We visited Darwin as part of our epic Adelaide to Darwin road trip that focused primarily on finding unique Australian animals in the country’s vast Northern Territory. You can find wildlife in most cities, and to see wildlife in Darwin, we didn’t have to go far.
Darwin Botanic Gardens
We started our exploration of the Northern Territory’s capital at Darwin Botanic Gardens. We went to the gardens primarily in hopes of spotting resident Rufous Owls that have been nesting near the Rainforest area for a number of years. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the owls haven’t been seen in the gardens for months (though they have since re-appeared).
What we did find, however, was a little stream with tall grass growing on its banks. This was a perfect habitat for seed-eating finches. We’ve already seen a number of new species of finches on our trip, but there were still more to discover. This particular spot was great for Crimson and Double-barred finches. The birds were gorging themselves on the grass seeds and washing them down with the water from the stream.
Apart from the finches, I was happy to see a Blue-winged kookaburra – one of my bucket list species for this trip. While the Laughing kookaburras are common around Sydney and the rest of eastern Australia, the Blue-winged kookaburra is restricted to the north of the continent.
The Botanical Gardens, not surprisingly, is a very productive bird-watching spot. We’ve spotted a few species of parrots, including Sulpher-crested cockatoos, Little corellas and Red-collared lorikeets. The park is also home to the Red-tailed black cockatoos, though we haven’t seen any. Mammals are trickier to find. If you are lucky, you can find Agile wallabies, brushtail possums and black flying foxes.
Birds at Lee Point
On our second day in Darwin, we drove out to Lee Point to see sea birds and waders. Australia’s Top End beaches are off-limits for swimming. And for a good reason. If a Saltwater crocodile doesn’t get you, a Box jellyfish probably will. As a result, in contrast to the rest of the Australian coastline, Northern Territory beaches are often virtually empty. And what happens if you take people away from the beach? Wildlife comes back.
The beaches of Casuarina Coastal Reserve at Darwin’s Lee Point were teaming with wildlife. The first inhabitants that caught our eye were Black kites. There were dozens of them: in the air, on the trees fringing the beach and even on the beach itself – looking for tasty morsels washed up by the tide.
Such a high density of predators made other beach residents a little nervous. The Beach stone curlew kept a wary eye on the kites as it foraged on the beach. It is an uncommon species across most of its range, and it relies on undisturbed open beaches for habitat. It is the only member of the stone curlew family that is not strictly nocturnal.
Out by the water, Red-capped plovers kept bursting into short sprints when kites flew overhead.
Some of the birds, however, were more worried about other members of their own species than about the kites. Things were lively in the breeding colony of Great-crested terns.
While communal living provides the benefit of safety in numbers, it also drives the competition for food and mates. It is not just catching the fish that makes a successful hunt; it is also being able to swallow it mid-air before being robbed by others.
Among the Great-crested terns, there were a few Caspian terns – Australia’s largest tern and an occasional Little tern, as well as a fair number of Silver gulls.
As the day went on, more beachside residents arrived. A flock of Great knots swooped in and settled on the rocks exposed by low tide. This species is a winter visitor to Australia that will soon return to its breeding grounds in the Siberian tundra. On closer inspection, a few red blobs in the flock turned out to be Red knots.
More species came and went throughout the day: Reef egret, Intermediate egret, Whistling kite, and little Solder crabs. It was refreshing to see such species diversity on the beach in contrast to the usual Homo sapience homogeneity. Without the people, the beach at Lee Point became one of the best places for watching wildlife in Darwin.
Territory Park
The following day, we headed to the Territory Wildlife Park, about a 45 min drive south of Darwin. I’m generally not a fan of seeing animals in captivity but I desperately wanted to see an Antilopine wallaroo – one of the common Northern Territory animals that evaded us everywhere else.
Despite my reservations, we quite liked the Territory Wildlife Park. It has a long history of participating in conservation and research programs, like the captive breeding programs for the endangered Northern Quolls and Black-footed Tree-rats. It was also obvious that the animal keepers at the park had genuine care for their charges.
The Antilopine wallaroos seemed blissfully content, snoozing in the shade in their large fenced-off enclosure. The bird show was well worth watching too, to see a Black-breasted buzzard using a rock to crack a massive egg and an Osprey dive into a pool for a fish. The skill and intelligence these birds demonstrate are extraordinary.
We also took the opportunity to have a close look at the Jabiru. We’ve seen these magnificent birds in Kakadu National Park and in the fields around Mary River but never close enough to properly appreciate their spectacularly iridescent plumage.
Mandorah
In the afternoon, we took a SeaLink ferry from Cullen Bay to Mandorah to see the bats that roost underneath the jetty there. The roost was located directly underneath the wooden boards of the jetty and was quite hard to find, let alone photograph the bats. As far as secret wildlife spots go, these bats found one of the best!
Brahmini kites, and Sea eagles were much easier to see as they circled above us for a good half an hour.
Lying off the tourist trail, Mandorah is a lovely tranquil escape within easy reach from Darwin downtown. Apart from the birds and the well-hidden bats, there are some fascinating rocks at Mandorah, near the jetty. The coloured bands of different types of sediment that formed these cliffs make them appear as if painted by an artist’s hand.
Darwin marked the end of our epic road trip across Australia, but we were a long, long way from home. And the best thing about not having a specific plan was that we could return home by revisiting the greatest hits of our trip.
Arnhem Highway & Fogg Dam
At night, we usually went for a drive along the Arnhem Highway to Fogg Dam, simply because the highway and the dam were the best spots for wildlife in Darwin.
Apart from the usual suspects like pythons and Barking owls, we spotted a Dingo, a Slaty-grey snake, a Northern brush-tail possum, a Barn owl and sadly, a dead Northern Brown Bandicoot on the road.
But the most interesting creature we came across was the Northern death adder crossing the road. Australia is famous for harbouring the world’s most venomous snakes. Out of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, 21 live in Australia, and the Death adder is among the top 10 most venomous Australian snakes.
I did get out of the car to photograph the silent killer as it weaved its way across the road, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with a healthy sense of self-preservation.
More Northern Territory nature adventures
- Best Places to See Wildlife in Darwin, Including a Secret Spot
- Adelaide to Darwin Road Trip: Ultimate Wildlife Safari in the Australian Outback
- Spotting Australian Desert Animals in the Simpson Desert
- Are Kakadu animals out to get you? Wildlife watching in Kakadu NP
- Uluru animals – Weird and wonderful creatures you can spot at Uluru
- Mary River: a Wildlife Hotspot in Northern Australia
- Wildlife spotting in Alice Springs, Devils Marbles, Mataranka and Katherine Gorge
- The stunning West MacDonnell Ranges – Northern Territory Road trip