Things to do with teenagers in Darwin
Darwin with a teenager is about the water you can safely be in and the animals you cannot. The wave lagoon and the free swimming lagoon on the Waterfront are the daily default, the crocodile parks and the jumping-crocodile cruise are the once-a-trip spend, and the waterholes at Litchfield are a day out that teenagers actually want.
In town there is karting, laser tag, a smash room, bowling and an outdoor cinema under the stars that is better than any multiplex. The free list is the markets at sunset, the foreshore skate park, the botanic gardens and the WWII sites, which hold a 14 year old longer than you think.
The dry season is when it all works; in the wet, the storms are the show. Each listing shows the minimum age and the price from.
Want it planned for you? See a full day in Darwin with teenagers →
Start here
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Kingpin Darwin Darwin City
Kingpin Darwin is an entertainment venue at 1 Neale Street, Darwin City, next to Darwin International Airport.
Ages 6–14 · From $19 · ★ 4.7 (3,986)
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Darwin Waterfront Precinct Darwin City
Darwin Waterfront Precinct on Kitchener Drive has several family attractions.
Ages 2–17 · From $8 · ★ 4.6 (4,175)
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Mindil Beach Sunset Market The Gardens
Mindil Beach Sunset Market is Darwin's largest market, held beside Mindil Beach between the casino and the Botanic Gardens, less than 3 km from the city centre.
Ages 0–17 · Free · ★ 4.5 (4,317)
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Darwin Military Museum East Point
The Darwin Military Museum at Lot 5434 Alec Fong Lim Drive, East Point, displays artefacts covering Australia's involvement in international conflicts from the Great…
Ages 5–15 · From $11 · ★ 4.6 (2,173)
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The Original Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises Wak Wak
The Original Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises has run one-hour cruises on the Adelaide River since 1985, about 60 minutes from Darwin, where wild saltwater…
Ages 0–17 · From $50 · ★ 4.8 (1,468)
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Parap Village Markets Parap
Parap Village Markets are held every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, rain or shine, all year round, in the Parap Shopping Village on Parap Road, about five minutes from…
Ages 0–17 · ★ 4.5 (2,091)
What it costs
The best-known paid places, with the lowest price on their own page. Prices change; the listing has the current ones.
| Place | Kind | Ages | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingpin Darwin Darwin City | Bowling & Arcade | 6–14 | From $19 |
| Darwin Waterfront Precinct Darwin City | Water Park | 2–17 | From $8 |
| Darwin Military Museum East Point | Museum | 5–15 | From $11 |
| The Original Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises Wak Wak | Tours & Cruises | 0–17 | From $50 |
| Darwin Aviation Museum Winnellie | Museum | 5–17 | From $10 |
| Deckchair Cinema Darwin City | Cinema | 0–17 | From $11 |
| Darwin Museum WW2 Tunnels Darwin City | Museums & Science Centres | 5–17 | From $8.50 |
| Darwin Wave Lagoon Darwin City | Water Park | 3–17 | From $8 |
| Darwin Kart Hire Hidden Valley | Go-Karting | 5–17 | From $38 |
| Smash It Darwin Pinelands | Arcade & Entertainment | 5–17 | From $60 |
What a 12 year old can do, and what needs 16
Adrenaline
Karts, trampolines, ropes courses, climbing walls and the big parks.
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Darwin Waterfront Precinct Darwin City
Darwin Waterfront Precinct on Kitchener Drive has several family attractions.
Ages 2–17 · From $8 · ★ 4.6 (4,175)
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Darwin Wave Lagoon Darwin City
The Wave Lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront, Kitchener Drive, is a stinger- and crocodile-free wave and swimming lagoon covering 4,000 square metres, with a shallow water…
Ages 3–17 · From $8 · All-abilities · ★ 4.4 (720)
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Palmerston Water Park Durack
Palmerston Water Park in Durack is a free water park run by the NT Government.
Ages 0–17 · Free · ★ 4.4 (432)
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Darwin Kart Hire Hidden Valley
Darwin Kart Hire runs hire go-karts on the 1,035m outdoor circuit at the Hidden Valley Motorsport Complex, 67 Hidden Valley Road.
Ages 5–17 · From $38 · ★ 4.8 (191)
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Zone 3 Laser Tag Darwin City
Zone 3 is a laser tag venue at 3/70 McMinn Street, Darwin City, operating since 1993.
Ages 6–17 · From $12 · ★ 4.8 (102)
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Aqua Park Darwin Darwin City
Aqua Park Darwin is a floating inflatable obstacle course in the Recreation Lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct, Kitchener Drive.
Ages 3–17 · From $35 · ★ 4.6 (57)
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Gecko Climb Darwin Woolner
Gecko Climb at 2 Snell Street, Woolner, is an indoor climbing centre with 300 square metres of bouldering walls, 290 square metres of roped climbing across 15 top-rope…
Ages 3–17 · From $19 · ★ 4.6 (54)
Escape rooms, VR and arcades
Locked rooms, virtual reality and the bowling-and-arcade barns that work for a group.
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Kingpin Darwin Darwin City
Kingpin Darwin is an entertainment venue at 1 Neale Street, Darwin City, next to Darwin International Airport.
Ages 6–14 · From $19 · ★ 4.7 (3,986)
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Smash It Darwin Pinelands
Smash It Darwin at 58 Marjorie Street, Pinelands, runs a Smash Room and a Splash Room.
Ages 5–17 · From $60 · ★ 5.0 (124)
Surf, paddle and swim
Surf lessons, kayaks, aqua parks and the patrolled beaches teens head for.
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The Original Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises Wak Wak
The Original Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruises has run one-hour cruises on the Adelaide River since 1985, about 60 minutes from Darwin, where wild saltwater…
Ages 0–17 · From $50 · ★ 4.8 (1,468)
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The Croc Bus Darwin City
The Croc Bus runs half-day wildlife tours from Darwin city to the Adelaide River jumping crocodile cruise.
Ages 5–17 · ★ 5.0 (427)
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The Darwin History and Wartime Experience Darwin City
The Darwin History and Wartime Experience is a guided tour of Darwin in a restored World War II army truck.
Ages 8–16 · From $60 · ★ 4.8 (101)
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Casuarina Aquatic & Leisure Centre Casuarina
Casuarina Aquatic & Leisure Centre at 17 Gsell Street, Casuarina is a City of Darwin pool.
Ages 3–17 · From $3.20 · ★ 4.1 (38)
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Recreation Lagoon Darwin City
The Recreation Lagoon is the saltwater lagoon at The Beach, the man-made beach in the Darwin Waterfront Precinct off Kitchener Drive.
Ages 3–17 · Free · All-abilities access
Real climbs, lookouts and skate parks
The longer graded walks with a view at the top, plus skate parks and pump tracks.
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Flight Path Golf Berrimah
Flight Path Golf at 790 Vanderlin Drive, Berrimah, has an 18-hole mini golf course alongside a driving range with undercover bays and a grassed hitting area, a golf pro…
Ages 3–17 · From $6 · ★ 4.4 (141)
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Hey Caddy Palmerston Yarrawonga
Hey Caddy Palmerston is an indoor 18-hole mini golf course inside Gateway Shopping Centre, Shop C1/1 Roystonea Avenue, Yarrawonga, with a licensed bar and a food menu…
Ages 3–17 · From $12 · ★ 4.5 (52)
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Bees Creek Horse Riding Bees Creek
Bees Creek Horse Riding is a family-run horse riding school at Bees Creek, on Darwin's rural outskirts, offering horsemanship and riding lessons.
Ages 0–17 · From $99 · ★ 4.9 (24)
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Darwin Top End Bowhunters Club Howard Springs
Darwin Top End Bowhunters Club is a field archery club at 285 Stuart Highway, Howard Springs, reached via Bowhunter Road.
Ages 8–18 · From $2 · ★ 4.4 (21)
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Jingili Skate Park Jingili
Jingili Water Gardens Skate Park at 91 Freshwater Road, Jingili, is a free City of Darwin skate park for skateboarders, scooter riders, rollerskaters and BMX riders of…
Ages 5–18 · Free
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Northern Territory Institute of Equestrian Sport Humpty Doo
The Northern Territory Institute of Equestrian Sport (NTIES), at 150 Acacia Road, Humpty Doo, is an equine training centre run by an Equestrian Australia qualified coach.
Ages 5–18 · From $80
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Palmerston Mini Golf Palmerston
Palmerston Mini Golf is an 18-hole mini golf course at the Palmerston Golf & Country Club, corner of University Avenue and Dwyer Circuit, Palmerston City.
Ages 3–17 · From $10
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Riding for the Disabled Association Top End Marlow Lagoon
Riding for the Disabled Association Top End is a not-for-profit organisation at 38 Catalina Road, Marlow Lagoon, near Palmerston, offering horse riding and…
Ages 5–18
Rainy days and culture
Galleries, science museums, cinemas and shows that hold a teenager's attention.
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Mindil Beach Sunset Market The Gardens
Mindil Beach Sunset Market is Darwin's largest market, held beside Mindil Beach between the casino and the Botanic Gardens, less than 3 km from the city centre.
Ages 0–17 · Free · ★ 4.5 (4,317)
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Darwin Military Museum East Point
The Darwin Military Museum at Lot 5434 Alec Fong Lim Drive, East Point, displays artefacts covering Australia's involvement in international conflicts from the Great…
Ages 5–15 · From $11 · ★ 4.6 (2,173)
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Parap Village Markets Parap
Parap Village Markets are held every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, rain or shine, all year round, in the Parap Shopping Village on Parap Road, about five minutes from…
Ages 0–17 · ★ 4.5 (2,091)
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Darwin Aviation Museum Winnellie
The Darwin Aviation Museum at 557 Stuart Highway, Winnellie, displays the aviation history of the Northern Territory, with 19 aircraft including a B-52 bomber, 21…
Ages 5–17 · From $10 · ★ 4.7 (1,234)
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Deckchair Cinema Darwin City
Deckchair Cinema is an outdoor cinema on the edge of Darwin Harbour, run by the not-for-profit Darwin Film Society.
Ages 0–17 · From $11 · ★ 4.8 (837)
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Darwin Museum WW2 Tunnels Darwin City
The WW2 Oil Storage Tunnels at the Darwin Waterfront on Kitchener Drive are an underground heritage museum in tunnels built during the Second World War.
Ages 5–17 · From $8.50 · ★ 4.2 (999)
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Midpul Art Gallery Darwin City
Midpul Art Gallery is Charles Darwin University's public art gallery, on Level 1 of the Danala Education and Community Precinct at 54 Cavenagh Street, Darwin City.
Ages 5–17 · Free · ★ 4.5 (42)
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Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Fannie Bay
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT Darwin) is at 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens.
Ages 5–17 · Free
Classes and programs for 13+
Art, drama, music, coding and youth programs that take teenagers.
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Royal Existence Dance Academy Darwin Coconut Grove
Royal Existence Dance Academy is a dance studio in Coconut Grove, Darwin, established in 2018, with three studio spaces and a waiting area for families.
Ages 1–18 · ★ 4.8 (61)
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Corrugated Iron Youth Arts Nightcliff
Corrugated Iron Youth Arts offers action-packed performing arts workshops for children and young people during school terms and school holidays.
Ages 4–18 · ★ 5.0 (20)
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Maxim's Guitar Workshop Brinkin
Maxim's Guitar Workshop is a guitar-only school run by Maxim Rahman from a studio in Brinkin.
Ages 8–17 · From $55
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Darwin Performance Academy Woolner
Darwin Performance Academy is a dance studio at 5 Charlton Court, Woolner, run by principal teacher Marnette Jan.
Ages 2–16
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Darwin Languages Centre Ludmilla
Darwin Languages Centre at 1 Nemarluk Drive, Ludmilla, runs after-hours language classes for school students from Transition to Year 12, in 11 languages.
Ages 5–18 · From $180
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Darwin Community Arts Coconut Grove
Darwin Community Arts (DCA) is a community association for grassroots arts development in the Darwin region.
Ages 5–17
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Tara Academy Darwin Nightcliff
Tara Academy Darwin teaches Irish dancing and Irish music at 3/40 Progress Drive, Nightcliff, for beginners to advanced dancers aged 3 to adult.
Ages 3–17 · From $15
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Leisa's School of Dancing Marrara
Leisa's School of Dancing at 131 Abala Road, Marrara, teaches classical ballet using the Cecchetti syllabus for junior students and the Vaganova system for advanced…
Ages 3–18
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The Artful Room Nightcliff
The Artful Room at Shop 7/66 Aralia Street, Nightcliff, runs weekly after-school art workshops for children aged 5 to 18, plus school holiday workshops and occasional…
Ages 5–18 · From $44
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Centre for Youth and Community Music Casuarina
The Centre for Youth and Community Music (CYCM) at Charles Darwin University runs music classes from Building Orange 8 on the Casuarina campus.
Ages 3–18 · From $165
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Rix Kix Arts Stuart Park
Rix Kix Arts runs dance classes in Darwin for kids, teens and adults.
Ages 5–16 · From $210
Free things teenagers rate in Darwin
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Palmerston Water Park Durack
Palmerston Water Park in Durack is a free water park run by the NT Government.
Ages 0–17 · Free · ★ 4.4 (432)
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Recreation Lagoon Darwin City
The Recreation Lagoon is the saltwater lagoon at The Beach, the man-made beach in the Darwin Waterfront Precinct off Kitchener Drive.
Ages 3–17 · Free · All-abilities access
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Jingili Skate Park Jingili
Jingili Water Gardens Skate Park at 91 Freshwater Road, Jingili, is a free City of Darwin skate park for skateboarders, scooter riders, rollerskaters and BMX riders of…
Ages 5–18 · Free
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Mindil Beach Sunset Market The Gardens
Mindil Beach Sunset Market is Darwin's largest market, held beside Mindil Beach between the casino and the Botanic Gardens, less than 3 km from the city centre.
Ages 0–17 · Free · ★ 4.5 (4,317)
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Midpul Art Gallery Darwin City
Midpul Art Gallery is Charles Darwin University's public art gallery, on Level 1 of the Danala Education and Community Precinct at 54 Cavenagh Street, Darwin City.
Ages 5–17 · Free · ★ 4.5 (42)
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Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Fannie Bay
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT Darwin) is at 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens.
Ages 5–17 · Free
Kids eat free deals that still cover teenagers
3 of the 5 kids-eat-free deals in Darwin have no age limit under 13: Berry Springs Tavern (Berry Springs) on Fridays, no age limit stated; Breezes Bar & Bistro (Muirhead) on Thursdays, no age limit stated; Casuarina All Sports Club (Casuarina) on Sundays, no age limit stated. All kids eat free deals in Darwin.
Questions parents ask
- Can teens swim at the beach in Darwin?
- No, because of crocodiles and, in the wet season, stingers. Use the Waterfront lagoons, the council pools and the waterholes the park service marks as open for swimming.
- What is the best croc experience for a teenager?
- The jumping-crocodile cruise on the Adelaide River for the wild ones, or the cage dive at the city croc park for the close-up. The listings show the minimum ages and prices.
- Is Litchfield worth it with teens?
- Yes: waterfalls with swimming holes, short walks and a long day out. Go early, check the park's page for which holes are open, and take a lot of water.
- What free things do Darwin teens like?
- The Mindil sunset markets, the Waterfront swimming lagoon, the foreshore skate park, the botanic gardens and the WWII tunnels and gun sites. The free picks on this page are the teen-rated ones.