Every now and then it's good to do something a little bit crazy! Neither Joel nor I had ever been to the Northern Territory before, so the Queen's birthday weekend seemed like a perfect opportunity. Granted, three days is not very long to explore such a vast region, but we felt like escaping from Brisbane for a while and catching up with old friends.We flew to Darwin after work on Friday, and even arriving at midnight we were immediately hit with the heat and humidity of the tropics. According to the locals midwinter is mild and pleasant, not even remotely comparable to the oppressiveness of the build-up to the wet season. But we were caught by surprise nonetheless...
Saturday was spent exploring Darwin itself. Firstly the wonderful colours and smells of Parap village markets. With such a strong South-East Asian influence, there were loads of yummy food stalls to choose from, and we devoured delicious bowls of laksa for breakfast, followed by freshly squeezed tropical fruit juice and pancakes.
Our day continued with visits to the museum, art galleries and WWII bunkers, lunch at the sailing club, and an evening of good food and somewhat bizarre entertainment at the Greek Glenti Festival - an annual event on the Esplanade. On Sunday it was time to venture further afield, with friends who were kindly willing to show us around. We decided on a day trip to Litchfield National Park. Less than two hours from Darwin, this is a beautiful area of gorges, waterfalls and delightful swimming holes. It is also an extremely popular destination for tourists and locals alike, especially on a long weekend during the dry season. The park is serviced by sealed roads, and a clearly defined circuit of main attractions. However it soon became apparent that all we needed to do was walk a hundred metres or so off the beaten track to find equally pleasant waterholes that we could enjoy all to ourselves.
The heat brought on a distinct feeling of lethargy, which made it difficult for me to think beyond plopping into some cool water. We picnicked at Wangi Falls and lazed the afternoon away in the shade. It's inevitable that you experience a place differently when on holidays rather than caught up in the everyday routine of work, but I still think that living in the top end would necessitate a more relaxed pace of life. Evenings are a beautiful time of day up here. On returning to Darwin we grabbed an esky and a few bottles of wine and headed down to Mindil Beach to watch the sunset. The geographic layout of Darwin is very confusing for newcomers. Despite being located on the northern coastline of Australia, the city itself is on a peninsular which is surrounded by water to the east, south and west. So along with hundreds of other spectators and holiday-makers, we were treated to the golden glow of the sun setting over the water. And when our drinks ran out, it was only a short walk up to the markets for a mouth-watering choice of dinner possibilites!
Despite being a public holiday, our friends were back to work on Monday. So Joel and I borrowed a car and headed down to the Adelaide River for a Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise! There are many such tours on the Adelaide River, and although it is a hugely commercial operation with lots of hype for the overseas visitors, it was actually quite good fun. Saltwater crocodiles became protected in the early 70's and now thrive in the river systems and waterways of Northern Australia. They are rarely seen by the casual observer because they spend most of their time hidden in the mud, but the crocs on this stretch of river know they can get an easy feed from the tour boats and seemed quite happy to perform for us. The power and speed with which they propelled themselves out of the water was quite incredible.
And so ends our visit to the Northern Territory. All too brief to really do it justice, but good to see a completely different part of Australia. We stopped at the Humpty Doo Hotel on our return to Darwin for a bit of an outback pub experience. The locals looked at us askance as we wandered in and ordered lemonades, and we quickly retreated from the dark and dingy interior to a table outside where barefoot kids played with a mangy looking dog. Maybe I'm just too accustomed to city living to appreciate the iconic nature of the Aussie pub and the colourful characters who inhabit them. But I'd certainly jump at the opportunity to return to the Territory for some more glimpses of it's stunning landscape and many hidden treasures.
