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Darwin
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RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
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RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility

See all things to do
See all things to do
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
5
#1 of 97 things to do in Darwin
History Museums
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Darwin Tourist Facility is an exciting attraction on Stokes Hill Wharf that brings to life two iconic Australian stories. Both iconic stories are retold using state of the art technology including Virtual Reality headsets, hologram movies, audio-visuals and touch screen TVs as well as the fascinating story boards. The first story is the Royal Flying Doctor Service, affectionately known as the RFDS. Founded in 1928 by Reverend John Flynn, it began its aero-medical operations in the Northern Territory in 1939. The second story is the Bombing of Darwin on 19th February 1942. The bombing raids by the Japanese, brought destruction to the city of Darwin and many of the events that happened that day are featured. The RFDS Tourist Facility is a must see in Darwin for visitors of all ages and families to have an interesting learning experience about Darwin's history. The facility will be closed Good Friday 7th April 23 and Christmas Day 25 Dec 23.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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Admission tickets
from AU$30.00
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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5.0
1,169 reviews
Excellent
954
Very good
182
Average
26
Poor
4
Terrible
3
Atravelfan
Atlanta256 contributions
Really interesting and enjoyable- worth a visit!
Oct. 2023 • Couples
We really enjoyed this -we werent sure what to expect but it was well worth a visit. The facility is lovely with VR experiences to illustrate the pilot and patient perspective. The plane is interesting to see. The hologram movie was very informative and well done.
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 11 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thanks for taking the time to review our facility, we are pleased that you found it informative and enjoyable. Kind Regards The RFDS team.
Written 12 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York2,683 contributions
Two experiences for the price of one
Sep. 2023 • Solo
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Darwin Tourist Facility tells two Darwin stories. The first is the Bombing of Darwin Harbour on 19 February 1942. The same Japanese crew that attacked Pearl Harbour attacked Darwin 10 weeks later. Every 20 minutes, the air raid sirens go off in the museum. That is the signal to head for the map of the harbour in the centre and watch the Bombing of Darwin Harbour on the big screen. Stokes Hill Wharf was destroyed along with several ships.

The second story was the Royal Flying Doctor Service which provides medical care for Australians who live in the outback, far from any town. They are flown to either Darwin or Adelaide for treatment in a plane such as the one exhibited here. This is a Pilatus PC12, in use from 1995 through 2016. It has room for two stretchers. There were also virtual reality shows and movies featuring holograms for both stories.

I highly recommend a visit here.
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 31 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thank you so much for taking the time to review our facility! We appreciate that you took the time to learn about two of Australia's iconic stories and support the RFDS. We are thrilled to hear you also enjoyed the technology that our facility has to offer and we hope to welcome you again in the future! Many thanks RFDS Tourist Facility Team
Written 1 November 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
sallyanddavid2013
Ballarat, Australia40 contributions
Fantastic
Oct. 2023 • Couples
What an interesting and fascinating museum. We learnt so much and were both very impressed with Renee who showed us around. She was so friendly and helpful.. . Would thoroughly recommend this place to all travellers
Written 31 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thank you Sally and David for your kind review! We are so glad you were able to learn about two of Australia's iconic stories. We agree Renee is a great addition to our team and makes our facility better! Many thanks RFDS Tourist Facility Team
Written 31 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Theresa M
2 contributions
Not to be missed in Darwin
Oct. 2023 • Couples
This exhibit is amazing. The interactive virtual reality of both the bombing of Darwin and the RFDS flights were my favourite
Value for money with two short movies included
Excellent items in gift shop
Several purchased!!!
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 16 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thank you for your kind review! We are thrilled you got to take advantage of all the technology our facility has to offer and got to take home a few pieces of the RFDS. Many thanks RFDS Tourist Facility Team
Written 17 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amanda S
1 contribution
Royal Flying Doctors and Bombing of Darwin
Oct. 2023 • Family
This was an absolutely wonderful place to visit.
I dont want to spoil the surprises, however, it is extremely professionally done and hugely interactive. We were there 2 hours and it passed very quickly.
The staff were wonderful, very friendly and made sure we didnt miss anything.
Highly recommend for all ages.
Written 5 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thanks for the wonderful review, we are pleased that you enjoyed the facility, we are very proud of our product and love getting positive feedback. Kind regards The RFDS team.
Written 6 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jamie
22 contributions
Two-in-one visit worth it for a couple hours in Darwin
We’ll set up tourist facility, with the bonus of being a two-in-one RFDS story and the bombing of Darwin. Great hologram movie. Friendly staff
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 14 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thanks for taking the time to review our facility, its a very interactive and informative museum. The team are very passionate about the RFDS and love hosting visitors. Kind regards The RFDS team.
Written 15 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Grant H
6 contributions
Excellent
Sep. 2023 • Couples
We did this tour both off them very moving regarding world war 2 Darwin Bombings
Staff where excellent just fantastic
Written 12 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thanks for the 5 star review, we are pleased that you enjoyed your time at our facility, we agree these are both moving stories. Kind Regards The RFDS team.
Written 14 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kerrie O
New South Wales, Australia128 contributions
Well presented and informative.
Sep. 2023 • Couples
Nice few hours in cool. Very well presented and two short videos were very informative. Stories well written and staff helpful and friendly. History of RFDs interesting as well as bombing of Darwin in WW2.
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 9 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thank you Kerrie for your review. We are glad you enjoyed your visit with us and got lots of information from the movies. Kind regards, The RFDS Team.
Written 9 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ADFmum
Dandenong, Australia72 contributions
Not to be missed experience
Sep. 2023 • Couples
I loved this exhibit with the interactive experiences made it so much better. I felt like I was really inside the Darwin Bombing in 1942 and learnt a lot about a subject I really did not know much about. Also the RFDS and the amazing work it does and how it started. Thoroughly enjoyed this museum. Take the time to read and use the head sets
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 7 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thanks for the 5 star review, the technology we use is a great way to learn more about these iconic events. We appreciate you taking the time to rate our facility. Kind Regards The RFDS team.
Written 7 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MadamJosephine
Melbourne, Australia1,301 contributions
Fabulous updated VR displays of Darwin Bombing in WW2
We have been now three times in the last 5 years, really impressed by how they keep improving the displays, especially the Visual reality headset of the Bombing of Darwin in WW2 . The VR program showing a hear attack patient being transported was also fantastic. A must see attraction in Darwin, have a coffee, lunch or dinner on Stokes Wharf after.
Review of: Royal Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility: Two Iconic Territory Stories
Written 6 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
Thank you so much for your 5 star review! We are so thrilled to hear you keep coming back and enjoying our facility. We are always trying to improve our facility and make sure it is the best it can be. We hope to see you again in the future! Many thanks RFDS Tourist Facility Team
Written 6 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility
RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost AU$30.48, while a popular guided tour starts around AU$76.19 per person.