Banks All major banks are located in or near Smith Street Mall.

Bookshops Readback Book Exchange in Darwin Plaza off The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-1.30pm) offers a good selection of secondhand books including used travel guides. Also try Dusty Covers, Chin Arcade, 29 Cavenagh St (Mon-Fri 10.30am-5pm) for rare Australian first editions.

Buses Greyhound Pioneer, Transit Centre, 69 Mitchell St (tel 08/8941 6433) and McCafferty's, corner of Peel and Smith streets (tel 08/8941 0911), for journeys within the Territory and out of state. Bus passes can also be purchased at both places, which for longer stays are much better value than ordinary tickets.

Camping equipment The NT General Store, 42 Cavenagh St, has everything you need for going out into the bush, from a new pair of blunnies to mozzie nets, eskies and billies.

Car rental Advance, 86 Mitchell St (tel 08/8981 2112), has a wide range of vehicles from $25 a day; Network, 90 Mitchell St (tel 08/8924 0000), also has mokes from $25 a day, plus charge per km. Territory Thrifty Rental Cars, 64 Stuart Highway (tel 08/8981 8400), is out of town but has a big fleet of vehicles.

Car trouble AANT, 79-81 Smith St (tel 08/8981 0611). Vehicle breakdown service, road maps and information. For roadside service call 08/8941 0611.

Consulates Indonesia, 18 Harry Chan Ave (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 08/8941 0488).

Hospital Royal Darwin Hospital, Rocklands Drive, Casuarina (tel 08/8922 8888).

Internet access The State Library in the Parliament Building gives you half an hour of emailing or an hour of surfing free per day. Territory Internet Services on Knuckey St, near the mall, is the cheapest ($4 per hour) in town while the central Global Gossip on Mitchell St, near the Tourist Precinct, is the busiest.

Pharmacy 46 Smith St Mall (9am-9pm; tel 08/8981 9202).

Police The main police station is at West Lane, behind Knuckey St (tel 08/8981 1866).

Post office 48 Cavenagh St, cnr Edmunds St. Open on Saturday morning and with a well-organized poste restante service.

Secondhand stuff City Secondhand and Pawnbrokers, 6 Harriet Place (where Daly crosses Smith St), has some useful used gear such as cameras, bikes, eskies, tools and hats.

Swimming The nearest decent-sized pool is at Ross Smith Ave, Parap (tel 08/8981 2662); take bus #6 or #10 from the city centre. Or try Lake Alexander at East Point.

Vaccinations Contact the Travel and Immunization Service, 43 Cavenagh St (tel 08/8981 7492), for vaccination service if you're heading for Asia.