A local’s guide to art & culture around Darwin

Darwin's identity as hub for arts and creativity is written on the wall, literally. A brightly coloured turtle glides along the side of a building, a giant crocodile watches over a supermarket and a stunning portrait of the late musician Dr G Yunupingu overlooks a laneway.

Street art adorns carpark walls, buildings, laneways, water tanks, even entire apartment buildings. Roaming Darwin's laneways, spectacular street art graces many facades, but the impressive murals only scratch the surface of the vibrant local arts scene. Darwin’s arts culture is on display in galleries and museums, and on guided tours showcasing the Northern Territory’s cultural experiences.

Here are the places and experiences you shouldn’t miss along the Darwin leg of the Territory Art Trails.

Must-see art centres & galleries

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT)

No Northern Territory arts experience is complete without a visit to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), where you’ll find an exciting mixed bag of local art, culture, history and science. Located on the shores ofFannie Bay, MAGNT covers everything you need to know about the Northern Territory. The Cyclone Tracy sound booth was transformed in 2024 into an interactive exhibition that will put you in the howling path of Darwin’s worst natural disaster.

Wind your way through the megafauna and wildlife displays, including the famous monster croc Sweetheart captured in the 1970s, taking in the details of the Northern Territory’s extraordinary natural environment. Soak up the sounds of the sea and the salt air as you explore MAGNT’s impressive maritime exhibition featuring 44 boats from Darwin, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and surrounds, and treat yourself to whichever travelling exhibition has landed in the north. If you happen to be in Darwin between August and January, don’t miss the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) showcasing Australia’s best Indigenous art.

Darwin City

Located in the almost 100-year-old Lyons Cottage, Aboriginal Bush Traders prides itself on the putting the best regional art – from show-stopping large canvases down to affordable jewellery, books, candles and soaps – all under one historic roof. Don’t miss the adjoining café where the bush-tucker menu will introduce you to local superfoods like Kakadu plum, lemon myrtle, quandong, desert lime and wild rosella.

While you’re in town, make sure to stop in at a few of the local art galleries to check out the latest exhibitions. Make your way up Mitchell Street to Sister7 – Darwin’s first women’s-only gallery – for insights to sacred women’s business, then onto the Smith Street Mall, where you’ll find Darwin’s own Mbantua Fine Art Gallery, home to a wonderful selection of paintings and crafts. Mbantua specialises in art from the Utopia region of Central Australia and the gallery is proud to represent a small group of non-indigenous artists as well.

Darwin Street Art

The Darwin Street Art Festival is one of Australia's longest running street art festivals. Each year Darwin's already impressive collection of public street art is added to, as local, interstate and international artists are invited to create new works. Throughout the CBD and suburbs, multiple-storey portraits pay tribute to local identities and brightly coloured wildlife jumps out at you via an app which uses augmented reality to bring the artworks to life.

Austin, West and Shadforth Lanes in the CBD are the best places to start.Use the app for an interactive map of all the artworks, including artist bios and descriptions of their works.Take a guided walking tour with Walk Darwin or Darwin Gourmet Tours where a progressive dining experience is combined with street art.

Parap Markets

A mandatory Saturday morning outing for locals and tourists, Parap Markets is more than just a laksa den – it’s also an artistic hub. In addition to the market’s arts and crafts stalls, The Local is brimming with gorgeous artworks, giftware, jewellery and furniture created by – you guessed it – local artists.

There are also several galleries in Parap. In the alleyway that runs through the market’s heart, you’ll find the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, which hosts an eclectic range of local exhibitions. Venture upstairs to Outstation Gallery to experience the works of local and established Aboriginal artists from remote communities across the Northern Territory – many of these pieces find their way from Outstation Gallery to the walls of galleries interstate.

Must-do art & cultural tours

Northern Territory Indigenous Tours

Take the road less travelled and experience Litchfield National Park through the eyes of Marrathiyel woman Tess Atie, who grew up with Litchfield as her backyard. Join Tess and her husband, Greg Balding—both former park rangers with a wealth of local knowledge - on NT Indigenous Tours.

You’ll visit popular spots, such as Wangi Falls and Florence Falls as well as Tess’s favourite spots which few visitors know about. The tour’s highlight is walking to a waterfall for a swim before lunch cooked over an open fire at one of Litchfield’s scenic picnic spots.

Tiwi Islands SeaLink tours

Tiwi Islands’ art is exhibited across the globe, and visiting the creative home of an ancient culture brimming with artistic talent is a 'must do' experience. After the 2.5-hour boat ride from Darwin to the Aboriginal community of Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island, you’ll be greeted by friendly locals ready to introduce you to their country.

SeaLink runs a range of tours which visit Muluwurri Museum, the old Catholic mission precinct and the island’s art centres, including Tiwi Designs where visitors are taken behind the scenes at the printing workshop and will even get to help create and take home their own souvenir. All guests are treated to a traditional smoking ceremony and totem dance, and will be given the chance to mingle with artists over a cup of billy tea and some damper.

Pudakul Aboriginal Cultural Tours

The clicking and popping of mangroves in the quiet beauty Corroboree Billabong is an extraordinary sound, but it takes on an even more special meaning when you’ve been guided there by the area’s Traditional Owners. Departing from Darwin, Pudakal Aboriginal Cultural Tours offers an exploration of the Northern Coastal Wetlands 90 minutes away where the connection between people, wildlife and the land is brought to the fore.

Experience the thrill of croc-spotting and bird-watching as you cruise along the billabong, while hearing all about the local history and culture. There’s also a bush tucker walk and talk, and the chance to have a go at a spear throw or a didgeridoo blow. For an even fuller immersion in Indigenous culture, Pudakul also offers overnight cultural experiences to Kakadu and Litchfield.

Check out more NT trip ideas in these itineraries.