WE’RE IN DARWIN - WEEK 3

Darwin has a population of 136,000 people and more than 62 nationalities.  It is known as the “Gateway to Asia” and is a rapidly growing city with a fairly consistent temperature of 32 degrees.  It has a 6 month wet and a 6 month dry season and is prone to cyclones during the wet season.  Darwin has a tropical savannah climate and is closer to the capitals of 5 other countries: East Timor, Port Moresby, Jakarta, Brunei and Palau than to Canberra (3,137 kilometres south).

SATURDAY 28TH JUNE   -    We visited the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.  Admission was free.  It was very well laid out. We saw the stuffed body of Sweetheart, the Top End’s most famous croc that was caught in 1979, weighing 750kg and measuring 5.1 metres.  He is now a permanent exhibit at the museum.

We visited the Cyclone Tracey Exhibition which was very poignant and told the story of the devastation that struck Darwin on Christmas Day 1974.  200 kilometre winds hit the town destroying over 70% of the buildings and 80% of homes.  Over 30,000 people had to be evacuated to Adelaide, Whyalla, Alice Springs and Sydney, most of them never returned to The Top End again. Seeing the actual footage and news stories brought home the full impact on the lives of the people living here at the time.

A CORROBORREE SIMULATION IN THE ART MUSEUM

AN ABORIGINAL PAINTING APPROPRIATELY NAMED 'BOTTLES' 

MORE ABORIGINALARTWORKS

SUNDAY 29TH JUNE   -   We went to Berry Springs Nature Park, a popular picnic area with bushwalking trails and thermal swimming pools.  There were lots of shady trees around and the big thermal pools which were quite deep had stunning  crystal clear water.

From there we drove into the city to visit the Chinese Temple, a very colourful but serene place of worship.  The original temple was built in 1887 and was damaged in cyclones in 1897 and 1937 and partially damaged during WWII.   It was totally devastated in Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and rebuilt on the original site in 1978.   Unfortunately, the Museum that I particularly wanted to visit had closed an hour before we got there.

THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE

THE COLOURFUL ALTARS INSIDE THE TEMPLE

ME RINGING THE TEMPLE GONG

There was a magnificent huge Bodhi Tree in front of the temple which grew from a cutting donated by the Bendigo Temple to celebrate the re-opening of the Darwin temple in 1978.  It was reputed to be a descendant of the original tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.  

We went to Stokes Hill Wharf on Darwin Waterfront and sat by the water eating our ice cream with the ocean breeze wafting across the wharf.  There was a variety of cafes and restaurants along the wharf.  

   

We went to Mindil Beach Sunset Markets and walked through the food stalls having a hard time deciding what to choose for dinner as there was just so much choice.  The smells from the stalls made us want to try everything.  We sat on the beach and ate our dinner whilst waiting for the magnificent sunset to appear.  It was well worth waiting for!!!

MONDAY 30TH JUNE   -   We went to Darwin Dam a short drive from the caravan park.  The Dam is the major source of water and provides 90% of the Top End’s water needs. The Northern Territory usually has six months dry season each year.  During the wet season, the rains replenish the Dam’s water levels.

There were grassy picnic areas on both the lower and upper Dam levels.  On the top level, we walked across the Dam wall and looked into the deep water stored inside the walls.  The picnic tables and seats on this level were placed a bit too close to the water for my liking as the Dam is full of crocodiles.

TUESDAY 1ST JULY   -   ‘’Territory Day” when Territorians celebrate the anniversary of self-government.  It is the only day you were allowed to buy fireworks and all over the city there were advertisements for purchasing them.  There were firework displays at several venues throughout the town. 

It was also our 36^th wedding anniversary and we went to the Garden Café/Restaurant in the caravan park for dinner.  The café was outdoors with a lovely garden setting and colourful solar lights in the bushes surrounding the café.  It was a popular licensed eating venue with the locals also and was open 6 days a week.  We had delicious bruschetta, freshly caught barramundi steaks (2 big ones per serve), vegetables and sticky date pudding for dessert.  It was scrumptious.  

We have really enjoyed our 3 weeks in Darwin and met some lovely people who we hope to keep in touch with during our travels.  We were a bit disappointed at first being so far away from Darwin City (a 50 minute drive), but most of the places we wanted to visit were closer to the caravan park.  We loved the tropical bush setting at the park with lots of tall bushy trees and ferns everywhere.  The sites were a little on the smaller side than we were used to.  All in all, it was very well maintained with plenty of activities and everyone was so friendly.

We were going to visit Kakadu National Park.  It was a 2 hour drive from the caravan park to the entrance to the park alone and at least 400 kilomotres of driving from one end to the other, plus a lot of walking on the tracks to the scenic spots.  It obviously wasn't possible to do this trip in one day.  Dogs aren't allowed in the National Park, so we couldn't leave Sally in the van for 2 days on her own.  We had also heard from many people that the park was very dry and the spectacular water falls had no water in them.  Most people said Litchfield was much better and easier to get around, hence why we did go to Litchfield National Park and thoroughly enjoyed it.  

NEXT WEEK:  We will be leaving Darwin and free camping for 2 nights before crossing the border  to the top end of Western Australia and going to Kununurra, then on to gorgeous Lake Argyle that we’ve heard so much about.  We’ve been told the scenery on the way is stunning.  Can’t wait to tell you all about it and show you some of the photos along the way in our next blog.