Royal Darwin Hospital maternity guide

Royal Darwin Hospital is the public hospital in Tiwi, run by NT Health. Public patients give birth here and, since Darwin Private Hospital closed its maternity service in 2025, so do private patients. It has a delivery suite, the Darwin Birth Centre and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In 2022, 2,039 women gave birth at Royal Darwin Hospital, according to NT Health's Mothers and Babies 2022 report. In labour, go to the delivery suite on the sixth floor. If you are worried after 20 weeks of pregnancy, you can call the delivery suite on (08) 8922 8688 at any time, day or night, to talk to a midwife. The hospital switchboard is (08) 8922 8888. In an emergency, call 000.

Royal Darwin Hospital maternity at a glance

• Hospital type: Public, also for private maternity patients
• Run by: NT Health
• In labour: Go to the delivery suite, (08) 8922 8688
• Pregnancy care options: Hospital clinic, GP shared care, team midwifery, Midwifery Group Practice
• Antenatal clinic: Eighth floor, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
• Delivery suite: Sixth floor, six birth rooms and two baths
• Darwin Birth Centre: Ground floor, two birth rooms, each with a bath
• Nursery: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery
• Typical stay: Home from 4 hours, or up to 48 hours after a normal-risk birth

Where is Royal Darwin Hospital maternity, and how do I contact it?

• Address: Royal Darwin Hospital, 105 Rocklands Drive, Tiwi NT 0810
• Delivery suite and Darwin Birth Centre: (08) 8922 8688, any time after 20 weeks
• Antenatal clinic: (08) 8922 6707, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
• Maternity ward (6A): (08) 8922 8666
• Hospital switchboard: (08) 8922 8888
• In labour: go to the delivery suite on the sixth floor.

How do I book in at the RDH antenatal clinic?

Public pregnancy care in Darwin starts with your GP. The antenatal clinic is on the eighth floor of the hospital. Palmerston Regional Hospital also offers antenatal and postnatal outpatient care, but labour and birth happen at Royal Darwin Hospital.

1. See your GP. Go to your GP when you have a positive pregnancy test. Your GP looks after your early pregnancy care.
2. Get a referral. Your GP sends a referral letter to the hospital, and the hospital sends you a date and time for your first appointment.
3. Go to your first visit. You meet the midwives and doctors and talk about your health and needs, so they can find the right care for you. Bring your Medicare card (or passport) and referral letter, and allow up to an hour.
4. Book your classes. Midwife-run childbirth education is free with a Medicare card, and the team aims to book you in at 30 to 34 weeks. For details, call (08) 8922 6934.

What pregnancy care options are there at Royal Darwin Hospital?

• Hospital pregnancy care. With a normal-risk pregnancy, a midwife gives most of your care. With a high-risk pregnancy, you see midwives and doctors.
• Shared care with your GP. If your pregnancy is normal, your GP gives most of your care, with three appointments with midwives and doctors at 14 to 17 weeks, 36 weeks, and 40 weeks and 3 days.
• Team midwifery. For normal-risk pregnancies. A team of midwives cares for you in pregnancy, at the birth and after. Clinics are at Palmerston, Wanguri and the Darwin Birth Centre.
• Midwifery Group Practice (MGP). A small group of midwives cares for women with high-risk pregnancies, women from remote Aboriginal communities who travel to Darwin to give birth, and normal-risk women planning a homebirth in the Darwin and Palmerston area.

For team midwifery or MGP, call the antenatal clinic on (08) 8922 6707. Read more on the NT Government pregnancy and birthing services in Darwin page.

What are the RDH delivery suite and Darwin Birth Centre like?

The delivery suite is on the sixth floor, with six birth rooms, showers, toilets and two baths. All women with high-risk pregnancies and labours give birth here. If your pregnancy is normal risk, you can use a bath for pain relief or for the birth.

The Darwin Birth Centre is on the ground floor, for all women with normal-risk pregnancies and labours. Its two birth rooms each have a bath and toilet. You can use the water for pain relief, and have a waterbirth if your doctor and midwife agree.

After 20 weeks, call (08) 8922 8688 if your baby is not moving normally, you have bleeding, fluid leaking, stomach pain or a bad headache, or you are very worried.

Can I give birth as a private patient now Darwin Private Hospital maternity has closed?

Yes, at Royal Darwin Hospital. Darwin Private Hospital closed its maternity service on 6 June 2025. NT Health, working with private health insurers, now offers:

• Private obstetrician-led care. You give birth at Royal Darwin Hospital with your private obstetrician and the hospital's midwives.
• Private midwife-led care. Care from a private practising midwife, using the hospital's birthing facilities.
• Post-natal packages. A maternity retreat in a hotel (up to 4 nights, counting your hospital stay) or a return home sooner package, both with daily midwife visits and a 24/7 midwife phone line.

You must choose to be a private patient, and before admission you receive informed financial consent confirming your insurance cover, rebates and any excess. Single rooms are limited, so you will probably share a room with one other mother and baby. Call the private patient liaison officer on (08) 8999 2509, email info.nthealthprivatematernity@nt.gov.au, or read the NT Government private maternity services page.

Does Royal Darwin Hospital have a NICU?

Yes. Royal Darwin Hospital has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Special Care Nursery for unwell and premature babies. In July 2026, the Australian Government announced $10 million to upgrade the birthing, maternity and neonatal intensive care areas, with the work expected to finish in late 2027.

How long will I stay, and what are the RDH maternity ward visiting hours?

After a normal-risk birth, you can go home four hours after the birth with home midwife visits, or stay on the maternity ward (6A) for up to 48 hours. After a high-risk pregnancy and birth, expect 3 to 5 days. Visiting hours on 6A are 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm, with 1pm to 3pm for partners only. Two visitors can come at a time, and partners and family cannot stay overnight.

What support is there after I take my baby home?

• Home visiting midwives: visits seven days a week to help with feeding and check on you and your baby, (08) 8922 6141. If you are from a remote area and staying in Darwin, they can visit you there for up to 10 days before you travel home.
• Breastfeeding help: hospital lactation consultants, (08) 8922 7602.
• Community care centres: child health and assessment clinics and postnatal home visits. Have your 6 week check with your GP or community care centre.
• Danila Dilba Health Service: an Aboriginal medical service offering pregnancy and postnatal care, (08) 8942 5444.
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: 1800 882 436, 24 hour support.
• healthdirect: 1800 022 222, 24 hour health advice from registered nurses.

From the first night at home, follow the Red Nose safe sleep recommendations every time your baby sleeps.

Other birthing hospitals in the Northern Territory

The other birthing hospitals are a long way from Darwin by road. They are listed closest first.

• Katherine Hospital Public
• Gove District Hospital Public
• Alice Springs Hospital Public

See all Northern Territory birthing hospitals.

Royal Darwin Hospital maternity FAQs

Hospital details checked against the NT Government on 23 October 2026. Services and contact details can change, so confirm with the hospital before you go. This page is general information and is not medical advice.