'This underrated part of Australia was the perfect spot for a girls' long weekend getaway.'

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On Friday, my fun-loving friend Beth and I wake up in Darwin around 9am, after a late arrival from Sydney the night before.

We have a leisurely breakfast at our Airbnb in Stuart Park while drinking delicious DTown Coffee (by Darwin roasters). Then we set out on foot for supplies.

Before we get to town we feel thirsty in the Darwin heat, so we enjoy bubbles on the water at an adorable place called Frying Nemo. Kinda cringe, kinda cute.

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It's a hot, sweaty, sensational stroll through strange parts of town. At the main bottle-o the staff ask for not only our IDs but also our address. They ask us where we are going to drink the booze as well. It's a Northern Territory policy apparently.

People warned Beth about safety in Darwin; 'it's the most dangerous city in Australia,' they said. It doesn't feel dangerous at all; it does feel quiet. Darwin is a town with a population of just 147,00 people.

Later that evening, we head to a cocktail bar called Hanky Panky. It is dark and fancy and feels nothing like the sleepy city we leave at the door.

Next we find a rooftop bar and stare out into the warm night. We are exhausted from our flight; this is our last stop and it isn't even 9pm!

On Saturday, we are up at 6am for a group tour to Litchfield National Park. The sunrise from our balcony makes me gasp with joy.

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By 8am, we are on a big tour bus with 21 others and our charming Polish bus driver and guide, Boggie, who has fact after fact about crocodiles.

He tells us about Darwin's traditional owners, the Larrakia people. You can see the white smoke and burnt trees, evidence of their controlled burns.

"Aboriginal people say 'if you don't look after land, land won't look after you,'" Boggie says.

Our first stop is Fogg Dam, a failed government rice growing project which is now a stunning nature reserve brimming with wildlife. Here lilies are blooming and we see two Jabiru storks! Kangaroos can't make it to Darwin, their pelts can't handle the wet season (winter) so it's only wallabies, of which we see plenty. Apparently 120,000 saltwater crocodiles live here.

"All water is dangerous in the Top End," Boggie says. Maybe that's what people meant by "dangerous".

There are too many crocs around that can move fast and will get you quick. Finally we reach a spot where it is safe to get out and another tour guide invites us to try a green ant.

Beth and I are vegetarian and pescatarian respectively, so we make it very clear we don't want to kill the ant, just lick its butt. We experience an explosion of lemon flavours on our tongue when we try it. It's like lollipops in the wild.After we leave Fogg Dam, the bus gets a flat tire! Stranded!

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Boggie has the tools to change it, but he didn't have the leverage for the wheel nuts tightened solidly onto the hub. He jumps up and down on the tyre iron to try to get the tyre off but no luck. Help is on the way!

As the passengers get out and wander around a mango orchard, I am reminded about the vastness of this country. The Northern Territory is twice the size of Texas with 255,000 residents (I used to live in the US); there are fewer people living here than just the city of Austin alone.

We head to Litchfield National Park and see giant termite mounds, also called termite cathedrals. So many of them are everywhere; they are like tombstones! It's a termite mausoleum!  

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The day keeps heating up, but the next stop is paradise.

We stop for a dip at Buley Rock Hole and the water is so cold that everything instantly just gets better. The rock pools are like little lazy waterfalls, crowded with families cooling off.

These are one of the few places in the NT where it's safe to swim, as the waterfalls are impenetrable to the crocs.

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Our last stop is Wangi Falls, a giant rock outcrop where two waterfalls pour in. It's divine, striking and sacred.

I swim out to sit under the big waterfall, holding on tightly to my prescription sunglasses as fat drops pelt me all over. It's hard to breathe or see, and it's glorious. 

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We stop at the Aussie-as-hell Berrie Springs Tavern on the way back. The NT News headlines on the bathroom stall doors are all about crocs, ghosts and UFOs. I love the spacious wraparound verandah and the cheeky sign in the 4-wheel-drive-filled parking lot: "Home of the Soft Croc."  

We make it back to Darwin and the night is young! Beth and I head to the waterfront for the Darwin Festival. We sweat like crazy in the humid night air at the cowboy disco as the DJ plays pop country, from Shania Twain to Beyonce, and, as is every boot scootin' boogie tradition, "Cottoneye Joe."

We line dance, we regular dance our asses off until early into Sunday morning.

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On Sunday, we enjoy a luxurious late checkout from our Airbnb at 2pm.

Loaded down with suitcases and backpacks, we Uber to Callen Bay, checking out another colourful pub multiple people recommend, Lolas Pergola.

Then we aimlessly wander, carrying our luggage, taking photos with crocodile statues.

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We catch an Uber to the wharf where the three hour, bottomless champagne, harbour cruise awaits us. We board with a couple dozen other passengers and immediately made friends with a mohawked-man named Jamie who makes sure our bubbles never run dry.

The Darwin sun descends into vibrant orange sunset. It's the night before Beth's birthday, and I know we have to fly in just a few short hours. Everything is vivid, brilliant and bittersweet.

The biggest, orangest full moon rises right before we get off the boat.

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Folks on the boat recommend us take the after party to a bar called Sweethearts where there are duelling pianos! Some of us manage to get there, and it is so fun, a lovely ending to a short, spectacular trip.

After the music stops, she and I head back to the Darwin Airport, chatty, tipsy, exhausted, exuberant.

It was a top weekend in the Top End. I'm absolutely wrecked back in dreary Newcastle, but the sunshine and sparkles from the weekend are still keeping me warm.

Alex Morris is a Newcastle-based freelance writer and content creator. You can read more of her writing and subscribe to her Substack here.

Feature image: Supplied.