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MAGNT Darwin

 

Set in a scenic location overlooking Fannie Bay, MAGNT Darwin on Larrakia Country is home to internationally renowned artistic, cultural and scientific collections and research programs.

Each year MAGNT presents a dynamic program of internally-developed exhibitions, carefully curated from the collection, and the best travelling exhibitions from around Australia.

MAGNT Darwin is also home to the annual Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) — Australia's richest art awards.

Image: Colin Jack-Hinton Maritime Gallery. Photo: Shaana McNaught

MAGNT Darwin

19 Conacher Street

The Gardens, Darwin

Open daily: 10am – 4pm

FREE ENTRY*
 
+61 8 8999 8264
info@magnt.net.au

Closed New Year's Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

* excludes touring exhibitions

Getting Here

By public transport

Public buses in Darwin cost $3 for 3 hours or $7 for a day trip. Using Google Maps is the simplest way to find the next bus from where you are.

Number 4 Bus

The #4 runs from Darwin Interchange and from Casuarina Interchange.

It will drop you off on Gilruth Ave, a 10 minute walk from the museum.

Number 6 Bus

The #6 bus departs from the city regularly and will take you directly to the MAGNT entrance.

By taxi

Catch a taxi or use a ridesharing app such as Oscar or Uber.

Ask one of our friendly Visitor Experience Officers to help you to book your onward journey.

Blue Taxi

Radio Taxis

By bicycle or foot

MAGNT is about a four kilometre ride or walk from the Darwin city centre.

It is best to avoid walking during the heat of the day. Ensure you carry water, wear a hat and use sunscreen. 

MAGNT Getting Here
Cyclone Tracy

Ongoing

Cyclone Tracy

Learn about the day that changed the urban landscape and the lives of Darwin’s residents forever.

Unruly Days: Territory life 1911 – 1921

Ongoing

Unruly Days: Territory life 1911 – 1921

An exhibition that richly illustrates the challenges of life in the Territory in the early 1900's.

Sweetheart the crocodile

Croc in residence

Sweetheart the crocodile

Visit MAGNT's most famous resident, Sweetheart the saltwater crocodile!

 Transformations: the changing nature of the territory

Ongoing

Transformations: the changing nature of the territory

Tracing an evolutionary timeline from the beginnings of our solar system, this exhibition journeys through the periods of natural history that have shaped the unique ecology of the Northern Territory.

40 Celebrating four decades of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards

On now at MAGNT Darwin

40 Celebrating four decades of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards

An incredible selection of artworks and stories from artists who have shared in the history of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.

Virtual Gallery |  Gumurr’manydji Manapanmirr Djäma

Online

Virtual Gallery | Gumurr’manydji Manapanmirr Djäma

In the immersive Gumurr’manydji Manapanmirr Djäma virtual gallery, viewers can see historical vignettes of Yolŋu life in Milingimbi, Galiwin’ku, Gapuwiyak, Ramingining and Minjilang – communities where ALPA operates today.

Colin Jack-Hinton Maritime Gallery

Ongoing

Colin Jack-Hinton Maritime Gallery

A stunning display of traditional boats and canoes, each imparting a fascinating seafaring story intertwined with human culture from the surrounding seas.

Virtual Gallery | 2022 Telstra NATSIAA

Online

Virtual Gallery | 2022 Telstra NATSIAA

Showcasing the very best contemporary art from around the country, from emerging and established artists.

Tiny Territory

On now

Tiny Territory

Tiny Territory makes large and wondrous the small, colourful and alien-like invertebrates of the Northern Territory.

Archie 100 : A Century of the Archibald Prize

Until Sunday 26 June 2023

Archie 100 : A Century of the Archibald Prize

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Archibald Prize, Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize explores the rich history of Australia’s most prestigious portrait award.

Gumurr’manydji Manapanmirr Djäma

On now

Gumurr’manydji Manapanmirr Djäma

A photographic exhibition from the Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA) celebrating 50 years of Yolŋu economic independence,

MAGNT History

MAGNT was founded in 1966, with the introduction of a Bill into the Legislative Council of the Northern Territory. Dr Colin Jack-Hinton was appointed the MAGNT's first director, taking up the position in 1970.

It was first housed in the renovated old Town Hall (originally known as the Palmerston Town Hall) in Darwin’s central business district

 

But on that fateful evening, Christmas Eve 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, destroying the old Town Hall and damaging much of the MAGNT collection. 

 

For the next few years both the staff and collection were housed in multiple buildings around Darwin, coming together for lunchtime lectures in the ruins of the Old Town Hall.

After deliberation, approval was finally granted for the construction of a new purpose-built museum and art gallery at Bullocky Point, on the site of the old Vestey's Meatworks. It was opened on the 10 September 1981.

 

Over the last few decades, MAGNT has grown to include six sites across Darwin and Alice Springs. MAGNT became an independent statutory body on 1 July 2014.

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