Grandpa's Guide to Renting a Car in Darwin

Your Grandpa is back in his typewriter and is now going to write about Darwin, another nice place to be in Australia.

Darwin, situated on the Timor Sea, is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Darwin has a population of approximately 124, 800, making it the largest and most populated city in the Northern Territory yet the least populous of all Australia’s capital cities. The region has a tropical climate with a wet and a dry season.

Having grown from a pioneer outpost and a small port into one of Australia’s most modern and multicultural cities, its proximity to Asia makes it an important Australian gateway to countries such as Indonesia and East Timor.

But don’t be fooled. It doesn’t mean that if a city has a small population, it is less interesting. Think again. Take it from the old man; big things are wrapped in small packages.

Arm yourself with a set of wheels and get ready for a drive that will take your breath away ― not with speed but with the beautiful places that you’re going to see in Darwin.

Let’s start with the car because you can’t drive a car if you don’t have one. *chuckling*

Go to vroomvroomvroom.com.au, and find the car that will surely fit your style and your budget for a road trip adventure in nowhere else but Darwin.

I have here some of places where you will surely enjoy not just driving but also the view.

1. The Berry Springs Nature Park.

Turn west off the Stuart Highway about 47 km south of Darwin.

Our destination is about 10 km along Cox Peninsula Road.

The first stop: Berry Springs Nature Park.

During World War II, Berry Springs was part of a camp set up by the armed forces for the 100,000 personnel based in the area. And you can still see the remains of the huts and weirs that were built there.

Berry Springs Nature Park protects a large part of the Berry Creek catchment. Berry Creek starts from a number of springs, forms a small creek then reaches Darwin Harbour through a mangrove lined estuary. The park is an ideal area for recreational activities and is also a nice swimming spot. If you swim with goggles, you can see many small native fishes. If you’re not into swimming, then you can enjoy food in shady picnic areas.

2. The Butterfly Gorge Nature Park

The Park is near Tjuwaliyn Hot Springs Park which is approximately 130 km from Katherine and 200 km from Darwin along the old Stuart Highway scenic route. The final 17 km into the Park is a four-wheel drive track and caravans cannot be taken into this Park.

The beautiful Butterfly Gorge provides shelter for thousands of Crow Butterflies. There are also rock pools, which are shaded by paperbarks thus making the area alluring for a refreshing swim.

This quiet gorge is located at the base of a low sandstone plateau and the rock faces offer beautiful shaded walks and stunning vista.

Butterfly Gorge Nature Park is usually open from May to October each year.

3. The Casuarina Coastal Reserve

If you’re looking for white sandy beach, mangroves, historic heritage and wildlife, then the Casuarina Coastal Reserve should be included in your stop over.

The Reserve is located in Darwin's northern suburbs and can be entered via the Rapid Creek, Trower Road (Brinkin), Lee Point or Buffalo Creek Roads.

The beaches are surrounded by Casuarina trees and beautiful sandstone cliffs. Behind the beaches and dunes are the mangroves, monsoon vine thickets and paperbark forests.

Offshore is Old Man Rock or the Dariba Nunggalinya which is registered as an Aboriginal sacred site. Fishing in the area is permitted but disturbing the rock in any way or the removal of shellfish at the site is strictly prohibited. You can also see World War II artillery observation posts that provide reminders of the area’s wartime involvement.

The area is also a popular picnic spot because of plenty shades. There are also cycle paths throughout the reserve and along the main roads. Animals such as ospreys, brahimny kites, red-tailed black-cockatoos, cormorants and gulls can be seen along the dunes or soaring in the skies. And during low tide, a variety of marine lives in the rock pools are visible.

During the tropical summer, from October to April, swimming is not allowed due to box jellyfish being common at this time of the year. But here’s an interesting detail: there is a stretch of beach, north of the Dripstone picnic area, where nudity is permitted within the signpost boundaries.

Well, I’m getting sleepy and I have to wake up early tomorrow for my morning exercise.

I hope you’ll enjoy your road trip in Darwin. Because I’m really proud to say that I’ve enjoyed my trip there.

-Gramps Ben