What is across the other side of Darwin Harbour? If you are visiting the Top End of the Northern Territory, Wagait Beach and Mandorah might not be places you have on your itinerary. However, this small beachside community on Cox Peninsula is worth a visit.
Mandorah is little more than a jetty – but it is a jetty worth seeing. Wagait Beach not only has a beautiful beach but there is also some interesting World War 2 history there. It is also a great spot to watch wet season thunderstorms roll in over Darwin.
The tricky bit is getting to Wagait Beach. There are a couple of options.
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Drive or get a ferry to Wagait Beach?
Believe it or not, the Mandorah Jetty is less than 6km from Cullen Bay Marina. The Mandorah Jetty is closer in a straight line to Darwin than the airport is. The problem is you can’t drive there in a straight line.
You can however catch a ferry. The cruise across takes 15 minutes from the Cullen Bay Marina to Mandorah Jetty. You can also drive to Wagait Beach from Darwin, but you have to travel 120km and it takes 90 minutes.
(For the record, a car did drive directly from Mandorah across Darwin Harbour. While we were staying in Darwin a team of divers drove a customised 1978 Land Cruiser across the sea floor between Mandorah and Mindil Beach. The world record underwater road trip took 30 divers 12 hours to make the crossing 30m below the surface).
Darwin to Mandorah Ferry
SeaLink operate a ferry between Cullen Bay Marina and Mandorah Jetty multiple times a day. The ride across only takes 15 minutes.
The problem is, once you get to Mandorah Jetty, it is about 5km into Wagait Beach, 5.5km to the Cox Country Club and you have no chance of walking to the World War 2 wreck of the B24J Liberator bomber Milady.
So, what are the options?
Tours & Shuttles to Cox Country Club
If you don’t have your own transport or you do not want to drive, there are a couple of ways to get around.
First, you can pedal. You can take your bike onto the ferry; it is a 15 minute ride into Wagait Beach. If you have an off road bike you could also get to the Milady Wreck.
A less sweaty option is to arrange for the Cox Country Club in Wagait Beach to pick you up from Mandorah Jetty and drop you back later in the day. From Thursday to Sunday there is a free shuttle for guests and members. You can get to the beach from Cox Country Club but not the Milady bomber. Contact the club for details.
Another option is to do the Half-Day Mandorah Explorer Tour offered by SeaLink. The cost is $125 per person. The half day tour includes your ferry fare. You are met at the jetty and taken to sights around Wagait Beach including the Milady bomber and World War 2 sites at West Point and the beach.
We booked the SeaLink tour but, unfortunately for both SeaLink and us, their bus broke down the day before our tour. Since we wanted to look around a bit, we decided to drive.
Driving to Wagait Beach & Mandorah Jetty
The 90 minute drive from Darwin to Wagait Beach takes you through Berry Springs and onto Cox Peninsula. Cox Peninsula Road is sealed all the way to Wagait Beach. If you are staying a bit out of Darwin it will be a shorter drive. From Berry Springs or Noonamah, the drive is down to 45-60 minutes.
That said, for us the 90 minute drive was easy and interesting. The route from Darwin takes you across the Elizabeth River to Berry Springs then through savannah woodland to Wagait Beach. It felt a lot shorter than 120kms.
Things to do in Wagait Beach and Mandorah
Mandorah Jetty
Mandorah Jetty is an impressive sight. The jetty, which has been rebuilt a couple of times due to cyclone damage, is one of the best shore-based fishing spots around Darwin. It’s not hard to see why. The water is crystal clear, and you can see fish everywhere. Anglers can try for mackerel, tuna, trevally, barramundi and queenfish. You can take fishing gear across on the ferry.
There is also some impressive cliffs and rocks either side of the jetty, their colour really glows in the sun. To the left of the jetty as you look back towards land is the pretty Picnic Point Beach. The beach, rock flats and cliffs are a great sight and fun to look around.
West Point World War 2 Ruins
From the carpark side of Mandorah Jetty there is a track along the small cliffs to West Point. Here you can see some large cement slabs that formed part of the anti-submarine net that ran across Darwin Harbour. It is an easy 1.5km return walk. There is a creek mouth at West Point so just be crocodile aware as you look around. Apparently two or three problem crocs are removed from around Wagait Beach each year.
B24J Liberator Bomber Milady Wreck
Getting to see the site of the Milady wreck was one of the main reasons we wanted to drive to Wagait Beach. Much of the wreck is still on the ground and you can follow a series of informative signs around the wreck in the monsoon forest. It’s a peaceful site in the forest with quite a bit of atmosphere.
If you are driving from Darwin, you will see the brown signs to the B24J Liberator aircraft wreck site when you get to the end of Cox Peninsula Road. It is in the opposite direction to Wagait Beach. The road turns into a sealed single lane. There is another sign off to the right 2–3km along Charles Point Road.
The road into the wreck is an unmaintained dirt track. Someone has helpfully written on the brown tourist sign that it is 1.5km along the track to the wreck. We got there taking it easy in our 2WD. In the wet season the track, if passable at all, would be 4WD only.
It is worth getting in there. It is an interesting and evocative memorial to the six crew members killed in the crash in 1945.
Wagait Beach
One of the best things about Wagait Beach is the beach itself. The water is turquoise blue, the sand stretches on for kilometres. We have seen the sand described as white, but it was more a shade of Milo brown when we visited. Not that it matters, it was still lovely. As with any beach in the Top End, swimming here is at your own risk. As well as crocodiles and jellyfish to contend with, there are also signs warning about strong currents.
There are four pedestrian access points to the Wagait Beach evenly spaced along the foreshore. They are all well signed, and each spot offers something a little bit different whether it is World War 2 history, colourful rocks, the mouth of a creek or a fledgling stand of mangroves.
You won’t find much in the way of shade or facilities near the beach, so it is mostly a case of going for a walk, taking in the views and retreating when you get too hot. The beaches are also popular fishing spots.
Read More: Find the Best Beaches to Visit in Darwin
World War 2 Ruins
While the World War 2 history at West Point and the wreck of the Milady are slightly tricky to get to, there are some easy to see remains on the Wagait Beach foreshore. The place to see them is from the pedestrian access point at the end of Wagait Tower Road which is the main road into the township.
If you follow the road as far as you can, you will see a blue beach access sign and next to it a red sign with information about the Wagait Beach Gun Emplacements. There is a short walk to the dunes where you can’t miss the remains just before you reach the beach. They are the most intact World War 2 ruins on the beach.
There is some signage at the site, or you can download the Defence of Darwin Experience App to get more pictures and details about the ruins.
Cox Country Club
With the closure of the much loved Mandorah Pub back in 2013, the Cox Country Club is the place to go for a cool drink and lunch. We stopped here for lunch and had a good value meal, and the cold drinks were very welcome. It is a nice setting with plenty of shade and a super relaxed atmosphere. There is a huge banyan tree and small playground that will keep the kids entertained.
It is important to note the opening hours. Lunch is only available on weekends. Dinner is available Thursday to Sunday.
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