Darwin, Northern Territory

Monday 10^th June 2013 until the present.

I just want to say I love Darwin! The climate the people, the easy going lay back style, the prettiness of the town and surrounds, the shopping, the activities, the markets and the eating are all the reasons why. When we first arrived we stayed at the Hidden Valley Tourist Park, because it was so close to the raceway. We had a 3 day Hot Pass to the V8’s and were really looking forward to it. The event didn’t let us down, although the three days were hot, the raceway provided plenty of shade and lots of great vantage points to view the race from. The facilities were great with plenty of food and drink outlets as well as more than enough toilets. We were very excited to be there and were able to go into the pit paddock and see all the cars. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any of the drivers, but it was a fantastic weekend.

Me in front of Lowndes' Pit Garage

Pitlane

The Hornet giving a fly by

Action on the track

 

There is much to see and do around Darwin. The waterfront is beautiful, with a great safe swimming area as well as a wave lagoon. Again the facilities are fantastic with lots of eateries. The Stokes Hill Wharf gives a lovely view back to the waterfront and is where some of the cruises leave from. It also houses a diverse range of eating facilities. It also has two murals that depict the events surrounding the first bombing raid of Darwin on 19^th February 1942.

The Wave Lagoon

The Waterfront

Reverse view of the Wave Lagoon

 

The WWll Oil Storage Tunnels are worth a look at: constructed to protect the Navy’s oil supply from bombardment, the five steel lined tunnels extend from the wharf and run under the city. Unfortunately all the toil to build them was in vain as they were never used for their intended purpose. For some time they were used as jet fuel storage and then reopened as a tourist attraction in 1992 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. There is lots of information about the February 1942 bombing of Darwin in the tunnels as well as a pictorial history in the lookout above the tunnels. It was really eye opening to read about that part of Darwin’s history.

One of the oil storage tunnels

Government House

 

The Military Museum on East Point Reserve was also worth a visit to see and read about that era. It has an extensive collection of photographic and informative displays as well as military equipment. Lake Alexander is also on this reserve and offers beautiful picnic spots as well as safe year round access to swimming and kayaking.

Cullen Bay Marina is a beautiful area, with an eclectic mix of restaurants, cafes and gift shops. It has a real tropical atmosphere and of course the privately owned boats and magnificent mansions surrounding the marina are worth a look at. The Cullen Bay Ferry leaves from here to travel over to Mandorah, which is popular for fishing and has a great pub.

Cullen Bay Ferry

Crocodile statue at Cullen Bay

Cullen Bay Marina

Myilly Point

 

The National Museum and Art Gallery apart from usual displays that are in most museums, also has the most interesting display about Cyclone Tracey, which devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. It really is an interesting insight on the effects of that event. They also have a sound booth which you go in and it replicates the noise of the cyclone, very scary stuff.

We couldn’t resist a visit to Crocosaurus Cove where we booked for the Cage of Death, a crocodile dive. I must admit I was a bit wary, but the safety procedures in place, convinced me to have a go with Greg. So glad I did, it was simply amazing. We also did the croc feeding tour, where we were able to handle turtles, lizards and snakes (Greg, not me!) and feed the crocodiles. It was a very awesome experience. We took a video of the session underwater with our Go Pro, it turned our fantastic.

The croc we fed

Leaping for his food

The Beer Can Regatta was on this weekend down at Mindil Beach. This is a fantastic day with lots of activities; tug of war, foot races, sandcastle building, kayak racing as well as the Beer Can vessel races. What a great day and the weather was just perfect, a lazy 31 degrees with low humidity. The Mindil Market is also held here, not only on this day but every Sunday and Thursday evenings. It is one of the best markets I have seen, with lots of stalls, local art and craft and a huge variety of food vendors.

One of the entries in the Beer Can Regatta

and another one

yet another

 

Skycity Casino is a must see, not only for the playing and the food but for the magnificent beach front site it is located on. The views from the outdoor areas are stunning.

Skycity Casino pool deck

View from the one of the balconies

 

There is so much more to see and do in Darwin, we haven’t explored everything yet. Of course it is easy to get to places such as Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks from here. We did Litchfield on the way up (see previous blog) and will do Kakadu when we leave. We are now staying at Lee Point Village Resort and Greg has secured some work here, so we will stay in Darwin until the end of August. I won’t do another blog until after we leave, but there will be more about our adventures in Darwin and of course Kakadu will be featured as well. We are really looking forward to that.

Cheers til next time