Get out on Darwin's beautiful harbour with Australian Harbour Cruises (tel: (08) 8941 4000; website: www.australianharbourcruises.com.au). Three-hour sunset cruises (some on a restored traditional pearling lugger) leave Cullen Bay Marina in time for the sunset. Lunch cruises are also available. Another sunset option is a three-hour sail around the harbour on a lovely old sailing boat, the Cape Adieu (tel: (08) 8942 2011; website: www.capeadieu.com.au). It includes a seafood and barbecue banquet with lots of local seafood.

If you want to see more of the city step aboard the open-topped Tour Tub Bus (tel: (08) 8985 6322; website: www.tourtub.com.au). It visits most attractions and city hotels on a hop-on/hop-off basis.

Plenty of tours head out from Darwin to Litchfield National Park and Kakadu (below). A good website to check out for plenty of tour options is www.tourismtopend.com.au. Fit and active people aged 18 to 45 or so could try one of the many multi-day tours offered by the YHA Australia (website: www.yha.com.au).

Explore the area by bike with Darwin Bicycle Tours (tel: (08) 8942 1022; website: www.darwinbicycletours.com). On the three-hour tour you'll be taken past Aboriginal sites in The Larrakia, Mindle Beach and the East Point Reserve. If you're lucky, you might even spot black cockatoos and wallabies.