A field campaign studying aspects of the atmospheric dynamics from the ground to the lower thermosphere was conducted in Australia during October to December 2001. This Darwin Area Wave Experiment (DAWEX) involved participation from nine institutions in the USA, Japan, and Australia and focused on studying wave perturbations in the middle atmosphere in conjunction with detailed observations of tropospheric moist convection. The experiment involved extended deployment of six airglow imagers, medium-frequency radars, and a boundary layer wind profiler. Tropospheric convection was observed by meteorological radars, including the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre C-band polarized radar. This paper provides an overview of the experimental setup and also discusses the basic meteorological fields during the experiment, including some examples of convective activity near Darwin. Wind and temperature fields extending up into the lower thermosphere were constructed on the basis of campaign observations and the UKMO global meteorological analysis. These fields can be used for the modeling of gravity wave propagation through the middle atmosphere.