Geckolips

Is it possible to get around in Darwin and the Top End without torrential rain every day? Is it like Florida in the summer? We have rain most afternoons but are still able to be out and about...except during the occasional hurricane. Is Darwin climate similar or impossible?

lizF

Yep and they have Geckos too in Darwin!
Yes it is pretty much the same in Darwin in the wet season as in Florida. You can get out and about and actually I much prefer that time of year to the dryer and so called cooler months as everything is so different particularly around Kakadu and the places with waterfalls etc. There could be some areas that you will not be able to get to but nothing that could deter you from visiting and enjoying the last real tropical wilderness. If you have a car then talk to some locals and ask them about getting to a spot called Fog Dam not too far out of Darwin and get there for the dawn. We used to take Champagne and a hamper of cheese, niblies and goodies and watch the millions of birds take off from that area just after dawn. It is a natural and fantastic wonder and well worth the getting up early for and the very best part is that it costs absolutely nothing. You also may be lucky to get to see some of the Northern Territory's amazing lightening shows which are documented in film and photos everywhere and which are also an amazing sight to see. Yellow Waters at Kakadu will be in its full glory as will the Twin Falls and the surrounding rivers....... gosh I wish I was going too! The only thing that you won't have then are the wonderful Beach night markets but there are other things that will compensate for that.

RalphR

Interesting question. Did a little web searching to investigate. Average rainfall for Darwin in Feb is 14 inches, average for Orlando in July is 7 inches. Darwin has ~25 rain days in the month of Jan. Not really the same by the looks of it.

RalphR

And 20 rain days for Darwin in Feb.

Geckolips

Thanks LizF. that sounds like the way it rains in Florida during the summer (July - Sept). We have some streets that flood, but the entire area isn't flooded so that people have to stay indoors. It is usally sunny until afternoon and then we have fast moving rain and then sunsets are beautiful. I am hoping that is the same in Darwin, but when I did my own investigating on the web I couldn't tell if it was a constant rain or like FL. Sounds like it would be a good time to visit. I see that the airfares are much higher after September so it must be a peak season to travel there. Correct me if I'm wrong!

RalphR

Yes I'm sure going to Darwin in the Wet Season (Nov-Mar) has its plus side, as Liz indicates. But flooding very often restricts access to places of interest. Much of Kakadu becomes off limits by road, for example, Jim Jim and Twin Falls. (You can see them by air however.) From the point of view of access, the Dry Season(Jun-Sept) is best.

lizF

Peak season is usually the winter - June and July. I would probably leave making booking if things look high till there is a sale on and then book. Xmas is always high season everywhere as its our long school holiday season but after about January 26th everything comes crashing down in price. It really depends on when you are going.
You realize though, I am sure that if there is a tropical low or cyclone what I said earlier is not relevant. You run the risk of those in all tropical areas during the rainy season though.
Make sure that when you book a ticket that it can be changed or used as a credit on another flight then if things are bad anywhere you can just go in the opposite direction.

pat_woolford

Geckolips, don't know that Darwin and southern Florida are comparable with Darwin being far closer to equator. When it rains in Wet, it rains, but not all day, often in short heavy bursts late afternoon or night.

Wet season weather for Darwin is similar to that of tropical Northern Queensland where I live. The Wet was late this year and there were loads of sunny clear days without any rain at all last February. In contrast, we've had heavy rainfall and squally winds right throughout the so called "dry" season. So I take "averages" with a grain of salt.

Many actually prefer the area is the Wet, it will certainly be humid but the cloud cover helps keep the bite out of the sun. Today, in late winter dry season, Darwin's max. temperature is 33C dry, and sunny - some cloud cover would be nice.