Witnessing the moment when Darwin Harbour is illuminated by a dazzling bolt of lightning, then feeling the chill on your skin just before the sky cracks open and reviving rains pelt down, is a magical Top End experience. Territorians relish the steamy, sensual summer with its dramatic weather – most will tell you it’s their favourite time of year – and the local secret is getting out.

Short but heavy downpours feed thousands of waterfalls that roar to life with a humbling power not seen in any other season. Feathered, scaled and furred beings emerge to enjoy the unique conditions that transform their fragile environment. Somehow, the rains create personal transformations, too. Nature and humanity seem more closely connected, and a sense of renewal spreads. Come and be refreshed in the Northern Territory’s wet season, now known as the Territory's tropical summer.