The Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery is the state's main museum, located in the suburb of Darwin Fanny Bay.
The museum was originally located in the business centre of the city in the building Old Town Hall on Smith Street. Its collections contained cultural, maritime maritime history, science, and the life of Aboriginal tribes of the Southeast Asia-Pacific region. However, during the devastating Cyclone Tracy in 1974, the building was badly damaged, and part of the collection was lost. The salvaged exhibits were housed in several rented premises throughout Darwin. A new building in the suburb of Fanny Bay was not built only in 1981, at which time the museum was called the Museum of Arts and Science of the Northern Territory. The museum's exhibitions featured the history, science and visual arts of the region and its people. In 1992, an additional room was added to the museum to house the maritime history collection. A year later the museum's name was changed to the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery.
Today, the museum's collection comprises more than 30,000 items of artistic and material culture. One of the most popular exhibits is the body of a crocodile nicknamed "Darling", known for attacking boats and launches.
The museum regularly hosts a number of events, such as presenting the annual National Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Founded in 1984 specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, the event is designed to showcase diversity and innovation in contemporary Aboriginal art.
The museum complex consists of five permanent galleries, a travelling exhibition, educational spaces for school children, a theatre, gift shop, and café.
