Last day in Darwin

Today is my last full day in Darwin. We fly home mid afternoon tomorrow, however, I have to check out of the apartment at 11.30, so will head to the airport and meet Pete there.

Pete ended up having day off work today, and while he went out to 'camp' to pack up his room, ready to go to go tomorrow, I went for a 6.5km walk. I ended up going a different way for part of my walk, mainly because I thought the road I was taking didn't end up where I thought it would, but hey, it's one way to see new things. I walked passed the Supreme Court and Parliament Building - wow! The gardens were pretty nice too. More cycads. I loved how the little ones start their life on the parent's trunk, before dropping to the ground beneath to continue their life cycle.

I finally managed to get a decent photo of the geese that I have seen all around Darwin and on the way out to Katherine. They are unlike geese I have seen before, so I am not sure what "breed" they are.  

Once Pete had finished his packing and got back to the apartment we went out for a drive to East Point,  which is where during WWII there were 2 x 6" and 2 x 9" 'guns' mounted to protect the harbour. Remains of the military time there are still present today.

Pete fishes off the rocks here sometimes - not very successfully I might add :), but he enjoys it nonetheless. We wandered around on the rocks and marveled at all the different coloured stones/rocks there are and the formation of the rocks - it looks like a lava flow, however, I have no idea really.

The water was very clear and looked so inviting to jump into a cool off, however, the fear of lurking crocodiles, no matter how clear the water was, definitely put me off. When we were walking across the rocks, I could hear crunching under my sandals and I said to Pete, "I feel like I'm destroying tiny homes with every step", he assured me I wasn't, but I don't know if I believe him or not. 

I have definitely enjoyed my time in Darwin and there is lots to see and do while staying here. Lots of it free, some things you have to pay for. I've left the Royal Flying Doctors and Fannie Bay Goal to see next time I'm up here, hopefully when it isn't quite so humid. I have yet to visit all the historic places around Darwin City itself - you can either get a guided tour or walk yourself around with a map. I pass several of the places on my morning walks, but still want to actually stop and read about them.

I bought a book while I was here and have enjoyed picking it up and dipping into it. I think it will be very useful on our travels around Australia.  Already I have seen some of the plants described in here when I'm out and about. 

1 comment Darwin, leisure

WWII Oil Storage Tunnels, Darwin

I set out for a walk this morning down to the waterfront, just over a kilometre from our apartment. This mural is down on the wharf, very close to the Royal Flying Doctors museum, which I will visit another day.

It hadn't been my intention to visit the tunnels today, but while trying to find my way up into the city centre, I walked passed them, so paid my $7 and walked into them.  An interesting glimpse of history from 1943 onwards until the tunnels were 'sort of' completed. The following link will give you a brief history of the tunnels; WWII Oil Storage Tunnels, Darwin.

It is hard to imagine the conditions the men who dug these tunnels out with pickaxes and shovels must have worked in. No modern technology for them and on limited rations during the war. To actually walk in one of the tunnels that is still accessible by the public today is a privilege and a reminder of all the men and women who fought to preserve our freedom.

Here a few of the photos I took.

The entry tunnel, leading to the pump room

This was the original pump room, now occupied by this artform which is constructed from old war plane parts. 

Information on the tunnel that is open to the public to walk through.

Through a viewing "window" - the tunnel which the information above is on. 

The tunnel I walked through has information on it's construction, the men who built it, copies of letters and diary entries by those men and even a voice recording of one of the men who worked on them. Well worth a visit if you are up this way.

2 comments Darwin, History, leisure

Berry Springs, Darwin

Pete ended up having a day off work today due to a work place accident closing the site down. After a morning spent sorting out legal paperwork for the sale of our investment property in NZ, which was a major drama, with neither Pete nor I having our NZ passports with us (why would we for interstate travel - the NZ lawyer couldn't get her head around this!), which we needed to verify our identity in front of a JP while signing the papers. Some quick thinking on my part, had my stepson taking our passports and a photocopy of them down to a local JP at home, getting them verified, scanning them and emailing them to us, where the lovely reception staff here at the Ramada Zen, Darwin, printed them out, so we could then go to the Court House to have our signatures witnessed with verified ID. Anyway, it all got sorted and scanned and sent back to NZ.

We had an early lunch at the apartment and then headed for Berry Springs which was about 45 mins away from where we are staying. The springs are beautiful, with crystal clear water, so clear you can see the little tiny fish swimming around your feet. The water was warm, like a tepid bath, warmer than the lap pool at the apartment. We floated around for quite some time, enjoying being out of the heat, before heading back into Darwin.

On the way back to Darwin I got Pete to stop so I could take photos of termite mounds which I find fascinating. The architecture and construction of these mounds or "castles" as I like to call them is mind blowing and the fact that the insects building them are so tiny. Pete stood beside one so the size of them could be better comprehended.

The drive back passes old WWII airstrips which are alongside the Stuart Highway. Apparently, while they have been maintained, they are as they were, except for hangers and buildings during the war. The photo below sort of shows what they look like. The runway is the dirt strip to the left of the photo.

Once back in Darwin I took Pete to the Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery and we are now the proud owners of not one, but three pieces of artwork. There was one there we both loved, but at over 6K it is staying hanging on the gallery wall. The other two are much smaller and totally different. This pieces is from the Central Australian region and is called "Love Story" while the other two are from the Northern Region. They are very different, with the Central Australian region art having vibrant colours in them and the Northern Region art sticking to the more traditional earthy tones. The photo does not do the colours justice.

1 comment Artwork, Berry Springs, Darwin, leisure

Darwin Day 1

Very early start with Pete's alarm going off at 3.30 am. He left at 4 to drive out to his work "camp" to catch the bus there. Some days he'll walk 1 km here in town to another spot where he can catch one. I managed to doze for another hour or so. We both found the mattress very hard and neither of us slept that well, with my shoulders waking me frequently when I lay too long on my side. Today I asked for something to make it softer and was given a big fluffy blanket to put under the bottom sheet - hopefully that will help a little.

I went to the gym about 6.30 for 40 mins and did strength training. Unfortunately there are no "free weights" so just had to be adaptive and use body weight and the big machine they have that has lots of different uses. I sent off my 'sets' of exercises to my PT who approved them, just changing two sets to earlier in the work out.

Then I had breakfast at the cafe, poached egg, bacon and mushrooms, followed by fresh melons. Then it was time to spend on the computer while waiting for my breakfast to go down. I then went down to reception and got a "pool" towel. I decided to walk back up the stairs - we are on floor 14, however, I only entered the stairwell at floor 3. Lots of stairs and hot in there. I ended up doing it twice over the course of the day.

I swam 40 laps - 1 km then lay on one of the loungers and had 10 minutes of sunning on each side. There were four other women down there, sunning themselves and cooling off periodically in the pool. I wonder if they are all wives/partners of men who work up here doing FIFO work.

After doing some knitting I walked down to the Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery. Well, I definitely need to win lotto or persuade Pete to do a few more months work up here to buy all canvases I loved. Such diversity and talent. A real difference between Central Australia and the Top End art work. The lady running the gallery today was so informative and friendly. She was happy to answer all my questions and tell me the stories behind the paintings I loved. Then she left me to wander and browse. I'll be going back, and back and back.  I asked before taking photos.

I then went to Lyon's Cottage, an Aboriginal Bush Traders business. The items in there were amazing, woven baskets made from recycled fishing nets etc removed from the sea and coast and recycled materials; beautiful silk, wool and cotton woven scarves, shawls and tea towels that one lady there told me a customer buys and makes into jackets. I saw the scarf I want to buy my mum for Christmas - hope she doesn't read this and beautiful soaps and Xmas decorations. I'll have to sweet talk Pete :)

On my walk back to the apartment I saw these very upright, narrow growing trees and didn't recognise them at all. I don't think they are gums, their leaves didn't smell eucalyptus at all. Then a bit further down the road I saw this mural painted on the side of a building.

It was a hot walk down town and make with the humidity increasing as the afternoon progressed, which meant I needed a swim on my return to the apartment. Then I got tea organised - very simple, cold chicken from the cooked chook we bought when we did grocery shopping last night, salad and I'll cook some mushrooms to go with it. Depending on how Pete feels, it may be another visit to the gym after tea.

I've enjoyed my first day in Darwin and with the help of the pool and air conditioning I haven't felt the heat too much.

1 comment Darwin, Holiday, leisure