Recent wet weather and ongoing severe conditions mean some of City of Darwin parks and open spaces remain closed for public safety. Stay alert when moving around the city and keep out of closed areas.
Closed to public until further notice:
- Que Noy Park
- Beatrice Park (also known as
Meigs Park)- Doctors Gully
- Sommerville Park
Recovery works updates - 19 March 2026.
City of Darwin has made significant progress in assessing the damage to City of Darwin assets sustained from Tropical Cyclone Fina. Recent wet weather has resulted in additional tree failures across the municipality, including in some previously cleared areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which City of Darwin facilities are open?
Open facilities:
- Community Centres – Nightcliff, Malak, Lyons currently closed due to vandalism
- All parks are now open except for: Que Noy Park, Bearice park, Doctors Gully an Sommerville Park
- All sporting ovals
- Walkways – except Walkway 121, between Aldridge Place and Milner Street.
- Dog parks: Alawa, Bundilla and Muirhead.
- Pools
- Civic Centre
- Libraries
- Carparks - West Lane and Dragonfly
- Pound
- Reviva Reuse Shop at Shoal Bay
- Public toilets
- Childcare centres
- Darwin General Cemetery
Closed until further notice:
- Que Noy Park
- Beatrice Park (also known as Meigs Park)
- Doctors Gully
- Sommerville Park
When will mowing of parks, open spaces and ovals commence?
As of Thursday 19 March 2026, all 363 sites are back on a regular mowing schedule.
We are still working hard to complete mowing at every location. Recent wet weather has made it difficult to access some sites.
Why are there so many tree stumps left behind after clearing is done?
To ensure our teams could assess and clear as many areas as fast as possible after Cyclone Fina hit, we completed tree clearing work in many instances without removing the tree stump.
While removal of the damaged and hazardous sections of the trees was a high priority, the job of removing the stumps is extensive.
Stumps will be removed progressively as the contractor works through the priority list in the most efficient way possible, prioritising stumps that have created hazards (large holes, damage to footpaths and kerbs etc).
1,203 stumps have been removed from road verges completing our round 1 assessments as at 12 March 2026. We are currently completing our round 2 assessments and have identified more than 500 low risk stumps needing to be removed from road verges.
As at 19 March 2026, we have identified 903 stumps in parks which require removal. Of this number, 254 have been removed, with a remaining is 649 stumps in parks expected to be removed. We also expect to identify more stumps in parks as we continue to complete our assessments.
We thank the community for their patience as we undertake the task of plucking and grinding all these stumps, beginning with those on verges and then moving on to those in our parklands.
How long will the Cyclone Fina clean-up take?
Cyclone Fina was a Category 3 cyclone and the biggest cyclone since Cyclone Tracy. City of Darwin manages around 90% of roads in Darwin and is a relatively small team.
Our staff and contractors are working through prioritised systems, which include clearing green waste from:
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128 playgrounds.
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19 sporting grounds and ovals
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221 parks and green spaces
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475 km of roads
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730 footpaths and walkways
Phase One: Initial Three-Month Recovery
City of Darwin’s dedicated recovery team have been working at full capacity to assess and restore essential services during this initial phase, focused on the highest-risk and highest-use areas, clearing fallen trees and debris from priority areas including:
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Roads
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Infrastructure repairs
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Mowing grass on verges, ovals, parks and reserves
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Final clearing of verges
It is important to note that progress is also highly weather dependent during this phase, with recent storms causing additional trees to fall, some in locations that had already been cleared, requiring reassessment and contributing to delays. Crews are working continuously while monitoring the evolving forecast to ensure work is undertaken safely.
Phase Two Recovery
Once City of Darwin’s dedicated team are confident that these priority areas are safe and operational for the community, wider recovery work will commence. This second phase will be prioritised as follows:
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Infrastructure repairs
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Final clearing of verges
Where do I take my green waste?
Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility is open for general waste and green waste collection.
Kerbside bin collections - Recycling and general waste kerbside bin collections are operating as normal.
What if a tree on council land has fallen within a residents’ property boundary causing damaged. Who pays for the damage?
Residents are responsible for managing any damage within their property. City of Darwin crews will only clear debris up to the property boundary and cannot enter private land. Residents may submit an insurance claim later if they believe the City of Darwin is at fault.
Did City of Darwin have a cyclone response plan?
City of Darwin has a comprehensive cyclone plan supported by detailed subplans across all areas of our operations.
It rained a lot over the Christmas and New Year break, has this delayed the initial three-month recovery phase?
Ongoing wet weather continues to compromise trees, including some in previously cleared locations, requiring further reassessment and contributing to delays.
What advice do you give the community to ensure they are safe during this clean-up period?
Some areas remain closed, as outlined above. City of Darwin asks that the community please remain cautious around trees, avoid restricted areas for your safety and follow all relevant signage to help keep everyone safe.
We will share updates as soon as they become available.
Media Releases
Find all Cyclone Fina media releases on the News page.
- Caution urged around large and damaged trees | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 19/12/25
- Cyclone recovery update, community thanked for patience | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 12/12/25
- Hidden Valley emergency green waste facility extension | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 03/12/25
- Cyclone Fina recovery efforts continue | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 28/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility remains closed to the public | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 23/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Community facilities update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 26/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Community Waste Management Update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 25/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Community facilities update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 25/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Community facilities update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 24/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: Community facilities update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 24/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: community facilities update | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 21/11/25
- Cyclone Fina update: City of Darwin monitoring Tropical Cyclone Fina closely | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 20/11/25
- Keeping pets safe this cyclone & storm season | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 19/11/25
- Pre-Cyclone Clean-Up 2025 complete | City of Darwin | Darwin Council, Northern Territory 10/10/25
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