Australia’s hottest capital city has welcomed a cool change. Alley Pascoe meets the creatives igniting Darwin’s art, fashion and foodie scenes.

A gallery owner, a fashion label founder and a ballerina walk into a bar. This isn’t the start of a joke. It’s just a regular Saturday morning at The Trader Bar, where Darwin locals are sipping on espresso and sharing freshly baked almond croissants.

Inside, the marble tabletops are cool to the touch and, outside, the bougainvillea in the courtyard is in full bloom. The baristas wear white shirts so crisp and speak with European accents so rich you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a chic taverna in Italy.

“Italy wishes it had such a nice jungle garden and was this hot," jokes Pippa Ainsworth, a Darwin local who grew up on Tipperary Station and founded The Trader Bar on the fringe of the city in 2016 (she sold the business late last year). “We wanted to capture that feeling of being on holiday, in a beautiful place with a bit of history, elegant simplicity and European hospitality."

Welcome to downtown Darwin, where an Italian-inspired bar sits next to a Singaporean-style cafe (Kopi Stop) and a gallery that exhibits Aboriginal art (Paul Johnstone Gallery). This is a place of contrasts; of ancient Larrakia songlines and street art; of spicy laksa and ice-cold mango daiquiris; of dramatic sunsets and storms and laid-back locals.

A hub of creative spaces

“There’s a rawness and randomness to the beauty of both the people and the place here," explains Nina Fitzgerald, who runs Laundry Gallery in Parap, while also producing fashion shoots for Vogue Australia and modelling for luxe Aussie labels including Aje and Hakea Swim. “Everything is a little off-centre, which only adds to the charm. People come from all walks of life, representing many cultures and lived experiences – weathered cowboys, young professionals, creatives and travellers from every corner. There’s truly no place as wild or wonderful the world over."

Having grown up here on Larrakia Country, Nina has seen her hometown blossom like the frangipanis that line the streets. Artists have long found inspiration in the Top End, but a new generation of creatives are putting Darwin on the map. ‘Old stories, new spin.’ That’s the tagline of Nina’s Laundry Gallery, which is fittingly located in an old laundromat. At the time of writing, the gallery walls are bright pink and lined with hand-painted silks from the Western Desert. A month ago, they were light blue and decked out with carved wooden cockatoos by husband-and-wife duo Irene Henry and Harold Goodman.

“Our aim is to be a positive protest in this space, sharing stories of Indigenous Australia and showcasing them in a new light," says Nina, a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman whose family hails from Kakadu. “We should be so proud that we have the oldest surviving culture on Earth. That’s epic. I want people to smile and be excited about the true history of this country."

There’s certainly a lot to be excited about in the North. In addition to the game-changing gallery run by Nina and co-founder Laura Shellie, there’s a booming street art scene with the Darwin Street Art Festival – the largest of its kind in the country – held annually, and a colourful fashion collective with the Country to Couture runway on each August.

All year round, House of Darwin sells its signature tees at its flagship boutique in the CBD’s Air Raid Arcade. The label, founded by Larrakia man and former AFL player Shauny Edwards in 2020, has grown a cult following and collaborated with brands including Havaianas and artists such as Tiger Yaltangki. Shauny is endlessly inspired by the resilience of this place and its people.

“Darwin has been flattened twice in the last century [by the bombing of the city during the Second World War in 1942 and when Cyclone Tracy hit on Christmas morning in 1974], which has given our people a certain amount of resolve that you can’t quite put your finger on. The city is full of misfits, missionaries and wonderful people from all over the world," he says. “The weather is harsh, hot and humid but that’s why we love it. It tests you."

Flowing creatively with the seasons

In addition to the Larrakia calendar, there are three over-arching seasons in Darwin: the wet, the dry and the build-up. The latter has been known to lead to ‘mango madness’, which sets in as the humidity increases and the relief of rain holds out. The only known antidote to the condition is a cold schooner of Black Fish (Great Northern) at Hotel Darwin.

The pubs of Mitchell Street are iconic institutions and, in recent years, they’ve been joined by stylish wine bars (Stone House Wine Bar & Kitchen on Cavenagh Street), gin distilleries (Darwin Distilling Co. at Charlie’s of Darwin on Austin Lane) and a secret whiskey lounge (Hanky Panky, behind a hidden door on Mitchell Street) with a tongue-in-cheek motto: ‘Let’s get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini.’

Let it be said again, this is a city of contrasts: the wet and the dry, the old and the new, the gritty and the glorious. Is it any wonder creatives are born and drawn here? Sisters Lou and Gaby De Mattia moved from the Blue Mountains in NSW to set up Sister Buffalo, a curated upcycled clothing store in Nightcliff.

Around the corner, Melbourne hospitality kingpin Nicholas Peters has taken over the Lucky Bat Cafe after moving to the tropics this year. Recently, Sydneysider and Midnight Oil founding member Jim Moginie marked the launch of his memoir at an intimate event at the Bustard Town Band Room. “Darwin is the New Orleans of Australia," he said on the night, describing the city as “funky, cagey and unresolved".

Just like New Orleans, there’s a distinct rhythm to Darwin. The beat throbs like a pulse. You can feel it in your bones and under your feet, and you can’t help but be carried away by it. Surrender. You’re in for an unforgettable ride.

A taste of the Territory

“Let’s go, let’s hook in, let’s do it," revs our helicopter pilot Nick Edwards, as he smoothly manoeuvres the chopper from the airport’s helipad into the sky over Darwin. Let’s!

We’re headed south-west, over Bynoe Harbour towards Finniss River Lodge, a five-star property on a working cattle station. It’s the start of the dry season and there’s smoke on the horizon from cultural burning. From above, you can see where fires have torn across the land and where bursts of green are sprouting from the ashes. New life abounds.

It’s an extraordinary sight and this is an extraordinary trip. Darwin Distilling Co.’s heli-foraging experience is a world-first offering, inviting lovers of gin to pick native botanicals at the iconic Finniss River Lodge to make their very own blend. When we land on the grounds of the luxury lodge, we’re greeted by our guides Olivia Venturin (who was born and bred on the property), Chase Johnson (aka Croc Mumma) and her cattle dog Cash.

From the chopper, we jump into an ATV buggy and head off along the ‘flower track’ in search of botanicals. Once you start seeing potential gin-distilling ingredients, you can’t stop. The possibilities are endless. There are the purplish flowers of the turkey bush, the layered skin of the paperbark trees and the sour fruit of the Kakadu plum.

From the ATV, we climb aboard an airboat to harvest waterlily flowers and bulbs from the wetlands. Cash stands guard at the front of the boat on croc-watch as the engine (straight out of a Commodore) roars behind us. This is the NT: cattle dogs, crocs and Commodore engines. For all our hard foraging work, we’re rewarded with fresh-baked scones lavished in rosella jam and lemon-myrtle cream on the deck at the lodge.

From there, we fire the chopper back up en route to Darwin Distilling Co. HQ at Charlie’s of Darwin gin bar – with a once-in-a-lifetime stopover at Sandy Creek Falls in Litchfield National Park. It’s a quick dip in the tranquil waters before a gourmet lunch of NT crocodile dumplings at Charlie’s and a distilling course with Bec Bullen, the force behind the heli-foraging package. “I love exploring different flavours and experiencing the seasonality of the Territory. This is an entirely bespoke experience, because it depends on the botanicals of the day," explains Bec. “It’s a true taste of the Territory." Hook in, as chopper pilot Nick would say.

A traveller’s checklist

Planning your time there

The dry season (May to October) is the peak holiday season, with perfect days and an overflowing calendar of events and festivals. The wet over summer offers an entirely different experience: sensational storms, overflowing waterfalls and air-boating on billabongs.

Staying there

Mandalay Luxury Stay is a colonial-style stone cottage on the scenic Esplanade strip. You can also soak up the sunset from the city’s best resort pool at Mindil Beach Casino Resort.

At Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront, the holiday vibes roll in like the sets at the nearby wave pool. And with its schmick new centrepiece lagoon pool, Mercure Darwin Airport Resort is redefining the airport hotel experience.

Eating there

Ella by Minoli serves up modern, mouth-watering Sri Lankan cuisine by former MasterChef contestant Minoli De Silva. It features the standout kiwifruit curry and unique kangaroo carpaccio.

La Cantinette is a highlight of the thriving food truck scene. This ‘bistro on wheels’ serves up gourmet French and Italian dishes on the Nightcliff foreshore. Laksa is a serious business in Darwin/Gulumerrdgen, especially in October, when the dish is celebrated at the month-long Laksa Festival and illustrious award ceremony for the best bowl in town.

Playing there

NATSIAA – the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards – is the most prestigious Indigenous art prize. It’s presented at the Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, with the finalists’ exhibition showing from June to January.

The Country to Couture runway is First Nations fashion at its finest, full of colour, creativity and cultural storytelling. It’s a showstopping event held every August.

Amalfi Bodyteca is a spa like no other. This local gem offers blissful remedial massages and a special crocodile oil treatment for soft skin and peak relaxation.