What to See in Darwin - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Australia. Fannie Bay Gaol is a historic gaol in Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, Australia. The gaol operated as Her Majesty's Gaol and Labour Prison, from 20 September 1883 until 1 September 1979.

In 1888, Deputy Sheriff (and later Government Resident) John George Knight collected sketches and drawings made by Aboriginal prisoners to be displayed at the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition under the title, The Dawn of Art. Dr Philip Jones, Senior Curator, Department of Anthropology, South Australian Museum, has called this the first exhibition of Aboriginal art.

The last executions in Darwin were held at Fannie Bay Gaol in 1952, when Jerry Coci and Jonus Novotny, Czechoslovakian immigrants, were hanged for the murder of a taxi driver.

The gallows were constructed especially for this execution, in the infirmary. A pit was dug into the floor at one end of the building, with brick walls either side to support the beam. A small trapdoor and flight of steps led down into the pit for the doctor to examine the bodies after the drop. The prisoners were held in wire cages at the other end of the infirmary prior to execution.

The gallows remain on public view, and visitors can push the lever that operated the trap. The prison was damaged, along with much of Darwin, by Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

At first female prisoners were housed in the Gaoler's accommodation but in 1928 a female section was constructed and male and female prisoners were held in separate buildings. The female prison block included a small garden designed to keep the prisoners busy. There was also a block for children, which in the early 1970s was also used for refugees who had arrived by boat.

Two cells were placed in the middle of the lawn for violent or mentally ill inmates. These cells included a small yard encased with cyclone fencing. Maximum security cells included hooks mounted into the walls for the restraint of inmates and very narrow doorways to prevent inmates escaping when a guard entered.

The gaol was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate in 1983 and on the Northern Territory Heritage Register in 1995.

The gaol is now a museum open to the public.^[2]

The St Mary's Star of the Sea Cathedral is the main place of Catholic worship in the city of Darwin, Australia, and the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Darwin.

During World War II, the first church of St Mary was the seat of the garrison of the military chaplaincy for Australian troops in the city. After the war it became necessary to build a larger structure. The architect was Ian Ferrier, from Brisbane, who was employed by Donoghue Cusick & Edwards at the time, and this firm completed construction after his departure in 1957.

The first stone taken from Rum Jungle, the site of the first uranium mine in the territory, was blessed by Bishop O'Loughlin on 13 July 1958. Construction operations were entrusted to Carl Johansson until 1962 when he was replaced by John D'Arcy.

The cathedral was blessed and opened for worship by Bishop O'Loughlin on 19 August 1962 and consecrated on 20 August 1972.^[3]

Lake in Australia. Lake Alexander is a man-made lake named in honour of Alec Fong Lim who was Lord Mayor of Darwin from 1984 to 1990. The lake is located in Fannie Bay Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia and was officially opened on the 21 July 1991 for recreational use by the people of Darwin. The water in the lake is refreshed with pumps bringing water from the adjoining harbour through filters intended to prevent marine organisms from entering. This system has succeeded in keeping large predators such as saltwater crocodiles and bull sharks, and the deadly box jellyfish. However the lake has been closed to swimming twice, once due to a large Orange-spotted grouper and once due to an outbreak of a stinging species of Cassiopea jelly fish.^[4]

Museum in Australia. The Darwin Military Museum was originally established as an artillery museum by the Royal Australian Artillery Association Inc to exhibit photographs and artefacts from Darwin's history during World War II. The Museum now has a large exhibit of items from the war, including Navy, Army and Air Force items from Australian, US and other armed forces. It is set amongst concrete gun emplacements and other fortifications in an area that was one of the most heavily fortified parts of Australia during the war.

At the peak around 1943, there were over 110,000 armed forces personnel based in Darwin and nearby areas. It was from Darwin that General Douglas MacArthur launched his campaign to liberate Manila and more generally to reclaim the Philippines from Japanese occupation.

During the war, Darwin was bombed 64 times over almost two years, with the first two raids alone on 19 February 1942 resulting in the deaths of an estimated 243 people. Other sources place the figure as much higher, even up to 1000, and a memorial plaque on the Darwin Esplanade overlooking the harbour says 292 people were killed. ABC TV News on 28 February 2010 carried an item saying that the Darwin City Council has commissioned naval historian John Bradford to determine the truth on how many died.^[8]

Building. Outrigger Pandanas is the second-tallest building in Darwin. It is at 43 Knuckey Street, in the eastern side of the Darwin central business district. Built from 2006 to 2007 with the Pandanas Office Suite being completed by 2009, its roof is 91 m above ground. It comprises 29 levels of mixed use for residential and commercial.

The building is currently managed by the Saville Hotel Group which manages more than 150 resorts, hotels and apartments across Australia and New Zealand. Stage 1 of the Pandanas office suite is currently under construction by Gwelo Investments Pty Ltd. Development will comprise with 4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft) of office space over six levels together with the ground floor retail area.^[11]

The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral legislature of the Parliament of the Northern Territory, Australia. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, each elected in single-member electorates for four-year terms. The voting method for the Assembly is the full-preferential voting system, having previously been optional preferential voting. Elections are on the fourth Saturday in August of the fourth year after the previous election, but can be earlier in the event of a no confidence vote in the Government. The most recent election for the Legislative Assembly was the 2020 election held on 22 August 2020. The next election is scheduled for 24 August 2024.

Persons who are qualified under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to vote for a member for the Northern Territory in the House of Representatives are qualified to vote at an election for the Legislative Assembly. Voting is compulsory for all those over 18 years of age. Since 2004, elections have been conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, which also organises regular electoral redistributions.^[13]