Circumnavigating Australia — Walking around Darwin

Welcome to Darwin — South entrance to “The Mall” on Smith Street

As with other articles in this series on Australia and New Zealand, the photos you’ll see this week were taken during two visits — March 2019 and February of this year. Today we’re going to walk around the streets of Darwin situated on the Timor Sea in the Northern Territory of Australia. It’s a small hike into Darwin from the cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf. Along the pedestrian walkway you’ll head northeast as you pass south of Stokes Hill Wharf :

Stokes Hill Wharf

This is actually a fun walk, because you’ll soon arrive at a foot bridge that takes you west, past the Big Buoy Water Park to a row of shops, restaurants, and cafés that make up the ground floor of a large waterfront apartment complex. Cut across the green space and you get to another storefront-laden apartment complex that contains a public elevator. Take the elevator here, or the stairs if you’re so inclined, because we have to get up to street level for the town center.

Looking back toward the Darwin Waterfront Precinct

From up here you’ll find a few things of interest:

Darwin Waterfront Precinct

Continue northwest along the pedestrian sky bridge, head up some more steps, and you arrive at Smith Street, which takes you straight into Darwin’s main shopping district. Heading toward the pedestrian shopping area (“The Mall”) you’ll pass several sights. This is the Christ Church Cathedral:

Christ Church Cathedral

Just before the cathedral, on the opposite side of the street near the Darwin Supreme Court building, is a bronze statue of a Tawny Frogmouth Owl by artist Koolpinyah Barnes:

Tawny Frogmouth Owl by Koolpinyah Barnes

Nearby are the Palmerston Town Hall:

Palmerston Town Hall ruins

The Palmerstown Town Hall was completed in 1883, destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, and the ruins were stabilized and the area turned into a public space and performing arts venue in 1980.

Palmerston Town Hall ruins

Some other historic original stone-walled buildings from Darwin’s early days:

KPMG Office Building

And the oldest building remaining in Darwin city center is the Brown’s Mart building (1885):

Brown’s Mart Theatre