Travelling to Darwin

A flight from Melbourne to Darwin takes around four hours.

There are a number of airlines that run services here, but we recommend hunting down deals on Jetstar or Qantas.

Jetstar’s Friday Fare Frenzy is a good time to scout for potentially cheap fares.

If you plan to take a red-eye flight (overnight), factor in some quiet recovery time.  While red-eye flights are likely to save you $50, you end up coming out the other end feeling pretty ordinary.

Virgin do a good flight from Darwin to Melbourne, leaving Darwin at 6:05pm and arriving in Melbourne’s Tullamarine 10:45pm.
Their flights to Darwin stop-over in various parts of the country, which is good or bad depending on whether you like airport terminals.

Getting Out and About – Hiring Camping Equipment

While you’re in Darwin you might fancy the odd bit of camping or driving about to see the sites.

If 4WD’s are your thing – get in touch with 4WD Rentals. They do deals on vehicle and camping hire.

Also check out Budget Rent-a-Car if you need a 2WD and aren’t planning to go off road.
They’re reasonably priced and don’t charge for extra km’s.  Given it’s a busy period (tourist time in Darwin is from May – October) we’d recommend booking early.

Darwin Camping Hire also has tents, saucepans and the other bits and pieces you’ll need for an outdoor adventure.

Around Town

At the risk of sounding like a person feverish with Darwin love – I must confess, there is lots to do around this stinking hot town.

The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory rocks pretty hard.  The cafe there Cornicopia is open for breakfast and lunch, and outside of caffeine, the Museum itself boasts an incredible history of Darwin with an impressive historic Indigenous art collection.
Their exhibitions are usually pretty good also.

Get your freak on – The Darwin Festival is back for another year, running from August 9th – August 26th.
The full-line up will be announced on June 28th.
Outside of the shows, it’s a lovely place to have a meal and soak up the festy vibes.

Darwin’s premier outdoor cinema (and the only outdoor cinema) The Deckchair screens a collection of mainstream and arthouse films throughout the Dry season.

There are also a number of markets around town – the most high-profile probably being the Mindil Beach Market.
It’s a great place to watch the sunset and browse the various craft, food and art stalls. Mindil Beach market is open Thursday and Sundays from 5pm.

What to Bring

Darwin is a fully-functioning little city, with all the mod-cons, air-cons and other cons going.

Having said that, there are a few items one should pack when voyaging into the tropics:

* A sense of adventure
* Bathers
* Mosquito repellent
* A towel

The weather can get a touch cool of an evening, so bring something warm. As the wedding is inland about 100 km’s it’s liable to get to as low as 15 degrees. Utterly icy for Top Enders and mild for the southerners.

Oh, and leave the high heels at home.  The wedding venue grounds don’t mix with spiky heels.

Let us Know…

Get in touch to let us know;

* If you’re coming to the wedding
* What your accommodation preferences are i.e. camping or room in one of the three Mt. Bundy cottages (it’s not the Ritz, but it’s comfortable)
* Whether you plan on taking the provided bus or you’ve got your own wheels
* Whether you’re bringing the kids
* What time your flight (if applicable is leaving Darwin).  That way we can work on getting you to the airport on time…

Anne-Marie (super-organised efficient-queen) can be contacted on annemariemiddlemast@gmail.com, and Ewin (grooms-man adventure-bound creative) is at naturalhistoryproductions.com

We hope to see you here, but understand if you’re unable to make it.  It really is a long way to the Top if you want to rock and roll.

Love us. xx

Adventures for Little People

Darwin is a very child-friendly town.

There’s stacks of free activities (most of them involve water-play) available for little people, and coupled with promising adventures in National Parks, if the tike is not bursting at the seams post-Darwin visit – there is something clearly very wrong.

We love Leanyer Water Park. It’s free and has 3 waterslides, plus a waterplay area that was dreamt up by Willy Wonka himself.

The Wave Lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront is also pretty cool.  It’s a croc and stinger free wave and swimming lagoon, free and suitable for the whole family.

There are also stacks of shady Public Swimming Pools that are fun, cheap and a good place to spread out a picnic rug and have a splash.

You’re starting to get the picture that it’s warm here right?

You could also visit the Territory Wildlife Park, a wildlife wonderland with a little bus that shuttles punters around from Nocturnal exhibit displays, through to Birds of Prey feeding sessions and the like. It’s an hour’s drive from Darwin.

If you want to get up close and personal to a crocodile, and still have a limb or three in tact, head to Crocosaurus Cove, in the heart of the city.  The space brings together a collection of enormous crocodiles, lazing about in giant aquariums.  While you’re there have a look at the replica display of crocs from around the world – Ewin made them!!

The Wedding

The Wedding:

The wedding will be held on Saturday 25th August, in a lovely place Mt. Bundy Station.

An hour and a half from Darwin, this historic Northern Territory cattle station which now breed buffalo, termites and various other wildlife (including tourists), is a peaceful, pretty spot.

Simple and comfortable accommodation is available on-site, with a number of rooms in self-contained cottages.

There is also camping available (which suits campervans or tents) for those who love to sleep under the stars.  We will provide tents and sleeping gear, just let us know your accommodation preference in advance.

The wedding ceremony will be held just before sunset, and from there a hearty meal and festivities will follow.

Post-Party:

Following the Saturday evening celebrations, Sunday morning is all about recovery.
A breakfast of Bacon and Eggs will be available between 8am – 10am.

The bus will depart Mt. Bundy Station with an estimated exit time of  11am.

Options for Getting There:

A bus will be available to transport guests to and from the venue.

On Saturday, the bus will make pick-ups from various accommodation points in Darwin around 1pm, and then make the trip to Mt. Bundy Station.

Anticipated arrival at Mt. Bundy Station is for 3:00pm, with enough time for a quick shower, swim, and a change of clothes.

The ceremony starts at 5pm.