Darwin Shopping Precincts

10 of Darwin’s best places for a dose of retail therapy

General city shopping hours are Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm with late night shopping on Friday to 9pm. Most shops are open all day Saturday (9am-4pm) and Sunday 10am-4pm.

1. Shopping in Darwin is fun, with some of the best shopping to be found in the outdoor markets. Top of list, the

Mindil Beach Sunset Markets

run from April until October on Thursday and Sunday nights. As well as more than 60 food stalls from more than 30 different countries you’ll find 200 art and craft stalls.

2. The Saturday morning

Parap Village Market

local produce, local arts and crafts, entertainment and delicious cuisine from around the world.

3. On Sunday mornings, head to

Nightcliff Markets in Nightcliff Shopping Centre

. Stalls display a wide variety of original crafts such as copper sculptures, fairy dresses, hemp designer clothing and traditional Asian crafts. Browse through the many stalls specialising in recycled products like hardware, furniture, clothing, gardening, compact discs, books and collectables.

4. Another popular Sunday market, the

Rapid Creek Market

is Darwin's oldest market and 20 minutes from Darwin city in the Rapid Creek Business Village. Browse the stalls for fresh organic produce, Asian fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, exotic plants, flowers and seafood. You’ll also find a range of local handmade crafts.

5. In the city centre the

The Mall

and surrounding streets offer more than 200 specialty shops fashion, footwear, handbags, hats, music, books, sportswear.

6. There are

20 arcades in Darwin City

along the Mall you’ll find Galleria, Centrepoint , Anthony Plaza or Darwin Plaza . Check out Air Raid Arcade with its wall display of historic photographs and specialty shops or The Vic Arcade , open to the sky and with a gnarled old bougainvillea still blooming. The Star Village , off the Mall, still has traces of its days as an open-air cinema.

7. Casuarina Square

, in the northern suburbs, is the largest shopping complex in Darwin, offering a wide range of specialty stores, a food court and a seven-screen cinema complex.

8. If you’re looking for pearls,

Pearl Galleria

has a huge range of pearls and other fine products priced from $20 right up to $20,000 if you’re ready (and willing) to splurge. Shop 21, The Galleria, Darwin City Mall. You’ll also find plenty of pearls at the Australian Pearling Exhibition in The Wharf Precinct and at Paspaley in The Mall.

9. Darwin’s a great place to buy quality Aboriginal art , but you’ll need to avoid the mass-produced tourist tat and head for one of the reputable galleries that specialises in quality art. Best bets include the

Mason Gallery

which specialises in central Australian and western desert artists (21 Cavenagh St);

Mbantua Gallery

for Utopia art (93 Mitchell St);

Outstation

for work from emerging artists across the Territory (2 Parap Place);

Maningrida Arts and Culture

(32 Mitchell St) and any of the art centres in the Tiwi Islands.

10. For a unique Top End souvenir head out to the

Barra Shack in Humpty Doo

, around 25 minutes drive from the city, and check out the range of belts, bags, diary covers, book covers, and purses, all made from the skins of barramundi, crocodile, cow and kangaroo on the premises.