What better way to escape the winter blues than to head to the Tropical North so in this month’s edition, Jon takes us to Darwin to show us around this growing and vibrant city.

Darwin is Australia’s most northern and modern capital city.  It conjures up a range of different mental images, depending upon one’s age and interests: Japanese bombing raids during World War II; Cyclone Tracy; and gateway to the unique Kakadu National Park; are likely to feature prominently.

As a city, Darwin has a distinct youthful freshness to its style and attitude, permeating through its stunning views over the harbour, buildings, greenery and people.  Its walkable central business district is located on an elevated peninsula, providing great views overlooking a natural harbour and separated from residential areas.  Yet peak hour traffic is non-existent.  The surrounding parklands function as an integral part of the central business district, providing residents, workers and visitors with a significant and popular green space that enhances the city’s tropical feel (that is, if one hasn’t already noticed the heat and humidity!).  On my last visit, a large number of cranes highlighted the proliferation of unit, housing and public facilities development as the city struggled to keep up with strong demand.
How has this been achieved and what are the City’s future prospects? 

Founded in 1869, Darwin’s growth received a fillip from the discovery of gold at Pine Creek in 1871.  The Second World War was the next major milestone for the city, with Darwin acting as an important defence establishment, as both a refuelling depot and as the only defence outpost for the whole of Australia’s otherwise barren northern coastline.  The film “Australia” portrayed the first of 64 bombing raids on the city during that war, which caused a mass evacuation and necessitated a major rebuilding program. 

The city once again had to be rebuilt following the devastating cyclone on Christmas Day in 1974.  Three-quarters of the city’s population of 43,000 was evacuated on that occasion. 

Darwin has recorded strong population growth since 2003, reaching a current population of 123,000 persons (similar in size to Toowoomba), housing 55% of the NT’s population.  This growth has been driven by the mining, tourism and business services sectors. 

Darwin is populated by a young, multicultural (Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Indigenous), affluent population, with a high proportion of adults in the workforce. 

Darwin’s future is rosy, with the ABS projecting high growth at similar rates to Brisbane and Perth.  This will be driven by renewed interest in gas and other sectors of the mining industry, tourism and agriculture.  Climate change modelling is projecting a wetter north-western Australia, which should result in opportunities for parts of the Northern Territory to develop as a food bowl. 

Visitors to the NT should not overlook Darwin as a destination in its own right.  Whilst Kakadu NP, Litchfield NP and Arnhem Land are “must see” destinations and Darwin is the perfect gateway for this, the capital city provides a unique insight into its multicultural heritage by visiting the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets on Thursday evenings (photo below), sunset cruises on the harbour (twice the size of Sydney Harbour), historical trail through the city’s military heritage and, of course, the famous Darwin Crocodile Farm.  It offers a strong retail sector within the central business district, as well as a popular suburban shopping centre at Casuarina. 

Darwin’s future growth will also create significant development and investment opportunities.

We came, we bowled, we conquered! We are proud to announce that our Urban Economics team has won this year’s Planning Institute of Australia bowls day, held recently at New Farm Bowls Club. The fearless team of Ashley, Catherine, Ed, Tracey, Ruth and Dave swept all before them. Fearless, because they did it all dressed as The Wiggles, in response to the theme for the day “What would you be if you weren’t a planner?” Ed was a particularly fetching Dorothy the Dinosaur. The revered and much coveted trophy is proudly displayed in our boardroom – and we will do our utmost to ensure it stays there for several years to come!

Thanks to PIA for putting on such a wonderful event each year, we would recommend to everyone, particularly those that play lawn bowls worse than us.