Historical Sites and Heritage Locations

Situated on Darwin’s Frances Bay, Charles Darwin National Park protects one of Australia’s most significant wetlands, important woodlands and local indigenous and WWII histories.

Explore the park’s extensive network of walking and mountain biking tracks. Enjoy a barbecue in the shady picnic area and then make your way to the lookout platform for great views of Darwin Harbour and its wetlands.

During World War II, this area was part of a network of military sites that formed Australia’s front line of defence. Today you can see historic ammunition storage bunkers and testing areas that were built in 1944 and used until the mid-1980s. Explore a fascinating display of memorabilia from World War II and learn about Darwin’s role in the Pacific War during your visit to one of these bunkers.

The Park area also has a long indigenous history. Shell middens in the area indicate that Aboriginal people have lived in the area for thousands of years. Port Darwin wetland is a large and diverse ecological system, with 36 of the Northern Territory’s 51 mangrove species protected in its system of inlets, islands and bays.