A Tour of the Top End of Australia

As we boarded the plane for our return trip to Melbourne from Australia's northernmost capital, Darwin, the text from my dad on my smart phone read, "Glad the crocs didn't get you.  You do have all 4 kids, right?"  I was able to answer in the affirmative--not only did we have all four kids, all sixteen limbs were intact as well, in spite of the fact that they had come within inches of the snapping jaws just a couple of hours earlier.  That story and those photos will come in a later post.

The beginning of our trip to Darwin started somewhat less dramatically.  It involved the usual 4am rise to catch one of those awful early morning flights one must take to save money on airfares for six people. Upon our arrival several hours later, the humidity slapped us full force in the face, and we couldn't help but notice the ominous looking clouds in the distance.  We had expected some rain on our trip as it was scheduled for the tail end of the Top End's wet season, but still we were unprepared for the volume of the monsoon rains that hit the city to welcome us.

The upside of all the rain was that it forced us to rest.  Rather than tour the city on our first afternoon, a city by the way that seemed quite small to all members of the family, we stayed put and rested at our accommodation, napping while we listened to the rain pounding on the metal roof of the verandah that wrapped around our villa.  The rain continued throughout the next day, so we spent our time touring the various museums on offer.  Fortunately the children all found them interesting.  

Highlights of the museums included Sweetheart, famous for being the largest saltwater crocodile on record.  He was captured several years ago after he developed the disturbing habit of attaching fishing boats, and now lives in stuffed form at Darwin's main museum.  We also viewed various examples of boats that have plied the waters around Darwin, as well as aircraft, including one of only two B-52 Bombers on display outside of the U.S.  Its wingspan stretched the entire length of the hangar at the Aviation Museum.

The favorite part of Darwin for the younger three children was visiting Crocodylus Cove where we were able to feed baby crocs, and then swim with them, separated by only a glass wall.

Katie's best experience in the city was the WWII museum, which I unfortunately did not visit.  I had headed back instead to the natural history museum with the boys who wanted another look at Sweetheart and the other animals on display. Darwin was bombed repeatedly by the Japanese during WWII, and in fact the first attack was carried out by the same squadron that bombed Pearl Harbor.  Many residents evacuated during the War.  Those buildings that were not destroyed by the Japanese were later flattened by Cyclone Tracy which demolished the city on Christmas Eve of 1974.  So Darwin can rightfully be called a Comeback City.  Just a handful of original buildings remain.

My favorite part of Darwin was the sunset over the waterfront on our last night.  On the advice of the friendly folks at the church we visited on Easter Sunday, we walked out to Stokes Hill Wharf and placed an order for fish and chips for dinner.  Another torrential downpour hit as we finished our meal, but by the time we walked back the sky transformed into a gorgeous light show.  With Cameron as my assistant, and with the help of the tripod, I went to work trying to capture some of the beauty on display for us that night.

Next are a few photos of the same location taken at dawn.  It was pretty then too, but not quite as dramatic as sunset.

Finally, I have a few shots of plants that Cameron wanted me to record, taken around the villa where we stayed for three nights.  Next up in my planned line-up of posts will be our roadtrip to Kakadu National Park, a World Heritage site roughly the size of the state of West Virginia.

See you soon on the road to Kakadu.

 

 

Comments

[Nikki]

I'm so glad to hear that you are all home completely in tact! The picture with the red sunset is absolutely exquisite! I can only imagine what it was like to experience it in person. I've been checking your blog daily anxiously awaiting your return posts. I can't wait to see what's next!

[Nikki]

PS I really like Katie's shorter hair style.

[Christie Wilkin]

Hi NIkki, Always a pleasure to hear from you, and Katie says thank you as well :).

[Linda Renaud]

Love the picture of the rain in Darwin. Your sunsets pictures are beautiful as well as extremely clear...that tripod really makes a difference. Can't wait to hear more about the crocidile story! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[Christie Wilkin]

Thanks Linda. I really debated whether to bother lugging the tripod to Darwin, but in the end I'm glad that I did, especially as Ross and Cameron were usually quite willing to lend a hand.