I was looking forward to returning to Darwin after a long absence. Darwin is a city that for its whole existance could be described as a modern city. Established as a settlement in 1869 it was soon Australia's link to the rest of the world with the first overseas telegraph station opened in 1872. The city was rebuilt after being bombed in 1942, and then again after being destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974. In the past 15 years the rebuild has been more gradual, but we found ourselves in a city we barely recognised - and that is not altogether a bad thing!
We had decided to come a day earlier than planned into Darwin, and spend a day relaxing after our busy tour through Kakadu. We were all a little weary of travelling, and a bit of caravan park luxury (and washiing machines) was very much in order.
Our first stop was the Rapid Creek Markets. The tropical fruits and vegetables on display, coupled with the aromas from the food stalls was vaguely reminiscent of a South East Asia market - without the enthusiastic haggling! We enjoyed a fruit smoothie - first treat of the day.
Our next stop was Casurania Shopping Mall, a typical mall with all the same shops you find everywhere - but we weren't here for the shopping. We had a little surprise for the boys up our sleeves. We told them we were looking for a new pair of shoes or some such guff. When we went up the stairs to the cinema, the game was eventually up, and we took the boys in to see a movie. They didn't know the movie until the opening scene - and were thrilled with the choice. How to Train a Dragon 2 was extremely well received.
The second treat of the day over, it was time to head to the nearby water park at Leanyer. This free waterpark was simply wonderful and was eagerly anticipated by all. It did not disappoint with a wonderful play area, and some great waterslides. We spent the whole afternoon there, loving every minute.
Waiting for the big bucket to tip... the anticipation is as much fun as the massive splash!
Treat three of the day eventually over, we wandered down to the famous Mindil Beach Markets. Most markets have me looking for a wall to bang my head against in no time - but these markets are more famous for their food. We elected to spend the afternoon grazing on as many delicious snacks as we could - and all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Mindil Beach Markets - delicious
We joined the throng on the beach to watch the sun set - and bumped into the nomadic McGregors - a wonderful family we met way back before Easter at Parry Beach. We shared travel stories, tips and tricks before returning to the markets to watch the fire-dancing and listen to the tunes. It was a great day - and we took two thoroughly exhausted boys home and put them to bed well after their normal bed time.
The next day was the 100th anniversary of the commencement of World War I. We headed to the East Arm Point Military Museum to check out the displays.
I hardly recognised the place. Having been here many years ago, I remembered walking around old gun embankments that were slowly deteoriating. Today the museum houses a modern interactive display that largely focuses on the bombing of Darwin.
I always thought Darwin was a bit precious about its bombing stories - as many places across the northern coast from Broome to Townsville were bombed during WWII. What I didn't realise was the significance of the bombing on 19 Feb 1942. It was just a couple of months after Pearl Harbour was attacked, and this was the first attack on mainland Australia. The massive raids on Darwin that day killed well over 250 people, and destroyed a huge part of the town. Whilst there were many more bombing raids on Australian soil over the next few years, none where anything like as large, or as destructive.
The museum also had small, sensitive displays on conflicts from World War I to the present day, but its real focus was on the bombing in Darwin. It did an excellent job.
Lunch down the road at East Arm Point was delightful. It was warm, the warter tropical blue and a gentle breeze made it very pleasant indeed.
After recharging our batteries we headed to the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory. This fantastic complex houses the usual collection of natural history items, cabinets of excinct and endemic fauna, but there are a couple of highlights that set this place apart.
The first is the body of 'Sweetheart' a massive estuarine crocodile that had taken to attacking boats south of Darwin. The crocodile was huge - and notorious. It was never intended to make Sweetheart (a male crocodile) a museum piece, however the crocodile was inadvertently drowned during the trapping and relocation process.
The other highlight was the exhibit on the destruction of Darwin due to Cyclone Tracey on Christmas Morning 1974. Most of the displays are modern, and engaging, taking you through what the town was like before the cyclone, what happened during the cyclone and how the city was rebuilt, but one darkened room was a highlight. Recorded during the cyclone itself, a simple audio tape allows visitors to stand in a dark room and listen to the fury of the cyclone. The roaring of the wind is just one part of what assails your ears. The clanging of corrugated iron forming a percussion that bashed along roads and knocked over buildings, adding to the missiles in the air - it can all be heard above the wind. Eerie? Absolutely.
The following day was Tuesday, and everyone was back at work. It aslo meant the various shops we needed to visit were open. We decided to take the kids and tag-team looking after them at the waterfront near Stokes Hill Wharf. Last time I was here, cattle were being loaded for export and the wharves were a hive of industrial activity. Today this area is a little bit of the Gold Coast, with modern residential apartments crowded around overpriced pubs and restaurants.
The reason for hanging out here had nothing to do with the pubs - but the wave pool. The boys could hardly contain their excitement and for them the short drive into the city seemed impossibly long. This mechanical pool runs 20 minutes cycles of waves - interspersed with 10 minutes of calm. Boogie boards and inflatable tubes add to the excitement.
The kids were into the pool in no time, and for them it was an unbelievably cool experience. They loved the waves and the various patterns that were formed. I tended to find the wave patterns more nauseating than exciting - particularly the interaction with the walls of the pool creating more of a sloppy motion than surfable waves. Still, we are in the tropics, and waves and surf are something they don't do up here normally - so under the premise that something is better than nothing we stayed.
I was actually convinced that the marketing model was all wrong. When the waves stopped, it was really pleasant floating about on the tube. The only thing missing was a helpful waiter to take your cocktail order (Two Pina Colada please - my friend will pay) and ensure your glass (or pineapple) never got empty.... ahhh, if only.
As the boys and I were swanning about at the wave pool, and treating ourselves to lunch, Jo was doing the run around town getting the regular medical supplies, camping equipment and various odds and bods we needed. Despite my doubts about the wave pool, I think she drew the short straw!
Our last morning in Darwin, we visited the Aviation Museum. If Alice Springs is one of the best climates for the preservation of aircraft, Darwin would have to be one of the worst - but they have a pretty amazing collection of aircraft here.
Outside the hangar door
The most famous aircraft would have to be an American B52 bomber. I saw one of these last year on the tarmac, and didn't think they were that big, but put them in a hangar with a whole heap of other aircraft and their scale becomes apparent. These are massive aircraft, capabale of carrying over 30 tonnes of destructive bombs in their bomb bays. Man's ingenuity in ensuring the destruction of others spurs some creative thinking indeed.
The B52 Bomber
The hangar was full of aircraft - most having an interesting history. From wrecks of Japanese aircraft shot down during WWII, to modern recently retired aircraft such as the F111, the museum houses a large selection of mainly military aircraft. As we were in Darwin, a major military exercise was running with over 100 aircraft from several nation's Air Forces taking part - and we saw many of the fighter jets taking off from the runway nearby whilst we were at the museum.
We pulled out of town, and after a big shop where we filled up the fridges to capacity, we headed down to Berry Springs. The delightful falls entertained us for ages after lunch - before we finally dragged ourselves out of the water and we set up camp nearby at Tumbling Waters Caravan Park.
The following day we visited the Northern Territory Wildlife Park. This park houses an amazing collection of birds and animals in a variety of habitats. We spent all day wandering around the park.
We enjoyed the Raptor Free Flying Show, before getting up close and personal with a Rufus Owl after the show. Tom and Danielle gave an excellent presentation on the birds, and Jo really appreciated being able to see a fully grown Wedge Tail Eagle in fine detail.
The Rufus Owl, Tom and The Little Fisherman
The park had a massive aquarium area with several tanks, including a tunnel allowing you to walk under the fish. Freshwater Swordfish and massive Whip Rays swam with gigantic Barrumindi. In one tank a Freshwater Crocodile waited ready for an ambush - whilst turtles and Saratoga swam around him without a worry.
We also wandered through some large aviaries, but one in particular was massive. This aviary was a cacophony of bird song and was most delightful to wander through,
The Wildlife Park was large - but a regular running shuttle bus meant we were able to zig zag our way through the park as it suited. I hadn't expected us to spend all day there, but we did - and eventually retreated to our camp to have a swim before dinner and get ourselves ready to hit the road.
Our next day promises to be a long day of travelling. We have around 400km to go, about half of it on dirt road to take us to a remote part of the Northern Territory. I have absolutely no idea what to expect at our destination - but I am really looking forward to seeing a very different perspective and getting well and truly off the tourist trail.
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