Darwin
Darwin is a modern city with an estimated population of 98,000. Devastated by
Cyclone Tracy at 3am on Christmas Day in 1974, it has now been rebuilt into a
modern, multi-cultural city. There are some 70 different racial and cultural
backgrounds.
It has an easy-going atmosphere and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Because of its
isolation from the other states it has developed a unique lifestyle. It has both
an old style Australian and distinctly Asian feel and the genuine multicultural
mix is reflected in the food available at a variety of restaurants and open-air
markets. There is an abundance of parks and recreational facilities. There are
several Olympic sized swimming pools, five golf courses, several football ovals
and a huge indoor sports stadium. It has two major cinema centres and performing
arts centre which regularly hosts performances by international artists. The
city's business district is like any other similar sized city but with a
tropical atmosphere.
Darwin is in the north-western corner of the Northern Territory, in an area
known as the Top End. It is a classical tropical sea port situated on Fannie
Bay, located between Beagle Gulf and Port Darwin.
Port Darwin was discovered by Lieutenant John Lort Stokes, and named by Capt J C
Wickham, in 1839 when the HMS Beagle passed the harbour area. It was named after
Charles Darwin who had once sailed in the HMS Beagle. In 1869 it was renamed
Palmerston but in 1911 its name reverted to Darwin when the Federal Government
took control of the Territory. By 1869 the Surveyor-General had surveyed the
town and had drawn up plans. The town would have been short-lived had it not
been for the construction of the Overland Telegraph, the first pole being placed
at the northern end in 1870. The present Government House was rebuilt in the
1880s and is known as the House of Seven Gables, surrounded by a white fence and
tropical gardens.
Darwin's prosperity is due largely to tourism and mining. In the 1890s gold was
discovered at Pine Creek and a pearling industry was developed in the seas to
the north.
The Top End has two distinct seasons:
Tropical winter, "The Dry" (May to September), consistently mild, clear blue
skies, with low humidity, very little or no rain.
Tropical summer, "The Wet" (October to April). During this season there can be
late afternoon thunderstorms, high humidity and heavy downpours. The coast is
also subject to tropical cyclones (hurricanes or typhoons).
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