After three sea days from Cairns, there’s a certain level of anxiousness from many on board and there’s a sense that many people hare happy to have a port day with something to do and see. Lazy sea days by the pool or in Seabourn Square with a coffee area all well and good but this is the day to get out and about and see what Darwin has to offer.

The Darwin CBD is centred around the Smith Street Mall and this is where you’ll find air conditioned shopping malls with local shops and amenities and a healthy smattering of tourist shops selling Aboriginal art, along with the usual t-shirts and trinkets. Parap is also a good place to go shopping even if the markets aren’t operating, as there is a good selection of permanent retailers.

But no trip to Darwin is complete without a visit to Crocodylus Park and Zoo on McMillans Road, Berrimah, where there are daily guided tours of the crocs. They’re fed twice daily in the main pond where they exhibit their ability to propel themselves vertically to catch their food and this is where you learn how athletic and potentially lethal they can be.

Along with Crocodylus Park, the Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs is one of those Top End experiences which shouldn’t be missed, and it’s a 45 minute drive south of Darwin’s CBD. The highlight here is the Birds of Prey Show where you can see several of these amazing animals up close, with guides on hand to explain the behaviour of these flying predators.

Litchfield National Park is also withing striking distance of Darwin and it’s a beautiful area stretching over 1,500 kilometres and there are some fantastic waterfalls with natural pools which are good for swimming and the best of these is probably Florence Falls while a few kilometres upstream is Buley Rockhole which is another favourite spot for locals to cool off.

Anyway, next stop is Komodo Island in Indonesia which is home of the famous dragons and hopefully we’ll get to see and photograph some of these fascinating reptiles.

Visit www.seabourn.com