If you're after a big day of discovery, the MAGNT is a sure bet. This two-in-one museum and gallery houses more than 30,000 artefacts, including the body of Sweetheart, a 5.1-metre saltwater crocodile responsible for attacking boats; relics from the category four Cyclone Tracy that changed Darwin’s urban landscape; and bones of Melville, the Northern Territory’s 21.9-metre pygmy blue whale. The MAGNT is also home to the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards – the most significant award of its kind nationwide.
Kids will love MAGNT's Discovery Centre, which offers free, drop-in activities for families from 10.30am to 12.30pm Friday to Sunday (during NT school term) or Tuesday to Thursday (during NT school holidays). A highlight is the children's book and puzzle library.