Darwin is a small city located in the tropical area of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is also called the Top End, and is home to the Aboriginal culture, as well as the diversity of Kakadu National Park. Too bad we are not here long enough to see it all.
The Darwin Harbor is reportedly twice the size of Sydney Harbor, and it an important part of the area’s economy. Much of the local history ties back to Australia’s part in World War II. The Darwin Military Museum offers viewers displays of war artifacts, artillery pieces, vehicles, and firearms.
Tours through Shore Excursions include seeing the city sites with a walk, a bus ride, and even riding a Segway in the park. Out of town excursions were bus rides to a riverboat ride on the Adelaide River to see crocodiles, or visits to two parks….one at Litchfield to view the termite mounds and waterfalls, or the Wildlife Park, with 988 acres of bushland.
And while we are thinking about it, an interesting random fact about Australians are some of their clever inventions. They include the bionic ear, the black box flight recorder, the note pad, and the wine cask.
As for us, we have taken most all of these tours…even one they don’t have anymore….a trip to Kakadu to see the billabongs, crocodiles, termite mounds, rock art, Aboriginies, and eucalyptus trees. We never knew how incredibly hot it could get in this national park, nor did we expect to be invaded with flies, the likes of which we have never seen again. Nor do we wish to.
So we recalled what we did the last time we visited Darwin back in 2016, and re-traced our path once again. Waiting until 9:30am, we packed two bottles of water, cameras, and one umbrella to use for the sun, or rain, in case we would be graced with it. The rain never happened, by the way. No doubt about it, today was going to be one hot mama. Add the humidity of over 90%, and we can call it oppressive.
The ship docked at Fort Hill Wharf, which was located opposite of Stokes Hill Wharf. The last time we were here, a large Princess ship was docked there. Today that terminal was empty. Walking through the terminal building, we met with one of the local volunteers who could not have been nicer. He handed us a large map with a matching hand fan, and explained where the main sites were located. We thanked him but did not have the heart to tell him this was really our fifth visit.
From here, we could have jumped on the free shuttle that took the folks to the Tourist Info Center, but we wanted to walk by the waterfront and check out the restaurants there. Had to make sure the one that served a great pizza was still in business. Luckily, it was, and we would be back here later for sure. To get to this Waterfront, we walked a newly-built pedestrian bridge that was now covered for shade. Crossing over the lagoon, we were there. This area is surrounded with modern high rise apartments, but the best feature has to be the Big Buoy Waterpark Lagoon with a connecting Wave Lagoon. The waterpark is free and even has a sandy beach, while the wave section has a charge of $7 for each adult. If you wish to spend a “day at the beach”, this is the spot for you. It is salt water, but is netted for the jellies and other large sea creatures.
From here, there are two sets of elevators that bring you up to the level of the town. From here, we followed the map to see the main historical spots. Crossing one main street, we entered into the pedestrian-only Mall, with many stores, shops, and cafes. Everything was air-conditioned, so that is where most of the people were….inside the stores. We continued uphill on Smith Street, and followed the map towards the Garden Park Golf Links near the top. While we were taking photos of ibis, geese, and lapwing birds, it was here we ran into Howard and Gyl, also on a hike like us. It never fails, we end up seeing each other in almost every port. Now we all agree that our day was complete, like a good luck charm that our paths crossed once again. They were heading back to town, but when we told them about the botanic garden, they ended up turning around, and walking there also. They both have been on the ship since the Grand Asia/Pacific cruise, but had never gone that far to see the park.
The George Brown Botanic Gardens consists of 100 acres of tropical plants and trees – at least 1500 species. We entered the park where their small café, Eva’s, was located. It was the best place to stop and enjoy much needed ice cold sodas, and make a pit stop. There was a continuous path that led us to rainforest, mangroves, and open woodlands. Many of the native trees were marked, and surrounded with fountains and ponds. Also, there was a lot of work ongoing in this garden. A few of the major trails were closed. Some buses arrived with guests from the ship, so it was time to leave. We did see a small group getting instructions on how to ride the segways on their 1½ hour excursion. We spent about an hour here, until the heat began to get to us. There was no escaping it, except for the occasional breeze.
On the way back, we stopped in Woolworth’s, one of the largest grocery stores here besides Coles. Besides picking up some sodas, it helped cool us off since it was beautifully air-conditioned. Then the difficult part is going back outside…..why is it that the heat feels twice as bad? The good news was that the rest of the walk was under the canopy of many large trees. We even went in and out of some of the stores, checking out their sales. Many shops in this mall were dedicated to Aussie souvenirs, and it was the last chance for the cruise guests to buy some.
Stopping at the Waterfront, we found the lunch rush was over, and there were plenty of tables outside Il Lido. Like the majority of bar/lounges, the drill is…..order your food, pay for it, and bring your beverages with you to a table. You are given a number, a the food arrives. We figured this prevents eat-and-run behavior when business is hopping at night. Pretty much the same deal as going to any fast food restaurant anywhere in the world.
We had to laugh when several folks we recognized from the ship that asked if we were having Margherita pizza. Of course, the pizza was perfect here…..thin, crispy crust, tasty sauce, and plenty of melted cheese. And the beer we ordered was Northern Draft, brewed in Australia.
While we dined under the breeze of an overhead fan, we watched some people swimming in the lagoon. The lagoon side had the blown-up water toys, where you climb to the top, jump onto the lower pillow, thus propelling the person on the edge up and into the air and into the water. Fun to watch, but we sure would not try it.
Back to the ship by 4pm, we spent some time cooling off, but not at the Seaview Pool. When we went back there at 5pm to watch the sail out of the harbor, we found the empty pool still covered over with the net. Guess the leaks had not been fixed yet. The sail away party was held in the Crow’s Nest with the happy hour special. Barb says that always packs them in like sardines. It was a little more tolerable outside, because somewhat of a breeze had cropped up by this time of day. And one nice thing was it brought the birds out of hiding. Two such interesting birds were a pair of brahminy kites, which at first, we thought were a type of sea eagle. Fun to watch, but difficult to photograph. Other bird species included terns and later on, brown boobys.
People were gathering at the opposite terminal at Stokes Hill Wharf, where there was a dinner venue right on the pier. They would have a great view of the Amsterdam leaving the Darwin Harbor today. The ropes were finally dropped around 6pm as we had to wait for a late tour bus once again. The sunset time was around 7pm, so we stayed with a handful of folks that enjoy these nightly events. Two of them are Susie and Eddie, friends we have met on a previous cruise. Like us and many others, they know that it takes time and patience to get the best shots once the sun is down. The colors intensify well after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Tonight was no exception.
As the clouds got darker in the distance, we could see rain coming down behind the city of Darwin. Then we could see flashes of lightning dancing across the skies every now and then. This activity would continue through the night, which is sort of a treat for us, since we do not have much thunder and lightning where we live in California.
At dinner, we shared our exploits of the day, all agreeing that the temperatures of the day were incredible. We heard that living in Darwin has to be one of the most hot and humid places in the world. Even the sea water was almost 90 degrees. And we all came to the conclusion that the Australians are a hardy group, as well as most welcoming. As always, we are sad to leave this most diverse country.
We now have a couple of days at sea as we head northwest towards Indonesia. And the clocks went back ½ again tonight, and mostly welcomed by all.
Bill & Mary Ann
