’ll need to select a marina with a lock that suits your vessel. All the marinas have procedures and paperwork to be completed in advance of arrival, and berths must be prearranged to gain entry. Obtaining a casual berth at any of them may be difficult, especially during the dry season and in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race and the Sail Indonesia Rally (late-July/early-August). It’s advisable to book well in advance at any time of year.
Cullen Bay Marina is located in the suburb of Larrakeyah at the southern end of Fannie Bay. It has the only all-tide lock in Darwin and a fuel jetty outside the lock that is generally busy with commercial craft before 0900. The lock entrance is partially protected by rock breakwaters and is accessible through a marked channel on all tides by yachts with a 2m draft. The lock is 9.5m wide and multihulls over 8.5 metres beam should check with the lockmaster to ensure they will fit. The marina has limited rental berths for visiting vessels, and berths over 15 metres are almost unobtainable during the cruising season. No long term liveaboards are allowed but crew from visiting vessels can stay on board for up to 4 weeks. The marina is part of a quality residential development, with an array of small shops and good eateries, and is the unofficial home of the Kimberley Coast Cruising Yacht Club.
Cullen Bay Marina
The Tipperary Waters Marina is located within a residential development on the west bank of Sadgroves Creek, next to the Dinah Beach boat ramp. The 6m-wide lock is accessible by yachts with 2m draft through an unmarked entrance channel on a tide greater than 4m. The marina complex contains a small convenience/liquor store, cafe and fast-food shop, with two chandlers nearby.
Bayview Marina is the centrepiece of a modern residential development, about 1nm up Sadgroves Creek. The passage up the creek to the lock is not well marked and has many permanent moorings in the deeper parts of the channel. The lock entrance is through a marked channel and it can only be approached on tides greater than 4m. The lock is restricted to vessels of up to 26m length, 7.25m beam and 2.5m draft. The marina has 128 berths, ranging in size from 9m to 21m for both single and multi-hull vessels, available on short term (minimum 3 days) and long term (minimum 2 months) rentals. There are no shops or eateries at Bayview and it’s a 40-minute walk to the CBD.
A roomy anchorage in Frances Bay opposite Stokes Hill Wharf
The Frances Bay Mooring Basin (aka “The Duck Pond”) is managed by the Darwin Port Authority primarily as a sheltered harbour for large pearling, prawn and fishing vessels based in Darwin. The Basin lock at the mouth of Sadgroves Creek is approached through a narrow-dredged channel requiring at least 3.2m of tide for access. The basin offers 85 berths for vessels up to 30m long. If the harbour is busy, it will not take smaller cruising vessels unless they are too big for the other marinas’ locks, and then only for short periods. Large cruising yachts and wide beam catamarans are accepted when space permits, generally when the prawn trawlers are at sea. A fuel jetty is located at nearby Fishermans Wharf.
Anchorages
Given the difficulty obtaining a casual berth at the Darwin marinas, cruising boats may prefer an anchorage and there are two possibilities close to the city. The most popular is in Fannie Bay, off the Darwin Sailing Club, but spring tides make it necessary to drag the dinghy a long way before it can be left above the high-water mark. The other alternative is in Frances Bay, opposite Stokes Hill Wharf, which is open to southeast winds and affected by the wake of passing fishing boats moving to and from the Duck Pond. It’s popular with long term liveaboards because of its relatively easy dingy landing and close proximity to the Darwin CBD. It’s also a convenient spot to wait for the tide to enter the Duck Pond and marinas further up Sadgroves Creek.
Stokes Hill Wharf with Fort Hill Wharf in the background
Other anchorages around the perimeter of Darwin Harbour include Woods Inlet and Mica Beach (2nm south of the Mandorah jetty), West Arm, Channel Island (in the Middle Arm) and Elizabeth River (upstream from East Arm).
Sailing Clubs and Yacht Racing
Yacht racing on Darwin Harbour was a rare occurrence until the newly formed Darwin Sailing Club hosted its first regatta in April 1963. Based in Fannie Bay, the club was temporarily accommodated in makeshift quarters thatched with coconut palm fronds before a new clubhouse was occupied in 1966, with an extension opened by Prime Minister John Gorton two years later. These premises were badly damaged by Cyclone Tracy, but were rebuilt with the assistance of donations from sailing clubs around Australia. The club’s racing program resumed in April 1975 and continues across many classes, with a Dry Season Series (May-October) that includes blue-water offshore and inshore harbour events.
The superyacht ‘Octopus’ is an occasional visitor to these northern waters
The ranks of the Darwin sailing community were bolstered in 1982 with the establishment of the Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Association (DBCYA) on the banks of Sadgroves Creek. Priding itself on being “a rare and rustic old-Darwin style venue” with open-air facilities, the DBCYA runs a Wet Season Series (November-April) in Darwin Harbour that attracts an increasing number of yachts in five divisions.
The Association also coordinates the annual Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race and, as of 2019, the Tiwi Island Yacht Race. The Ambon event is a 630nm international sailing classic from Darwin to Ambon Island (Indonesia). Open to all types of sailing boats, the race record of 52 hours 29 minutes was set in 2016 by Antipodes from Hong Kong, while the more relaxed competitors may take up to six days. The next race is planned for August 2022.
Also based in Darwin, the Cruising Yacht Association NT was formed as an umbrella organisation in 1969 to organise and promote cruising and racing activities in northern Australian and South East Asian waters. Under its auspices, Darwin yachts and sailors regularly participate in premiere Asian sailing events such as the Phuket King's Cup Regatta in Thailand and the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta in Malaysia.
Contacts:
Darwin Boating, Fishing and Marine (Website)