Destination Guides > Australia > Northern Territory > Darwin > Coming & Going
Darwin
Coming & Going
AIR
Darwin is the closest Australian city to Asia. Its airport handles many of the cheapest international flights into and out of Australia, making Darwin a popular gateway.
Darwin International Airport (tel (08) 8920 1811) is 10km northeast of the city centre and is served by the airport shuttle bus (tel (08) 8981 5066) that meets most (but not all) flights and drops off at hostels. The one-way fare is $10.
BUS
Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) coaches terminate at the Transit Centre (69 Mitchell Street, Darwin), which is between Chilli’s and the Youth Shack.
TRAIN
Great Southern Railway’s Ghan train service runs from Darwin to Adelaide three times a week. The station is located at Berrimah in Darwin’s outer suburbs. There are no scheduled bus services between the station and the city centre but shuttle buses meet the train; the fare into the city centre is around $8.
HITCHHIKING
The Stuart Highway is the only major road out of Darwin, which makes it fairly easy to hitchhike from. Take bus 5 or 8 to get out on the Stuart Highway from the city centre.
The Stuart Highway continues south to Alice Springs and Adelaide, while the Victoria Highway to Western Australia branches off near Katherine. The Barkly Highway to Cairns and Townsville joins the Stuart Highway at Three Ways, just north of Tennant Creek. If you are heading to Queensland or Western Australia, it would be a good idea to use a destination sign.
Because Darwin is so isolated, you can get some long rides. But you can also get dropped off in some pretty remote places, which means that it’s a good idea to take plenty of drinking water.
