When is the best time to fly to Darwin?
Peak Season:
The dry season - April/May through September/October - is when most traveller’s take flights to Darwin. Travellers and locals can enjoy one of the most popular racing events in the Australian horse racing calendar, The Darwin Cup. The Northern Territory sees over 20,000 attendees gather each year to experience, not only eight fun-filled days of high quality racing, but also to enjoy top end hospitality, activities and entertainment. The middle of the dry season is particularly busy. This is when schools are out and families holiday in the region. Expect large crowds during the last two and a half weeks of August, as the city sees more than 100,000 people travel to Darwin to get involved in the Darwin Festival. The festival was introduced to celebrate the state’s unique identity through an array of vibrant arts and cultural events that are performed outdoors in the Botanical Gardens. Residents and guests can enjoy an 18-day programme of theatre, music, dances, visual arts, workshops, film and comedy.
Off Season:
January, February and March are, in general, the off-peak season. This is the wettest time of the year and there's also a good chance of cyclones and floods. However, many consider this the best time to visit and have the advantage of benefiting from cheap flights to Darwin. With the rains, the earth bursts into life. Flowers and plants bloom, animals mate and rivers fill up and run off onto teeming waterfalls.
Darwin overview
Darwin is a fast-growing city that is full of history, which gives it a unique cultural heritage. Today, more than 50 nationalities share an easy-going lifestyle in this cosmopolitan city.
Darwin might just be the ultimate budget-break destination. There is so much about Darwin that's not about spending money. Travel to Darwin during the wet season and nature puts on its own show. Watching the sky turn indigo as storms roll in over the harbour, basking under the flaming gold skies at sunset, oohing at the spectacular lightning shows or listening to the sound frogs croaking late into the night - all are wonderful and free.
It's also an excellent base to explore the nearby World Heritage listed lands - Kakadu National Park, Litchfield and Nitmiluk National Parks, the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land.