Darwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin lies in the tropics at 12.41° S, 130.88° E, on Australia/Darwin time (UTC+9:30). Tropical airports contend with heat and humidity, both of which thin the air and lengthen takeoff runs, and with convective storms that build fast in the afternoon.
Darwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin has 2 runways. The longest, 11/29, measures 11,004 ft by 197 ft, which puts the field in the long-haul capable category: widebodies operate comfortably, though the very longest sectors may need a payload trade. The surface is asphalt. Both are lit for night operations.
Runway 11/29 is aligned roughly east/west, which is the clearest hint you get about the prevailing wind here: runways are built to face the wind that blows most often, because aircraft take off and land into it. With 2 runways across 2 different headings, crews can pick whichever best suits the wind.
The runways are not interchangeable. 18/36 is 5,000 ft against 11/29's 11,004 ft, a difference of 6,004 ft, so the shorter one generally takes regional traffic while the longer handles anything heavy.