Cullen Bay is simply a vicinity successful Darwin wherever the iconic sunsets are blazing, the beaches are dazzling, and the man-made marina beckons you to enactment awhile.
If you’ve ever recovered yourself wondering what to bash successful this tropical paradise, this vibrant waterside precinct is not conscionable a beauteous face; it’s packed with amusive things to bash and places to cheque out.
In this guide, we’ll dive into the apical things to bash successful Cullen Bay, wherever the lone happening much colorful than the marina is the section café scene.
Things to Do successful Cullen Bay, Darwin
1. Walk Around Cullen Bay Marina
Cullen Bay Marina is the premium residential hub of Darwin, conscionable a 5 minutes thrust from Darwin CBD.
The determination was ace applicable and cardinal to the champion amenities and attractions Darwin has to offer.
This territory utilized to beryllium a bid of mangroves and flood plains, and was flattened retired and redeveloped into a luxury neighborhood.
It’s a fantastic spot to enactment and is mostly made up of vacation homes and abrogation rentals, truthful you tin find a afloat flat to enactment successful arsenic opposed to a edifice country successful Darwin CBD.
Next to the abrogation rentals are upscale restaurants and cafes with divers cuisine options, wherever the sunsets are stunning and the seafood is fresh.
2. Experience the nightlife of Mitchell Street
It’s an casual drive, motorcycle thrust oregon walk, into Mitchell St, the nightlife hub adjacent Cullen Bay.
Mitchell Street is simply a lively thoroughfare that’s ever buzzing with vigor and acceptable to amusement you a bully time.
With its eclectic premix of cafés, bars, and shops, it’s the cleanable spot to sip a latte oregon drawback a wound portion soaking up the section vibe.
We indulged successful immoderate yummy Thai astatine Bamboo Lounge, and acold excessively galore drinks with my member and his woman connected a pub crawl portion Nanny and Pop minded the girls.
Another crushed wherefore Darwin was truthful large – we had a nighttime off!
3. Relax connected Cullen Bay Beach
A abbreviated locomotion from the marina takes you to Cullen Bay Beach and our favourite Boardwalk Cafe connected the water, the Boatshed Coffee House.
They bash a large breakfast, luncheon and java and our timing was cleanable arsenic our enactment coincided with Father’s Day.
Cullen Bay Beach is small, but it’s sheltered by the bay and truthful the tides are gentle and large for paddling. However, we don’t urge swimming arsenic it’s not patrolled and the currents are unpredictable successful that area.
We besides emotion however it was backed by lawns truthful we could unravel a picnic oregon devour a takeaway and ticker those iconic sunset views.
4. Head implicit to Mindil Beach Markets
The Cullen Bay precinct is besides adjacent to Mindil Beach, the spot to spell for an iconic Darwin sunset.
It’s besides celebrated for its unfastened aerial Mindil Beach Sunset Market, which is known for tasty food, unrecorded euphony and that stunning sunset.
This bustling bazaar is similar a treasure thorax filled with mouthwatering thoroughfare nutrient delights and artisanal goodies.
You’ll apt get sidetracked by the section crafts and unrecorded performances.
5. Go connected a sightseeing cruise from Darwin Harbour
A large mode to spot the Darwin region’s unsocial coastal scenery is connected 1 of the sightseeing cruises.
Picture yourself gliding implicit sparkling waters, with the upwind successful your hairsbreadth and tranquil marina views, whilst doing a spot of wildlife spotting successful the Timor Sea – support your eyes peeled for playful dolphins and majestic dugongs; they mightiness conscionable beryllium vying for your attention!
The cruises depart from Darwin Harbour, passing Stokes Hill Wharf, earlier wrapping astir the peninsula and passing Cullen Bay, Kitchener Bay, and Fanny Bay sandbar.
6. Go fishing
There is immoderate bully sportfishing from the pier successful Cullen Bay oregon from the beach, which is the cleanable mounting for casting a nett whilst watching an epic sunset.
The champion clip to formed a enactment successful Cullen Bay is successful August, astir twilight oregon sunset.
Be definite to usage live-bait, and you’ll beryllium successful for a bully accidental of catching immoderate barra, queenies, oregon jacks.
7. See The Fish Feeding astatine Doctors Gully
One of the much unsocial attractions successful Cullen Bay is the food feeding frenzy astatine Doctors Gully.
Aquascene Fish Feeding Sanctuary, wherever ever since 1981, a earthy phenomena occurs astatine precocious tide.
As you flip successful the food food, hole for a feeding frenzy arsenic colorful food dart astir similar kids successful a candy store.
If you’re lucky, you mightiness adjacent spot a affable turtle oregon 2 trying to sneak successful for a bite.
8. Take a time travel to Wurrumiyanga
If you privation to research much disconnected the beaten way places successful the bluish territory, see a time travel to Wurrumiyanga from Cullen Bay. You tin spot ferry times here!
Just a abbreviated travel away, this vibrant assemblage connected Bathurst Island is the cleanable flight for those looking to acquisition the affluent Indigenous practice of the region.
Once you arrive, hole to beryllium enchanted by stunning landscapes, accepted art, and possibly adjacent perceive a fewer section stories!
9. Play astatine Mindil Beach Casino
Also adjacent by was Mindil Bech Casino (we had a large repast astatine the Italian restaurant) and the Waterfront precinct.
The kids had a shot successful the wave pool and lagoon astatine the waterfront, and erstwhile you’re done with that the surrounding chilled-out cafés, bars, shops and restaurants make for a relaxed alternate to buzzing Mitchell St.
Final Thoughts
In Darwin, you tin instrumentality things arsenic accelerated oregon arsenic dilatory arsenic you like, and I present recognize wherefore my member has lived determination for 2 years and raves astir the spot – it’s surely a pleasant alternate to the high-rise congestion of a Sydney oregon Melbourne.
Throw successful the consistently blistery upwind and you person an Aussie household who’d beryllium much than blessed to marque regular visits to the Top End.
Waking up each time you cognize it’s going to beryllium bluish entity and mid 30’s – truthful bully to program outdoor activities and not having to consult the upwind forecast gurus.
Not lone that, it offers a gateway to the earthy wonders of the Top End including Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks and the Katherine Region. If your clip is limited, Litchfield National Park is astir 1 hour’s thrust from Darwin. See flat rentals successful Cullen Bay here.
We enjoyed our enactment successful Cullen Bay truthful overmuch that alternatively of checking retired and moving backmost to the camper for a inexpensive night’s accommodation earlier we headed west, we decided to splurge connected an other nighttime successful the apartment.
I conscionable could not permission these views…