Mandorah
Mandorah Beach, across the harbour from Darwin on the Cox Peninsula, is a popular beach for fishing. Mandorah Beach gives you unspoilt city views. The Mandorah Jetty is a great place to throw a line in. Some of the common fish caught at the jetty are Queensfish, Shark, Barramundi, Mackerel and many more. Mandorah Hotel, which overlooked Darwin Harbour, was demolished in 2014, however there is a general store (with great fish and chips) and the Cox Country Club where you can find a cool drink and enjoy a game of darts on the right night.
As with other localities, visitors should check that the water is safe prior to swimming, as sharks and crocodiles can be found here at certain times throughout the year.
If you come to Mandorah by road, there is plenty of interest to see as you traverse Cox Peninsula. See magnetic termite mounds, wetlands prolific with birdlife and a natural spring hidden in a tiny pocket of rainforest. You may spot a wild brumby or two. There are a myriad of bush tracks to explore that lead to unspoilt beaches and great fishing.
Mandorah is reached by a 14 minute ferry ride on the Darwin Sea Cat from the Cullen Bay Ferry Terminal, or a 128km drive from Darwin which includes 10km of gravel road. You can take bikes on the ferry, which is a good thing as some of the places of interest are a bit too far to walk to, particularly on a hot day. Bikes can be hired from Spinaway.
This locality is named after "Mandorah", a guest house built in the area by Allan Hartwig. The name was first officially recorded as an address on correspondence between Mrs Florence Hartwig and the Lands Department in May 1948. Mr Allan Hartwig held Occupation Licence No. 242 of about 20 acres. Although the name appears first in 1948, it could have been applied during or just after World War II.
Home to a community of around 400, Wagait Beach is on the north coast of the Cox Peninsula, which forms the western side of Darwin Harbour. Wagait is home to many artists, musicians and writers. Wagait Beach hosts several annual cultural events. At Easter is the annual Wagait Beach Bicycle Carnaval and Mardi Gras. In July is the Mandorah Ukulele Folk Festival. In August is the annual Wagait Arts Festival. The Wagait Beach Supermarket, on Wagait Tower Road, is the only shop in the community. The Cox Country Club, on Cox Drive, is the local social club (open Wednesday to Sunday). Meals are available from the Bush Kitchen next to the social club. Wagait Beach Bush Retreat offers holiday accommodation.
Wagait Beach is a popular location for deep sea fishing. There is fantastic fishing from the wharf and beaches or launch your boat from either the Mandorah or Bynoe Harbour boat ramps if you prefer to fish the harbour, inlets and tidal creeks.
"Wagait" (also spelled "Waugite") is a local Aboriginal language word meaning beach or salt water country. It also refers to the people from that country: i.e., salt water people. In 1942, after the Bombing of Darwin, a military base was established at Waugite Point on the north east of the Cox Peninsula, and a huge observation tower was constructed, with a communications bunker underneath it. Waugaite tower was destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
Wagait Beach is an absolutely beautiful place for a swim or walk along the beach. If you do the latter you will come across more remnants of World war II including observation points and tank traps. Wagait Beach is on the north coast of the Cox Peninsula, which forms the western side of Darwin Harbour. It is part of the Hundred of Bray, as surveyed by Goyder in 1869-70. "Wagait" (also spelled "Waugite") is a local Aboriginal language word meaning beach or salt water country. It also refers to the people from that country: i.e., salt water people.
Wagait Beach can be accessed by a 15-minute passenger ferry trip, from Cullen Bay (Darwin), to Mandorah. Mandorah is 5 km from Wagait Beach. There is a bicycle path from Mandorah to Wagait Beach. It is a 128 km drive from Darwin via the Cox Peninsula Rd through Berry Springs.
Charles Point, is the most northerly point of the Cox Peninsula, approximately 15 km to the west. The historic Charles Point Lighthouse is located there, as was a Radio Australia shortwave transmitter station (now closed and dismantled). West Point, just north of Mandorah is the west head of Darwin Harbour.
Bynoe Harbour is a natural harbour on the west side of Cox Peninsula, approximately 40 km from Wagait beach by road, via Bynoe Harbour Access Road (turn off Cox Peninsula Road 27 km south of Wagait Beach).
There are numerous reminders of World War II nearby including the Liberator Memorial, a submarine defence cable anchor site. The best-known is the Liberator Memorial at the the crash site of a USAF B24 Liberator Bomber which went down on 17th January 1945. The Milady was a B24J Consolidated Liberator, number 42-73134, belonging to the 380th Bombardment group of the USAF based in Darwin. It was towards the end of the war, 17th January 1945, and the crew was returning from an early morning bomb aiming training flight. There are conflicting accounts of the cause of the crash. One is that the aircraft was preparing to land at Darwin but a tropical storm blew in and caused the big plane to lose its bearings. Another account suggests that the aircraft caught fire while still airborne as a result of the blast from a low level bombing run. Either way, it crashed a few km short of the airbase in heavy jungle.
The wreckage was located the next day but all 6 crew members were killed. They were subsequently buried in Adelaide River War Cemetery and after the war their remains were repatriated to the USA. The crash site is now an official Heritage Site so it must be treated with due respect and left in place as a memorial to the crew who died there. Parts of the aircraft are still very recognisable even after 70+ years in the bush, even though the wreckage was badly burnt in the crash and subsequent bush fires.
The site is 8 km from Mandorah so you you plan to go there, it would be advisable to take a pushbike on the ferry unless you are arriving by car. The site about 8 km along a quiet bitumen road and then a further 1 km along a bush track.
A World War II submarine defence cable anchor site is one of many war defence relics to be found in and around Mandorah. In 1937 the Royal Australian Navy recognised that the Darwin port would need defence against incoming enemy vessels - including submarines - and so work began on the installation of a boom net across the harbour. At six kilometres in length it was the longest in the world, and ran between Dudley Point, near East Point, and West Point, near Mandorah. The boom net consisted of cable carried on the surface and strung from buoy to buoy. There were two types of buoys, large cylindrical models tied to concrete moorings below, and barrel-shaped flotation buoys supporting steel netting. Ship-operated gates let friendly vessels through.
