Along with its importance as a gateway to Asia, Darwin also acts as an access point for the Kakadu National Park, Arnhem Land, and northerly islands such as Groote Eylandt and the Tiwi Islands.
Po katastrofi je bilo evakuiranih 30.000 ljudi od 43.000 kolikor jih je živelo v mestu, s čimer je to postala največja evakuacija civilnega prebivalstva v avstralski zgodovini.