Darwin, the main city in Australia’s “top end”, is remarkably cosmopolitan, its 135,000-strong population made up of more than 60 nationalities. Eating options include authentic Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi food, plus several types of fusion cuisine.

The best place to sample this is the twice-weekly Mindil Beach Sunset Market, 3km north-east of the city centre, with almost 200 stalls. On Thursday and Sunday evenings during the dry season (end of April-October), it seems as if most of Darwin is here. The market is a hive of didgeridoo players, yoga demonstrations, tarot-card readers, masseurs and vendors selling everything from goat’s milk soap to crocodile-skin handbags.

Asian food dominates. Highlights include Borneo Intersection, a stall serving Indonesian-Malaysian dishes such as jackfruit curry and tempeh chilli. It also serves gourmet sushi, which can feature kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi, a local fish. Another great stall is Bangladesh Curry Kitchen, which produces a fine okra-and-tomato curry.

First-time visitors, however, should head to the Darwin Laksa Co for the hot, spicy, coconut-rich soup that is served throughout south-east Asia and has become a fixture on menus across Darwin in recent years. For $10 (£6), you get a steaming bowl of potent yellow-orange broth packed with noodles, sliced chicken, pork, beef or prawns, and a spongy cube of tofu. After customising the laksa with ground peanuts, crispy-fried onions, chopped coriander and chilli sauce, the only thing left to do is to join the locals on the beach for the sunset.

• Shafik Meghji is the co-author of the Rough Guide to Australia