Darwin

Sunset from the balcony

After leaving Hobart, nearly a southernmost point in Australia, I set off for a destination I'd dreamed of, Darwin, along the north coast. I felt compelled to come to Darwin because it seemed exotic to me. When I'd first imagined this trip years ago, Darwin's tropical and remote situation captured my imagination in an unaccountable way, as did nearby Kakadu National Park with its everglade-flat wetlands, high rocky cliffs and aboriginal sacred spaces. Darwin is a very different place than the southern cities of Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, or Tasmania, all of which feel the effects of Antarctic Ocean waters in their weather; it is closer to East Timor or Papua/New Guinea than any major Australian city, and on the warm waters of the Timor Sea. On some level, I wanted to experience a place utterly unlike most places I'd been, and a bigger diversity of places in Oz. It isn't about beaches, or desert, or even the city. Coming to Darwin was an attempt to see something new.

On the way, a layover in Sydney was easily long enough (eight hours) for lunch and a second trip to the New Gallery - that is how convenient and reliable the Sydney trains are. Boarding a delayed evening flight, I arrived in Darwin after four and a half hours at 1:30 a.m. I was welcomed by balmy 75-degree air after leaving Hobart with the temperature near freezing - what a difference. It brought me back to my days flying into San Juan, PR and the wall of tropical air that would hit when leaving the airport.

Darwin's winter is its dry season, also its high season for tourism as southerners look for sun and warm breezes. Summers feature monsoon-type rains. Daytime highs don't vary much among the seasons (90 plus or minus 5), but winters have nights in the low 70s instead of the 80s. Its population is around 135,000, more than 1/2 the population of the Northern Territory. That makes it roughly 1/10th the size of Adelaide, which is roughly 1/4 the size of Melbourne or Sydney. Its CBD is modest in area, and less dense than its comparables. While Darwin is clearly growing (there was much construction in area), there are only a few nearby suburb-like towns; development falls away very quickly as one drives out of the city.

I stayed about a mile from the CBD, in a beautiful new third-floor condo, with a deck with views to the water and the CBD and easy access to a bus. I like to stay a little outside of the fray; however, unlike other places I've stayed, this walk to the CBD was uninteresting to a discouraging degree. I noticed from my first morning's walk that the heat takes a toll on one's motivation to travel by foot. In the tropical sun, it became important to find indoor activities for early afternoon hours.

The ruins of an 1880 town hall, set in the government quarter with the Supreme Court on the left and the Legislative Assembly on the right

The bridge to the elevator to the lagoon

View of the lagoon area from the bridge

That first day, I ventured to the CBD for breakfast, and had a fabulous "avo smash" (avocado toast) and flat white at Duke's Cafe, a great way to start out. From there, my mission was to wander the city. I found myself heading southeast in Darwin's northwest-to-southeast grid, fashioned on a peninsula in protected waters. This took me through a government district, with a parliament house, a supreme court building, city offices and a large city park. Beyond, I came out on a bluff, catching my first glimpse of stunning turquoise water, and crossed a bridge to an elevator embedded in new development to connect to the water's edge. This was the entry point to a beautiful, recently-developed waterfront district. It comes complete with protected salt-water lagoon swimming, a walkable breakwater and many adjacent contemporary waterfront restaurants and bars. (In Australia it is important to primarily swim in organized locations, with net protection in place or wearing a stinger suit, to protect from potentially fatal stinger and jellyfish stings.) The lagoon and its surroundings are quite a lovely place to spend time whether swimming, strolling, sipping or supping.

After a bit, I moved back upstairs to the long linear parks along the bluff, with walking paths, shaded benches and extensive historical markers telling the story of WWII Darwin along the way. Darwin also has a deep and fascinating World War II history. I am not well-versed in WWII history, and did not know before arriving that Darwin was bombed extensively during the war by the Japanese, as were cities across the northern tier of Australia. Historical markers tell the story thoroughly, from various points of view, and indicate that the news of the bombings was not circulated in the rest of Australia at the time, to prevent panic. Imagine.

The architecture of sidewalk shading

Funky new residential building with shading structures

Maybe my favorite building in Darwin; it amuses me

Then I delved into the commercial distict, and into the architecture of sun screens and shades. Not something we often think about in MA, except perhaps on the west facades. Here, it's everywhere.

On this day and other ventures into the city, I noticed a significant presence of Aboriginal and Torres Straits peoples in Darwin, more than in other cities I've visited. This includes joint custodial powers in Kakadu, shared with the National Parks, which gives them a hand in shaping where tourist may go and how information is presented. Walking around the city during the day, I frequently saw Aboriginal groups assembled in different areas of the city. They often in groups of 8 to 12, in circles on a grassy spot and energetically engaged in conversation, or moving through the city. I saw many families running errands in the business district. However, on this wander through Australia, I've consistently felt a divide between a "white" world and a "black" world, almost like they are operating in parallel, and that came through strongly in Darwin too. Not dissimilar from the States, either in terms of our relationships between white and minority groups, or between whites and the indigenous peoples.

A welcoming fountain

A referendum is approaching (to be scheduled between September and November this year) to potentially change the Constitution to add an indigenous "Voice" advising the government. The recent polls show that the referendum may fail. What little I've learned about the Aboriginals since arriving includes confidence that they understand the natural environment of this land and how to live in harmony with it better than those who've arrived since European "discovery". How to avoid damage to sensitive soils. How to manage vegetation with fires. How to live without the mining and plastics and oil drilling and pollution. I'm sure that notion is true in North America as well. A indigenous model of humans as a part of an ecosystem, as stewards of an ecosystem, rather than looking at a natural environment for what we can take from it, seems a model we must adopt to survive climate change.

On subsequent days, I visited:

• a beautiful botanic garden,

• the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), an art and history museum featuring extensive Aboriginal pieces and an exhibit on the 1974 Christmas Eve cyclone that literally wiped out the city,

• a reasonable beach (Mindil), and, the requisite outdoor pedestrian shopping street.

Sadly, I missed the famous Mindil Beach Night Market, as I was not there on a Sunday or Thursday night.

What is difficult to convey about Darwin is that it feels like a frontier city, in service Monday through Friday to tropical “cowboys” raising crops or livestock or rustling tourists in highly challenging - even dangerous - outback landscapes. Perhaps its Gold Rush history comes through, or the toughness that was required to rebuild after Japanese strafing runs in the 40’s or being leveled by a cyclone in the 70's. It is civilization with an edge, as if it could all come apart. It more than satisfied my curiosity.

My other mission was to see...

Kakadu

I only managed to squeeze in a daytrip to Kakadu, a 3-hour drive from Darwin. Despite 8 hours total on the road for two scenic stops, I highly recommend the bus day trip to Kakadu. The two stops were worth it.

One of many examples of elaborate rock art

The ever-looming escarpment, or ancient sea cliffs at the edge of the Arnhemland Plateau in the distance

First stop, Burrungkuy (Nourlangie) displayed extensive and elaborate Aboriginal rock art on cliffs big and small, all within an easy walk. Unbelievable pieces, beyond my imagination, all over the place. Wow.

A hint at the vastness of the environment

Second, Yellow Water Cruises took us out into Yellow Water Billabong for wildlife spotting. (A billabong is a seasonal wetland/pond/lake.)Crossing from the bus parking through a grove to the waterfront, we left a hot, arid environment for a cool, wet one; it felt like the temperature dropped 15 F degrees. We hopped on a pontoon and puttered the ultra-blue water between lush green shores for two hours viewing endless wildlife. This was a masterwork of wetlands - mangroves, gum trees, lotus and other water lilies. In addition to many very large crocs laying on the shores, the variety of birds we saw was extensive.

A white-bellied sea eagle? Yes, please.

A jabiru/black-necked stork? Yes, please.

A wading bird adapted to walking ON the lily leaf - called "the Jesus bird" (jacana) because it walks on water? Yes, please.

And, of course, the crocs.

In the July dry season, the area of water shrinks and all creatures live together in unusually dense quarters as a result. It was two hours of, "Look over there!" which meant within 20 feet. A beautiful, seemingly untouched wild environment, at your fingertips.

Sadly, my limited time in Darwin meant less time in Kakadu than I'd hoped, yet I’d made to this place in the far reaches of Australia and seen a whole lot. Should I make it back, I am tracking for the future:

• three to five more days in Kakadu to try to see much more of this beautiful, difficult landscape;

• a Darwin to Broome week-long tour (or the reverse direction) to see the Kimberleys. This one in particular is a bit of a lift, requiring a booking in advance, an expensive stay in Broome and big travel insurance coverage; and,

• a Litchfield/Nitmiluk national parks tour, 4-5 days. Another possibility is to go to the St. Mary's River.

The Details of Darwin: Flights

Qantas, its discount brand Jetstar, and Virgin Australia all fly into Darwin. Arriving to Darwin in the middle of the night is not the issue it is at other airports - don't worry about getting a taxi, one will be waiting. (This ended up proving out in almost every situation across the country - cabs are easy to find, often waiting, and very reasonably priced.) Most airports, after 10pm or midnight, get pretty desolate; no staff or passengers coming through, and nothing is open. Landing at Darwin at 1:30 am, I found the airport hopping - full of people waiting for flights, coming in on flights, and every vendor, food or car rental or whatever, was staffed. Turns out Darwin's airport does not have a "curfew" like other airports do, a mandated nightly quiet time to accommodate the community. Darwin serves as a central hub between Bali, other parts of Indonesia and southern/western Australia, and flights connect through there at all hours.

Ground transportation

A taxi from the airport into the city would normally cost about A$30, including an airport surcharge, and that gets a 20% increase between 1900 and 0600. My cab driver was very friendly. An emigre from India, he chose to come to Darwin to take advantage of an incentive offered by the government to help attract workers to areas outside the major cities. There is a public bus that connect to the airport, but it runs infrequently and requires an 8-minute walk up the street to the terminal.

My inclination to rely on public transportation in Australia has worked well. The places I've been have good local transportation, with lines intersection at a transit center with a full range of services. Still, a decision to skip the car rental limited my access in Darwin, given the warm temperatures and diffusion of destinations. On weekdays, the bus lines run often and cover most of the area. On a Saturday morning, I discovered the city was much quieter, with anything but tourist destinations closed and fewer buses run less frequently. Bus fare cards are available at the central bus hub downtown, with a $20 all-you-can-ride card good for one week.