The further north we went, the busier it seemed. We wanted to camp at Katherine but couldn’t get in to any caravan park there so decided to press onto Darwin. Normally at this time of the year, caravans make up 30% of Northern Territory tourism. This year it’s 72%! Once we got to Darwin we were pretty tired and I’m not sure we were making rational decisions. Anyway, we ended up in a self contained apartment in the centre of Darwin as no caravan park was available here either! When we woke up in those white sheets the next morning, I knew it was the right decision. After a walk to the waterfront area, through the Smith Street Mall and down the popular Mitchell Street, Bicentennial Park which has Anzac and civilian memorials, I felt we were quickly getting our bearings in this beautiful town with an interesting history. Back to our accommodation and while the washing machine was dealing with our red centre dusty clothes, we both enjoyed a cooling swim in the apartments pool. It was now off to Mindil Beach night market. We shared a Sri Lankan curry on the beach whilst watching the colourful sunset, along with thousands of others doing the same thing.

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One thing we found with the warmer weather was that we had to time any longer walks as the sun was pretty hot. We walked the cooler Darwin Botanical Gardens and then landed at the casino for use of their infinity pool as well as replacing the fluids we had lost.
The next day, it was coffee at Cullen Bay Marina where we fed the local fish and then a visit to the NT Museum and Art gallery. The museum was fascinating. Precisely as I had wondered how our pioneers had conquered the wilderness in Tasmania, I wondered the same about the Northern Territory. The vast desert areas, the wet, the heat and humidity, the air attack by the Japanese in WW2 which virtually destroyed Darwin let alone cyclones such as Cyclone Tracey in 1974. The museum also enhanced my understanding of the treatment and discrimination of the indigenous people.
The day was not done and much to Ruthie’s resistance, I took her to Casuarina Nudist beach. Yes, these two oldies skinny dipped. It was all going well until Ruthie got nipped by a crab! Enough said.

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Today was a lay day. Well when I say lay day, there is no such thing with Ruthie but at least we went exploring close to home. We explored the ruins of the old town hall destroyed by Cyclone Tracey. Then the oil storage tunnels which were to be built for WW2 but weren’t completed until after the war so never used. I really enjoyed the self guided tour of Parliament House. We we able to learn more of the history as this was the site of the post office bombed and destroyed in WW2 resulting in 9 deaths. Even though parliament wasn’t sitting, being in the chamber gallery gave a sense of occasion.

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While we are living our best life, the realisation of how fortunate we are is at the forefront. Our family and friends in Victoria have gone into lockdown number 5 and it is almost with a sense of guilt we send them holiday snaps. We had our 2nd AZ COVID vaccine injection at Chemist Warehouse in Darwin. It was so seamless and we didn’t even have to make an appointment!
We trundled through the waterfront area onto Stokes Hill Wharf. The wharf was destroyed during WW2 and 22 lives were lost. Darwin’s big wheel is here and eateries as well as plenty of fishermen willing to tell you about the big one that got away.

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After having survived the coldest night of the year (low of 17.5 degrees) we were soon “defrosting” to a delightful 32 degrees. Darwin has a graffiti circuit that is well worth visiting. It is so colourful and has many indigenous themes. We hired the electric scooters which are very popular with the locals and made our way to the Darwin Sailing Club as it was a bit far to walk. They’re not cheap as we realised we could’ve hired an Uber for half the price. I guess it was worth it to have the breeze flowing through your hair experience. Bookings can’t be made for a group of 2 and we arrived early as advised. It was so busy and after several laps looking for a table without success we had a drink standing enjoying the most magnificent sunset. Sunset watching is a very popular pastime in the North and crowds flock to vantage points. Back to Darwin and a great restaurant without queues where I finally got to have my Barramundi. Before returning to the hotel, we walked up and down Mitchell Street to experience the nightlife more closely. This is the night quarter that is featured on Territory Cops. It didn’t disappoint with lots going on to amuse us.
With a population of 165,000, we loved our Darwin stay at this time of the year. It was so easy to get around and worked well as a base to do our day trips. The history is fascinating. Yes, there are still many issues involving indigenous and western world ways but there are also a lot of positives to be found.

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