Darwin

Set on the tropical tip of Australia’s far-flung Northern Territory, Darwin has just a shade of the boisterous surfer towns of the South. Rather, there’s a laid-back Bali-esque energy flowing through the city’s palm-dotted downtown streets and waterfront avenues. Under its seriously sultry sun, multicultural marketplaces on Mindil Beach tout stir-fried Vietnamese noodles next to hotdogs and rows of Darwin Stubbies (oversized bottles of Northern Territory brew), while Malaysian crafts and Aboriginal trinketry are available aplenty at the Saturday bazaars of Parap Village. There is also an enthralling smattering of historical sites to unravel here, between the World War II memorials of the much-buffeted (by both bombs and tropical storms) Darwin Wharf Precinct and the exhibitions of the Aviation Heritage Centre. What’s more, there are a host of Darwin tour guides at hand to help travellers explore some of Northern Australia’s most-visited natural attractions, from the wild waterfalls and deep-green forests of the Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks, to the shimmering beaches and enthralling cultural homestays of the Tiwi Islands out in the Timor Sea.