There are some awesome places in Darwin to photograph our landscape and wildlife – unfortunately quite a lot of time is required to check them all out and be able to do our varied and vast landscape justice!
I have a few favourite local spots I visit regularly – some further away from Darwin’s city than others. Darwin receives a lot of tourists and visitors every dry season, so I thought I would write about a few of my favourites in an attempt to help out future visitors with planning things to do in the area.
I am a photographer, so most of where I would recommend are great for photography. Darwin is rich with a lot of other things – a varied food culture and history: a significance in World War II which surprised me and a fabulous array of indigenous culture.
In Darwin suburbs:
Anyone who is half interested in landscape photography will understand that sunrise and sunset are the best times for photographing the scene.
- Darwin is mostly best for sunset photography – there are not too many places where you can see the sunrise. One of my favourite places for sunrise is Buffalo Creek (near Lee Point). This is around a fifteen minute drive from the CBD and although there is not a whole mass of interesting landscape here, the creek is interesting and attracts an array of bird life. Watch out for crocodiles here, and check the tides…. Anything above a 6.5 metre high tide will leave you with a very limited area of sand to walk on.
Storm approaching Lee Point
For sunset, you can’t beat the variation and colour along Nightcliff Foreshore.
The cliffs are a fabulous shade of red, the rocks are flecked with orange, yellow and purple. There are mangroves, open expanses of beach, rock pools, pandanus and of course the ol’ favourite Nightcliff Jetty!
There are barbeques and on weekends food/drink outlets so you can watch the sun go down with family. From a photography perspective, there are so many nooks and crannies to explore.
Another awesome and varied location is East Point Reserve. Fabulous mangroves, perfect vantage point to the city as well as a perfect viewing platform for storms passing through the harbour (Oct-May).
Litchfield National Park (1-2 day trip) and Kakadu National Park (2-infinite number of days trip) are must see trips from outside of Darwin, but there are some fabulous lesser known hideaways along the way.
Fogg Dam is a beautiful location for bird photography
And when the skies deliver, is a great place to soak in the sunset!
Corroboree Billabong is a beautiful wetland habitat – abundant bird life and crocodiles amongst tranquil waters.
Corroboree Billabong
I could go on… Darwin is filled with perfect landscape photographic opportunity! If you have any great locations or photography things to do in Darwin, let me know by leaving a comment below!
Darwin Photo Tours
As some of you are now aware, I am conducting local photo tours in the area – taking groups of photographers (beginners – intermediate), out around my favourite locations. I’ll be sharing my knowledge, techniques and ideas. I know what level the tides need to be at for the best locations, and I can show you where they are!
If you are interested in joining me in Darwin, check out my upcoming photography itineraries here – Darwin Photo Tours. Private tours (1 – 3 people) are also available – Contact me for ideas, dates and pricing.