Frontier town has class

Darwin has the hallmarks of a frontier town: gun shops, 4WDs, sex shops and pubs in numbers seemingly out of all proportion to its population of around 120,000.

But once you get past first impressions (and the heat) you find a mature, multifaceted and elegant city.

Carol, Pam and Kay at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park.

It’s also on a big growth curve – it has the fastest growing population in Australia if you include Palmerston and Litchfield -- with demand for housing outstripping supply.

There’s lots of work here and my advice to any young person struggling to make a quid in the south is, get up here now.

Mitchell St, where the action is at night.

When the sun goes down, the action erupts.

Night life action

Mitchell Street on Friday nights is like Sydney’s The Rocks on New Years Eve – with the pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants packed with backpackers, workers and tourists watching the footy or just hanging out.

We were able to share the fun with relatives of Carol’s who visited us for a week, staying in cabins in our park: her sister Kay and her husband Paul from Brisbane, and cousin Pam and her husband Peter from Cairns.

Kay, Carol, Paul and Pam at the Military Museum.

In the meantime, my old employer IIR was holding its annual petroleum conference SEAAOC at the Darwin Convention Centre, which provided me with an opportunity to catch up with some of the team.

Richard Beattie kindly invited Carol and me to join them for dinner at the Crocosaurus – an enormous aquarium and reptile showcase featuring crocs that look like they would gladly have you for dinner if you happened to fall into their enclosure.

Carol stayed with the rellies, but for me it was a pleasure to be able to reconnect with people I hadn't seen since I retired in January.

My old workmates, from left: James, Luke, Rosie, Jenna, Jonno, Kathryn (foreground), Richard and NT Government rep Brian Cann. Seated at an adjoining table was Peta Ottey.







Albino croc and below, Barramundi at Crocosaurus.






Pristine natural springs

Brian Cann, an NT Government representative at our table recommended we start our national park ventures with Berry Springs.

What a beautiful clear place to swim. But it was only the beginning. We subsequently drove on excellent bitumen roads to Litchfield National Park and bathed at Wangi Falls and Buley Rockhole – remarkable for their natural beauty and pristine waters.

One is advised not to do this after the Big Wet, because estuarine crocodiles find their way in. Crocodiles are extremely efficient, silent and patient predators. They’ll go for many days without eating but when the time is right…crunch!

Paul and Kay, in the mood for celebrating 42 years of marriage at Buley Rocks. Whew!

There’s a lot to investigate in Darwin itself, but you do need a car. In fact if you don’t have a car in the Northern Territory you’re nowhere.

Who would have thought the place was bombed to smithereens in WWII, rebuilt and then demolished by Cyclone Tracy in 1974? There are lots of reminders built into the information booths, museums, parks and gardens.

Silent guns

At the East Point Military Museum we were fascinated by the story of Darwin’s preparedness (or ill-preparedness) for Japanese attacks. Preparations included the building of massive shore batteries including 9.2in. guns that were never used. The emplacements are still there if you like climbing around concrete bunkers.

Darwin suffered 64 air raids, the first by 188 aircraft in February, 1942, killing 243 people. Ten U.S. Kittyhawk fighters diverted to protect the town were all shot down and it wasn’t until Spitfires from Britain were brought into the fray the following year that Darwin was able to gain air superiority.

Energised by what was in that museum, Paul and I visited the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre, which contains all manner of aircraft including a fully intact B-52 bomber painted a nefarious black, around which we had a fascinating guided tour.

Tolmer falls.

Another trip took us to the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery, which contains a graphic film and presentations of how the city was destroyed by winds of up to 300 kilometres an hour, killing 60 people and causing three quarters of the population to be evacuated.

It’s an ill wind…

I remember that time well because two journalists, Rob Dingle and Chris Lindsay, who worked on the local newspaper, found themselves working with me for a short time on The Australian in Sydney and became firm friends. Rob has since died but I still keep in touch with Chris.

To look at the modern, bustling city of Darwin today it’s hard to believe that only 35 years ago it was material for the rubbish tip.

One of the most astonishing and interesting events we attended in Darwin was the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Here we found ourselves among hundreds of people who brought their own fold up chairs and bottles of wine to savour a diverse cuisine, watch the sun go down and listen to wild didgeridoo music.

Sunset at Mindil Beach sunset markets.

The event is obviously of interest to young Indigenous folk, of whom one performed a dance with such energy and passion that I thought her limbs would fly off. Needless to say she received deafening applause.


Happy anniversary!

Just after Pam and Peter left, Paul and Kay had their 42nd wedding anniversary and invited us to help them celebrate with a harbour cruise.

Paul and Kay at the Darwin Sailing Club.

This really topped off our visit, for it gave us a completely new perspective of Darwin.

We took the ferry from Cullen Bay Marina, a locked, man-made waterway for luxury yachts and motor boats, and featuring rows of restaurants and shops.

Leaving Cullen Bay Marina.

Our boat had to exit the marina via locks designed to protect the waterway levels from tidal activity outside.

Once outside, we had a fantastic wide angle view from Darwin city to ConocoPhillips' LNG processing facility at Wickham Point that produces three million tonnes of LNG per year from the Bayu-Undan field in the Timor Sea.


Cullen Bay Marina lock.

Darwin grows on you. But all good things must come to a close.

After Paul and Kay departed from Brisbane we had the car checked and decided to get under way ourselves, particularly as the wet season is approaching.




Darwin wharf, where we had a delicious seafood lunch.


Our plan is to spend a little time in Kakadu and then head down to Katherine before turning west.