Darwin, in tropical northern Australia at 12.5°S, has a low-latitude sky where the galactic core passes almost directly overhead in winter — a breathtaking sight. The city's Bortle 6 glow gives way to dark Outback skies quickly, and the vast, sparsely populated Top End offers Bortle 2 darkness not far out. The tropical climate has a sharp dry/wet split: the dry season (May to October) brings clear, rainless nights ideal for observing, while the wet season is cloudy and stormy. The Magellanic Clouds and the rich southern Milky Way dominate the dry-season sky.