STI Test Darwin: results in 24 hours, no appointment
$39no additional costs for the tests themselves with Medicare or OSHC
$39 SMS pathology referral for an STI screen (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis) in Darwin. Walk into any pathology lab in Darwin. Most results within 24 hours.
If anything comes back positive, your follow-up telehealth consult with a Specialist GP is included at no additional cost.
You will receive a pathology referral by SMS. Take it to any pathology clinic across Darwin.
Pathology across Darwin
Walk into any pathology clinic across Darwin with your Clinic365 referral. No appointment needed.
STI testing in Darwin
If you’ve searched STI test Darwin because you want a check without seeing a doctor in person, this page is for you. Clinic365 lets you order a full STI screen online from anywhere in Darwin, walk into any pathology clinic across the metro area or regional NT, and get most results within 24 hours by SMS. No appointment, no waiting room.
If you’d prefer to talk to a doctor first — about symptoms, contraception, women’s or men’s health, or anything beyond a routine screen — see our online sexual health clinic for a same-day phone consult.
What an STI test in Darwin covers
The standard 5-infection screen tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B from a single blood test and urine sample. These are the 5 infections recommended for routine screening under current Australian STI testing guidelines (Australian sexual health testing guidelines).
Add-on testing
You can add testing for herpes, mycoplasma genitalium, trichomonas, BV, thrush, or UTI through the questionnaire. Self-collected throat and anal swabs can also be added if you’ve had oral or anal sex (urine alone misses throat and rectal infections).
For any symptoms — discharge, sores, pain, unusual bleeding, rashes — we recommend booking a telehealth sexual health consult instead. A Specialist GP can take a proper history, work out which tests fit your situation, and prescribe treatment if needed. Self-directed testing suits routine screening with no symptoms.
Want a doctor to call as well?
Every online STI test has the option for a Specialist GP to call you — tick the box during the questionnaire, or change your mind later and request a call. Useful if you want to discuss anything before testing, talk through results, or get advice on partner notification.
Darwin and the Northern Territory sexual health context
Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory and the major service hub for the Top End, Tiwi Islands, and remote Arnhem Land communities. The NT has the highest per-capita chlamydia and gonorrhoea notification rates in Australia (NNDSS), and has been the focus of the renewed national response to syphilis transmission to babies during pregnancy under the Multijurisdictional Syphilis Outbreak Working Group. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) networks are central to the NT public health response. Darwin itself has a smaller MSM community, with PrEP and DoxyPEP available (current Australian guidance).
Geography and access across Darwin and the Top End
Greater Darwin covers Darwin CBD, Stuart Park, Parap, Fannie Bay, Rapid Creek, Nightcliff, Casuarina, Karama, and Palmerston (Bakewell, Driver, Gray, Moulden, Rosebery, Woodroffe, Zuccoli, Durack). Pathology collection centres are concentrated in the inner suburbs and the Casuarina/Palmerston corridor. Most metro pathology clinics open Monday to Saturday with shorter hours during the Wet Season.
Your Clinic365 referral works across the Northern Territory — major pathology networks operate through Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs, alongside ACCHS collection points in remote communities including the Tiwi Islands, Arnhem Land, the Barkly, and central Australia. ACCHS networks are central to Australia’s public health response to syphilis transmission to babies during pregnancy in remote NT communities. Telehealth and pathology-via-SMS screening are particularly useful for routine sexual health checks in remote areas where in-person services may be hours away.
Who should get an STI test in Darwin
Australian sexual health guidelines recommend a routine screen if:
You’re under 30 and sexually active
You’ve had a new partner or more than one partner in the last year
You haven’t been tested in the last 12 months
A partner has tested positive for an STI
You’re starting or continuing PrEP (3-monthly STI screening is part of the protocol)
You’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy
Annual testing is recommended for anyone aged 15–29 who is sexually active. Men who have sex with men are recommended to test every 3 months, including throat and anal swabs.
When to test after sex
Tests have testing windows — testing too soon can give a false negative because the infection isn’t yet detectable:
Walk into any pathology clinic across Darwin or regional NT
Most results are returned to you by SMS within 24 hours
What happens if a result is positive
If anything comes back positive, the treatment consult is included — bulk-billed for Medicare card holders, or completely free if you don’t have Medicare. A Specialist GP calls you by telehealth to talk it through, discusses treatment options if treatment is needed, and supports you through partner notification using the Let Them Know SMS tool.
By Australian law (in the NT, the Notifiable Diseases Act 1981), chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and HIV are reported anonymously to NT Health for surveillance — we handle the notification on your behalf. It doesn’t appear on your records.
If you think you’ve had a possible HIV exposure
HIV post-exposure prevention (PEP) is time-critical — it must start within 72 hours of exposure to be effective. Royal Darwin Hospital emergency department can provide free PEP. Our Emergency PEP service can also arrange a same-day eScript and pathology referral within hours, which is particularly useful for people in remote NT where in-person services may be hours away.
Privacy in Darwin
Results go to your phone only. We don’t notify your regular GP, your family, your employer, or your insurer. The same privacy applies if you’re under 18 (Australian Mature Minor doctrine).
Available across Darwin and Australia, seven days a week. Book on the homepage.
Frequently asked questions
Walk into any pathology clinic across Darwin with your Clinic365 SMS referral — Darwin CBD, Stuart Park, Parap, Fannie Bay, Nightcliff, Casuarina, Karama, and through Palmerston. No appointment needed at most locations. Most are open Monday to Saturday.
Yes. The major pathology networks operate through Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs. Patients in remote communities including the Tiwi Islands, Arnhem Land, the Barkly, and central Australia can use Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) collection points where available. Telehealth screening removes the long travel previously needed for routine sexual health care.
Yes. Results go directly to you by SMS. We do not notify your regular GP, employer, or insurer. At the pathology clinic, STI tests are processed like any other blood test — staff don’t know which tests are ordered. Notifiable STIs are reported anonymously to NT Health under the Notifiable Diseases Act 1981 — this is anonymous from your perspective and doesn’t appear on your records.
A Specialist GP calls you by telehealth to discuss the result and arrange treatment. The treatment consult is included — bulk-billed for Medicare card holders, or completely free if you don’t have Medicare. Prescriptions are sent to your phone by SMS for any Australian pharmacy. The GP also walks you through partner notification using the Let Them Know SMS tool.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea: 2 weeks. Syphilis: 6 weeks. HIV: 4–6 weeks. Hepatitis B: 6 weeks to 6 months. Testing too early may give a false negative — your Specialist GP can advise on retesting if needed.
HIV post-exposure prevention (PEP) is time-critical — it must start within 72 hours of exposure. Royal Darwin Hospital emergency department can provide free PEP. Our Emergency PEP service can arrange a same-day eScript and pathology referral within hours.
