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Darwin occupies a compact area at the end of a peninsula in the far north of the Northern Territory, west of Arnhem Land. Most of what you'll want in central Darwin is within two or three blocks of the main shopping centre, Smith St Mall. The suburbs spread a good 12 to 15km (7 to 9mi) to the north and east.
Darwin's airport is 13km (8mi) northeast of the town centre. The bus transit centre is in the centre of town while the train station is 18km (11mi) east.
Getting There
Darwin's airport services both international and domestic routes. Lots of flights run between Darwin and Indonesia, as well as to other spots in Southeast Asia. You can also fly to Darwin from all other states in Australia, although you might end up going via Alice Springs, Brisbane or Adelaide.
You can reach Darwin by bus on three routes - the Western Australian route from Broome, Derby, Port Hedland and Kununurra; the Queensland route through Mt Isa to Threeways and up the Track; or straight up the Track from Alice Springs.
The weekly Darwin-to-Adelaide (via Alice Springs and Katherine) train service leaves town on Wednesday mornings.
Getting Around
The airport is only 13km (8mi) from town and is serviced by a shuttle bus - a taxi from the airport to the city will cost you about A$20.00 . Darwin has a fairly good city bus service, with most of its routes serviced all week long. Several private bus companies do a shuttle service between Darwin's major places of interest. There is an extensive network of bicycle tracks; bikes can be rented or borrowed from many of the backpackers' hostels.
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