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You are here: Home Contact DHAInformation about Darwin

Welcome to Darwin and Palmerston

Population:
Darwin: 80,000
Palmerston: 24,900

Time Zone: EST minus 30 minutes

Area Code: 08

Introduction

Many people who come to Darwin are pleasantly surprised to find a relaxed lifestyle. It is a young city that has many modern amenities and attractions.

This tropical capital city in the Northern Territory has a population of 80,000 and is well-known for its friendly and relaxed outdoor lifestyle.

Darwin is Australia's gateway to Asia as well as providing you with great scenic views of Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks.

The suburbs of Darwin are located 12 - 18 km to the North and East of central Darwin.

Darwin city has a bus service operating 7 days a week and there is an extensive network of bicycle tracks.

Palmerston

Palmerston is situated 25km from the heart of the city and is made up of nine suburbs. There is a choice of two routes from the city and it is a 10-15minute drive to Robertson Barracks. Both the RAAF Base and HMAS Coonawarra are located between the city centre and Palmerston.

Palmerston has two major shopping centers, golf course, cinema complex, restaurants and sporting clubs. The major shopping centre contains Coles, Target and Woolworths as well as a large number of specialty stores. The Palmerston town centre contains a Police station, banks, petrol stations, a takeaway food network and a bus exchange. The area has a community pool, town library, medical centre and fitness clubs available to those who wish to become members.

Palmerston has a University, a high school and 9 primary schools (including Catholic, Lutheran, and a Christian (primary/middle). There are also several childcare facilities and a network of home day-care centers.

Palmerston (like the rest of Darwin) is very green with many parks and walking/cycle paths to be enjoyed.

Housing

Darwin and Palmerston housing stock consist predominately of single houses, both ground level and elevated with private front and rear gardens.

DHA Darwin manages just over 1,800 properties both on and off bases.

There are a number of two story town houses and high rise apartments, mainly surrounding or within close proximity of the Darwin CBD.

The majority of Darwin homes have carports in preference to garages which are more suited to the tropical lifestyle.

Defence Locations

The Army, Navy and RAAF all have establishments in the Darwin area. They include:

• RAAF Base Darwin,
• HMAS Coonawarra,
• Darwin Naval Base,
• Larrakeyah Barracks, and
• Robertson Barracks.

Services

Being a capital city and the regional hub of the Northern Territory, Darwin has all the social services and infrastructure that you would expect.

There are excellent health and community services with both public and private hospitals.

The Darwin and Palmerston Councils offer a broad range of services within their Community Support Programs and specialized community groups exist for a range of support and social activities.

Education

Students have access to quality public and private pre-school and secondary education.

In the Northern Territory, children aged 4 attend half day pre-school and then move to a transition year when they are five. Primary school covers transition to Years 1 - 7 and high school is for Years 8 - 12.

High school students wishing to continue their education at a University will need to sit the Northern Territory Certificate of Education (NTCE).

The Northern Territory has campuses in inner Darwin and in Palmerston. CDU (Charles Darwin University) offers a wide range of courses.

Things to do and places to go

Darwin, Palmerston and their various National Parks outside Darwin have a fantastic array of facilities to cater for families and singles that enjoy camping, fishing, diving, water skiing, sailing and many other community activities.

Mindil beach Markets and Palmerston Markets during the dry season offer shopping bargains and exotic foods from around the globe. Parap markets on a Saturday, Nightcliff and Rapid Creek on a Sunday offer fresh produce and a variety of unique Territory crafts.

Climate

You can lead a very outdoor lifestyle. From May to October there is virtually no rainfall and the days are mostly cloudless with temperatures in the low 30 degrees. Nights are cool with low humidity and temperatures in the mid teens.

From January to the end of March is the rainy season. The rainy season can be very wet. Temperatures get a bit higher and humidity rises sharply.

Darwin HMC

The Darwin Housing Management Centre is located in the city limits at 1 Carey St and is your point of contact for all housing services, including housing allocations, rent assistance and maintenance.

DHA Darwin also has an on base office located on Robertson Barracks Building 923 Morshead Centre.