Mindil Beach is a beach in the

Northern Territory of Australia The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, located in the suburb of The Gardens, near Darwin's central business district. Mindil Beach holds the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, which runs during the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The ...

(from May until October) of every year. These markets are popular with both the locals and tourists alike and can attract thousands of people..

History

When

George Goyder George Woodroffe Goyder (24 June 1826 – 2 November 1898) was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He rose rapidly in the civil service, becoming Assistant Surveyor-General by 185 ...

surveyed the town of Palmerston, as Darwin was originally known, the name "Mindil" was given and written on maps to the swamp which was behind the town blocks. Rapidly this name came to be applied to the beach in front of the swamp, eventually becoming known as Mindil Beach.

Events

The

Darwin beer-can regatta The Darwin Beer Can Regatta is a festival event which has been held annually since 1974 in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia at Mindil Beach. The inaugural event had 63 entries and was attended by about 22,000 people which was about h ...

is held at Mindil Beach annually. It has been running since 16 June 1974, when it was won by Kevin Jaques driving a tunnel hull "Pistol Knight" on behalf of the Darwin Power Boat Club.

Mindil Beach Sunset Market

The Mindil Beach Sunset Market is a seasonal market held at Mindil Beach. The market started in 1987 in Darwin Mall, but not long afterwards shopkeepers there complained to the

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

about loss of trade, and the market moved to Mindil Beach. the Mindil market contains around 200 stalls, which are open on Thursday and Sunday nights throughout the

, that is, late April through to late October. There are about 60 food stalls, along with arts, crafts and various services on offer. Creative and performing artists from Darwin and regional NT show and perform their work.

References

External links

* Tourist attractions in Darwin, Northern Territory Beaches of the Northern Territory {{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub