Darwin

Darwin sunset

  

5-12 December          
We’ve spent a whole week in the Northern Territories based in Darwin, but the first two days were in Kakadu National Park (see previous report). Darwin is an odd city, especially with the Christmas Party season in full swing, 35degC and 60% humidity.      

Fri 8 Dec
Today was destined to be museum & gallery day. The Darwin Military Museum out at East Point might seem an odd first choice - but it has a superb exhibition about the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese in February 1942.  Outside was an eclectic display of dusty military relics, from the original 9.2inch gun emplacement to Vietnam displays and even a 1955 Ferret scout car,                
 

Soldiers swimming in the Adelaide River (c1943)
They lobbed a couple of grenades in first and then positioned “croc watch” with a rifle!

Next stop, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory - once we found it (crap sign-posting). We spent our time absorbed in the Tjungunutja exhibition about the aboriginal art that developed near Alice Springs in the 1970’s - and began what is now termed the Western Desert art movement.

By the end of the day, we struggled around the Botanical Gardens, but the bites on Jess’s legs from the long walk in Kakadu two days ago had really started to trouble her. Rough count revealed 80 swollen bites from unidentified flies!


Sat 9 Dec
Jess had a very bad night - so had no choice but to stay in our little hotel room with aircon and anti-histamine from the pharmacy. I took myself off for a trip to the Aviation Mueum, which was a very basic “Duxford” in a corrugated tin oven. I then drove up to the Casuarina Coastal Reserve and had a  hot but enjoyable 2-hour return walk from Lee Point to the Dripstone Cliffs along a 6 km path in woodland, mangrove swamp, and beach.

Dripstone Cliffs, Casuarina Coastal Reserve 

Mangrove swamp

There are the most beautiful beaches around Darwin, but from Oct-May you can’t swim thanks to box jellyfish, which is why the beaches were deserted. The other six months are fine, ...except for sharks and salt-water crocs.  Really, who would chose to live here?

Brahminy kite

Masked lapwing

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Sunday 10 Dec 
Jess was feeling better, and up for an outing - so we drove 45 minutes out to Berry Springs and had a calm afternoon by a natural pool reading our books, cooling off in the water and watching the locals with their tinnies (beer), endless tattoos and even parole ankle bracelets! We then headed back to Casuarina Coastal Reserve, where the Surf Club had a musician strumming a guitar and didgeridoo. Super-cool hippie evening watching a stunning sunset.
 

Mon 11 Dec : Litchfield National Park
Early start for the 125km drive out to Litchfield.  After our dissatisfaction with the Kakadu tour group, we were doing this ourselves - albeit in a much simpler, smaller park. We grabbed coffee in one-horse Batchelor, and paused to admire the Magnetic Termite mounds. Cathedral termites produce the classic tall red structure, and the Magentics align their headstone-esque constructions north-south to ensure one side is always in the shade.

Magnetic termite mounds

First stop, the delightful and almost deserted Buley Rockhole - which I thought wasn’t worth visiting but was proved totally wrong! We hadn’t planned to swim here, but it was simply too nice to resist.

 

Then a mere 3 km to Florence Falls: down 160 steps on a newly created path to the cool pool and waterfall

Wilkins’ Rock Wallaby

Back into the little red Toyota and 20 km south west to Tolmer Falls for a 2km walk and view over the impressive falls.  Swimming isn’t allowed here because the site is sacred - which is easy to accept when you see how the water has carved through the porous sandstone and created a giant pool, cave and plunging waterfall.
 

 

Hardy Cycads 

Tolmer Falls

The view from the top of the Tolmer lookout is ‘just green - but I’ve included it so that you can hopefully get an idea of the scale of this small park!

  

Last stop, Wangi Falls for a swim (can’t ever have too many swims when it’s 36degC!) and then picnic lunch.

Shower in Wangi Falls!

We loved our day in Litchfield, and it’s perfectly do-able in an ordinary car without a guide. Coming to Darwin in the beginning of the wet season was a gamble, because many areas are closed or about to be closed when the heavy rains arrive, but we have enjoyed the emptiness and lack of fellow tourists!

Tues 12 Dec 
Goodbye Australia!  It’s been a brilliant three weeks seeing all our friends in Melbourne, popping over to Tasmania, and an interesting time in Darwin and the surrounding parks. We fly to Hong Kong this afternoon via Singapore, and tomorrow Annie joins us. Hoorah.