Can you drink the water?
 

Has anyone had problems drinking the tap water in Darwin?

we were in Darwin 2 weeks ago....no problem with tap water for us

To answer your thread heading - yes.
All town & city water in Australia is potable.

Traditionally Darwinians have shown much more fondness for beer than water, but rest assured - we are not a third world country.

Yes.
No, not personally.

Was there recently and had no problems drinking lots of water from the tap.

Bottled water is popular but that's just because people have more money than sense. Except in Adelaide where the water won't poison you but many people don't like the taste. So there's nowt wrong with the tap water. What makes you think there might be?

Three of my very young grandchildren live in Darwin, so far we've seen no ill effects from them drinking water there, what makes you think there could be?

lived in nt for a few years
drank water out of taps
no problems

I found tap water in Australian cities quite disgusting because of the Chlorine, it tasted like from a swimming pool to me. Yuck!

There is always such a crowd around the well!

Not only is the water fine to drink in Oz (and I have a "touchy tummy" and am sensitive to different water) but the hotels usually have a fridge and put a pitcher of water and the glasses in there so you can have cold water. Really great because it is usually hot in Darwin!
Sally in Seattle

It's funny you should mention that, quokka; I didn't like our "town" water either, having always had rainwater at home. Over the years though, I've become accustomed to the taste and, with the exception of Adelaide, and occasionally Melbourne, hardly notice the fluoride/chlorine these days.

It's not enough to make me spend $$ buying water from European or other sources where god knows what has infiltrated the environment, though.

As an aside, am I overly cynical to suspect that some of the "Mountainside Spring in the Andes" water comes from a source rather closer to the garden tap in some cases?

my suggestion is do not drink tap water. if you really wanted to be sure, and for safety as well. bottled water I think is more safe. but if you don't want to spend, boil a tap water first, let it cool then it's safe to drink.

asiah
i don't know how and what you drink where you live.

but tap water in australia is perfectly safe!

div

I'd be interested to know on what personal experience asiah has based that odd comment.

In my view it is environmentally irresponsible to buy bottled water when there's nothing wrong with the local tap water.

With the exception of a few country areas in Australia the tap water is usually safer than the bottled water - they have tested both to see which has the more polution and the more expensive the bought water the worse it was and the tap water from Sydney came out best.
Perhaps Asiah lives in Asia or Europe where tap water is either dreadfully contaminated or, as in Europe, has gone through 6 people before you get it.

I wouldn't worry too much about Asiah's post: it's his/her only one so, with the greatest of respect, I think perhaps he/she has a fairly limited experience of the subject.

Mind you, we had an Aunt who travelled around the world first class in the 50's swearing she only carried a supply of gin to clean her teeth with because she was worried about the water quality. In the best hotels in Paris,Rome, London & New York. Where HAVE all those wonderful feisty, eccentric old women travellers gone?

Bokhara, I am still here!

Me too, LizzieF - and I've been drinking "town" water for 30 years!
On a slightly different tack, it's interesting reading the stats on the decline in children's dental health now that bottled water is the "in" thing.

I wonder what Tzuzi makes of all this - and if he/she ever came back to check.

Wasn't referring to the water Bokhara when I said I was still here - I was answering your question of " Where HAVE all those wonderful feisty, eccentric old women travellers gone? "
Its a pity that original posters do not get back to us when they get a lot of answers - that way we would at least know they are alive!!!!!!!!

Maybe he/she drank the water.

When I first laid eyes on Darwin in the 1960s, as a matter of principle no self-respecting Territorian would drink water. This had nothing whatever to do with personal safety, which was a secondary consideration entirely; it was merely insurance against the awful possibility that one day, one might inadvertently wake up sober. It was not a town best viewed through clear eyes. This could, and in the Wet often did, trigger suicide.

These days, I'm told Darwin is much more "respectable", many of its citizens staying sober until well past sunset.

I was traveling around australia last month, including Darwin, and drank tab water everywher with no problem.
I found price of bottled water in Australia very expensive and quality very low. In must places they will only have one brand and priced two to three times more than in Europe.
I am talking about, supermarkets or grocery stores.

"I found price of bottled water in Australia very expensive ... priced two to three times more than in Europe."

- And a very good thing too, as it should discourage consumption of the stupid stuff. I'd go further and tax it at the same rate as beer.

car - I don't know where it was you went and which supermarkets you visited - but have to say I find the exact opposite of what you report. I can't believe how MANY brands of bottled water there are. Or maybe you are talking premium stuff in glass bottles à la Perrier?

I'm with Neil on this. And if they won't tax it, then at least add a 5c returnable deposit to every 600ml bottle as they do in SA.

And I hear there are even "water lists" now, akin to wine lists, in some restaurants.

Go tap!

I've survived living on Adelaide tap water for 35 years. It does seem to have a long standing bad reputation for taste and being a "hard" water, but it's still quite drinkable. If Adelaide water is one of the worst in the country then Darwin tap water should be fine to drink.

SA has long had a deposit scheme on drink containers which helps keep down the amount of bottles and cans returned to landfill.

"...it's still quite drinkable..."

speckles, I think you've been there too long.