A rare 19th-century stairway once known as the "Lover's Walk" has been unearthed in Darwin, firing archaeologists with hope of learning more about the town's past.

Workers digging holes for a new fence along the border of Government House discovered the edge of the remains of the stairs, which once led from the Esplanade to the ocean.

Called to investigate, archaeologist Karen Martin-Stone removed vegetation and uncovered artefacts from the two centuries, including hundred-year-old beer bottles, one cent coins and lost keys.

The artefacts suggested the stairs may have once been a route for Darwinians stumbling home after a night out.

"Staircases are not usually interesting," she said.

"When we got to the bottom there were more questions than answers."

Pioneer town levelled by cyclones, termites and bombs

A letter to the editor in the Northern Territory Times and Gazette from 1918 complains about the closure of "the pathway through Government House grounds known as the Lover's Walk".

"Well, Sir I have not been down the Lover's Walk since the wet season set in," the 400-word letter from 'Sisyphus' begins.

Stone walk from Knight's Folly to Esplanade leading from Hughes Avenue to the Esplanade near Mitchell Street, Port Darwin. ( Supplied: Northern Territory Library )

"On the last occasion I did not take much notice of the walk, as I was doing a wild stampede from the Club State Hotel to the swimming baths to try and wash the taste of the Government draught whisky out of my mouth."

The letter suggests members of the government go down to the ocean, which was encroaching on the steps, and "order the waves to retire".

It continues:

"Some bad bold Bolsheviks, however, might take advantage of the opportunity to plunder the vaults of Government House of all the hoarded entertainment and travelling allowances."

Unlike other Australian capital cities, Darwin at the turn of the 19th century had a very small population, and there are few archaeological remains from the era.

The 1911 Darwin census recorded 3,000 Chinese and 600 Europeans.

In 1897, American satirist Mark Twain was in Darwin when he observed Australian history, "does not read like history, but like the most beautiful lies; and all of a fresh new sort, no mouldy or stale ones."

The director of the NT Government's Heritage Branch, Michael Wells, said Darwin CBD had only five intact buildings from the 19th century.

"Cyclones, termites and bombing destroyed the rest," he said.

As well as Cyclone Tracy in 1974, major cyclones in 1897 and 1937 levelled the town.

"We very rarely see nineteenth century remains," he said.

Vanished original lime kiln may be under the stairs

Archaeologists have long wondered about a kiln used to burn sea shells to make lime for the mortar used to build early Darwin buildings.

They now think the kiln could be under the stairs, or somewhere nearby.

"Somewhere here there's a lime kiln," Ms Martin-Stone said.

"This doesn't strike me as typical lime kiln construction, but in Darwin at that time you would have used anything.

"We're hoping members of the public will help us locate the kiln."

Mr Wells said the Heritage Branch was considering doing more digging around the site.