Day 65 Darwin

 Well we finally made it to Darwin. We spent 10 days here all up exploring the city and having a wonderful time catching up with the Robbo's and the Knights as well as a few nights with Callam. The down side was that we got sick. Despite an number of Covid tests that were all negative, Russ was very unwell for a few days including the chills and fever. I wasn't as bad but it certainly slow us down . Darwin is a very spread out place with a population of about 168,000. The road system is amazing as most major roads are dual highways - I think that is due to the presence of the military and their need to get around quickly if required. Very laid back place. Also a great public transport that makes it really easy to hop on a bus - even better if you have a Seniors Card as its free. You also have the option of scoters or electric bikes closer to the CBD. 

Darwin Waterfront is set up so well to cater for both tourist and local alike with a water park, swimming lagoon and wave park. That is surrounded by lush green lawns and lots of eating places so at times very popular. Attached to that is Stokes wharf with the Ferris wheel and departure point for a lot of the harbour cruises. First tourist visit was the oil tunnels, Built during the WW2 to protect the oil stores from the japanese bombing but by the time they were finished it was all over and it seems they never worked very well anyway. 

Oil Tunnels

During our time here, there was supposed to be 2 major events. The Glenti festival which celebrates the Greek community over the long weekend was cancelled due to lack of supplies and staffing issues. Very disappointed to have missed out on the roast lamb and all that wonderful Greek food.

The second was the V8’s were racing and we sure know about that as the caravan park we were staying in was about 800m from the track. As you can imagine, there were quite a number of racing enthusiasts around the park. Funny to watch it on TV but also hear it in real time . Had a fleeting thought about going but the price of the tickets!!!

While we were in Darwin, we did a Sunset Champagne Cruise with Sail Darwin. This was a 3 hour cruise that included unlimited champagne but you could also bring your own drinks with you as they provided eskies with ice. Apparently the record for the number of bottles of champagne drunk  was 68. I think we managed to use up about 34 altogether. Also included was an 8 course tapas meal with lots and lots of delicious food on offer. Unlike other cruises, you can just sit anywhere you like as they provide cushions and  bean bags so you can move around as much as you  like. Add a great selection of music , a setting sun and the Robbo’s dancing to “Dancing Queen “. And you have a great time. This was recorded for posterity. Highly recommended if you happen to be in Darwin.

There are a number of choices if you want to go and have a look at some crocodiles. We opted for Crocodylus Park which was a combination of tourist and commercial farming . They have quite a number of breeding pairs that you can see being fed along with a boat tour of their man made lagoon. When you’re in the boat, you do feel that very ‘watched “ and you would not want to let anything hang over the side or it would be gone .Held a baby croc , checked out a number of other animals both foreign and native . A good day all round.

Both the military and northern territory museum are worth visiting, The military museum has lots of displays but also has heaps of information about the bombing of Darwin during WW2. There is still a huge 9.5 inch gun as part of their defenses. You can walk down into the bunker below it to see the sheer size involved. It was test fired but never actually used in combat.

The NT museum has a number of areas that cover indigenous history and a specific section dedicated to Cyclone Tracey. You can even walk into a room that plays a recording of the wind that night. Its completely blacked out to give the full effect. Very eerie.

Another area has lots of boats linked to the travel of the islanders in the area but also to the perils of the “boat people” from the time of the Vietnamese through to today. Some of the vessels on display were seized by the border forces and donated to the museum.

One of the must do things that is on the list when you visit is to go to the Mindil Beach Markets and then sit on the beach and watch the sun set. It was very busy but luckily our visitors were staying close by so we could park at their place and walk . Lots and lots of people . We did discover another part of Darwin where you could do the same thing. Cullen Bay  is almost the next suburb along with an awesome grass verge that leads down to the beach. Just behind that is “Seafood on Cullen” an all you can eat seafood buffet, You can sit out on the deck , eat seafood or lots of other things and watch the sun go down. Yes we did eat way to much.

Mindil Beach

Darwin was a great place to visit