Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 8 . THE TOP END
to visit it—or at least not for long. And that’s a real shame, because it is an attractive
and interesting place. Give yourself a day or two to wander the pleasant
streets and parklands, visit the wildlife attractions, and discover some of the city’s
rich history. The wetland’s fishing is excellent by boat or helicopter, as is the shopping
for Aboriginal art and the Top End’s South Sea pearls. An easy day trip away
is the beautiful Litchfield National Park, one of the Territory’s best-kept secrets.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Plane Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.
qantas.com.au) serves Darwin daily from most state capitals; flights either are
direct or connect in Alice Springs. Qantas also flies direct from Cairns. Virgin
Blue (& 13 67 89 in Australia) flies direct to Darwin from Sydney and Brisbane,
with connections from Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, and
Perth. Airnorth (& 1800/627 474 in Australia, or 08/8920 4001) flies from
Alice Springs via Tennant Creek and Katherine, as well as from Broome in Western
Australia and Cairns in Queensland. There are also direct flights to Darwin
from Asia.
Darwin Airport Shuttle Services (& 1800/358 945 in the Northern Territory,
or 08/8981 5066) meets every flight and delivers to any hotel between the
airport and city for A$7.50 (US$4.90) one-way or A$13 (US$8.45) round-trip.
Children 6 to 13 pay A$4.50 (US$2.90), or A$8 (US$5.20) round-trip. Bookings
aren’t essential. A cab to the city is around A$25 (US$16). Avis, Budget,
Hertz, and Thrifty have airport desks (see “Getting Around” below, for telephone
numbers).
By Bus Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia) and McCafferty’s
(& 13 14 99 in Australia) both make a daily coach run from Alice Springs. The
trip takes around 20 hours, and the fare is A$194 (US$126). Greyhound also
has daily service from Broome via Kununurra and Katherine; this trip takes
around 24 hours and costs A$226 (US$147). Both companies run from Cairns
via Townsville and Tennant Creek, a 40-hour trip costing A$265 (US$172).
By Train From early 2004, the opening of the long-awaited Alice Springs-
Darwin railway line will give the Top End its first rail link. Great Southern Railway’s
The Ghan (& 13 21 47 in Australia; www.trainways.com.au) will run one
weekly return journey between the two cities, leaving Alice Springs on Mondays
at 4pm and arriving in Darwin about 24 hours later. The return trip leaves Darwin
on Wednesdays at 10am. The adult one-way fare is A$440 (US$286) for a
“daylighter” seat, and A$1,390 (US$904) or A$1,740 (US$1,131) for sleepers.
By Car Darwin is at the end of the Stuart Highway. Allow at least 2 very long
days, 3 to be comfortable, to drive from Alice Springs (see “Getting There” in
section 2 of chapter 7). The nearest road route from the east is the Barkly Highway,
which connects with the Stuart Highway at Tennant Creek, 922km (576
miles) south. The nearest road from the west is the Victoria Highway, which
joins the Stuart Highway at Katherine, 314km (196 miles) to the south.
VISITOR INFORMATION Tourism Top End, Knuckey Street at Mitchell
Street, Darwin, NT 0800 (& 08/8936 2488; www.tourismtopend.com.au), is
the place to go for maps, bookings, national park notes, and information on
Darwin and other regions throughout the Northern Territory, including Arnhemland,
Katherine, and Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. It’s open Monday
through Friday from 8:30am to 5:45pm, Saturday from 9am to 2:45pm,
and Sunday and public holidays from 10am to 1:45pm.