RAPID CREEK MARKETS

Rapid Creek markets are Darwin's only undercover setup, and specialise in a cornucopic variety of fresh produce and prepared food. While all of Darwin's markets have a number of takeaway food stalls, Rapid Creek mostly focuses on fruit and vegetable produce, trinkets are pretty thin on the ground here.

The bewildering array of tropical fruits, vegetable, leafy greens and herbs (a good half of which I'm ashamed to say I currently know little to nothing about!) are often locally sourced, and to my mind are a much more appealing alternative to their somewhat bland supermarket counterparts which have often been subject to a long overland journey.

My current staples are chicken noodle soup (for Sunday brunch), suman (aka sticky rice - pictured below) and freshly made green paw-paw salad. For the green-fingered crowd, there is also a good selection of live plants for sale - including indoor plants, herbs, spices and vegetables.

One of the many subjects I'm hoping to cover to some degree is local seasonal food, from the weird to the wonderful to the its-an-acquired-taste. The Darwin foodie scene is slowly picking up (see here for some great reviews and photography) along with the push to eat local. I see these both as great indicators that Darwin could yet become a great Australian food hub.

Held every Sunday morning at the Rapid Creek Shopping Centre these covered markets also continue throughout the wet season.