Darwin
Darwin, the Northern Territory’s multicultural capital city, has a laid-back tropical vibe with weather to match.
Named after the famed biologist Charles Darwin, this is a city with plenty of history and a great coastal location that has gained it a reputation as Australia’s ‘gateway to Asia’.
key facts
- Location: The northern coast of the Northern Territory, separated by Beagle Gulf from the Tiwi islands
- Population: 140,000
- Size: 112 km2
weather
Darwin has two seasons, ‘wet’ and ‘dry’. The wet season runs from November–April and has a high humidity and storms while the dry season (May–October) has sunny days and cool nights.
- Summer average: 29°C
- Winter average: 25°C
- Average rainfall: 1,700 mm
working in darwin
Public administration and safety is Darwin’s biggest employing sector, generating over 10,000 jobs in the 2013/14 financial year.
Health care and social assistance is the city’s second largest employer, followed by construction, education and training and retail.
Darwin’s economy is currently very service-orientated to accommodate for the needs of its swiftly-growing population. As a result, there’s been significant growth in the construction sector and there’s now a high demand for workers in that area.
studying in darwin
The Northern Territory has a strong educational culture, with more students enrolled in higher education per capita than anywhere else in Australia.
Charles Darwin University is Darwin’s most well-known institution, offering a wide range of courses and regional study centres throughout the territory.
The Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education is a unique institution that currently enrols more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students than anywhere else in the country. It has a campus in Darwin, as well as study rooms and annexes throughout the territory.
housing and property
From January 2016, Darwin’s housing sits in the middle of Australian housing prices, with houses costing approximately AUD $520,000 and rent averaging $510 per week.
transport
Darwin’s public transport is a bus network that’s operated by a range of contracted companies including Buslink and Territory Transit.
Taxis are also available in Darwin and travelling by car is a popular option.
Drivers from interstate or overseas can drive on an international or state licence but are required to apply for a Northern Territory licence within three months of living there.
The AustralAsia railway has a popular service from Darwin to Adelaide that offers a unique journey through the Australian outback. The service also has links to the east and west coasts.
the northern territory
The Northern Territory, often fondly referred to as Australia’s ‘Top End’, has its own unique flavour in its culture, environment and history.
Known for the arid outback landscape in its central regions, particularly Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the huge sandstone formation that is a popular draw for visitors and a natural phenomenon of cultural significance for locals.
Along its northern coast the NT has monsoonal weather and plenty of beautiful scenery.
