Saturday 30th June - Darwin

The tropical lifestyle

Darwin is a great place!  We were expecting more of a frontier town but found it to be well organised and well maintained.  Darwin only really got going during World War II when thousands of Australian and American troops were stationed in the area.  Much of the infrastructure was established during that time and left as a legacy for returning Territorians.  The civilian population of the town was minimal between 1942 and 1946 when the armed forces ran the place.  There is still a huge presence of defence personnel today.

Most of the buildings have been constructed since the devastation wrought by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and Darwin is currently enjoying the fastest rising real estate prices in Australia.

Lagoon on Darwin waterfront

Wave pool on Darwin waterfront

The waterfront area is on reclaimed land and many apartments with great views have been built.  A safe lagoon and wave pool have been constructed as the sea is not really a good place to swim.  Estuarine [saltwater] crocodiles are known to swim out to sea and may be on beaches; also at this time of the year deadly box jellyfish are present close into shore.  The climate right now is idyllic, but of course this all changes in the build up to, and during, the wet.

The lifestyle is very relaxed and there are loads of great eateries around the town reflecting the diverse ethnic backgrounds of the Darwinians.

Darwin sunset

We finished the day watching a fabulous sunset over the bay and going to the Deckchair Cinema, which is a Darwin institution.  The cinema is open to the stars and most of the seating is indeed deckchairs.  Each evening different caterers are on hand so patrons can purchase a meal if they wish.  We had a tasty Indian meal before the movie [Rum Island with Johny Depp] commenced.  Really great experience.