Outback in Oz (dodgy title to be replaced!) (Darwin)

Member Name: Epiphany

Product:	Darwin
Date:	04/10/01 (115 review reads)
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The flight from Sydney to Darwin takes about 4 hours (as far as I can remember). You can fly with a number of airlines including Qantas and Ansett (although someone recently mentioned to me that Ansett have recently gone bankrupt). Our flight was good, and the first thing that struck us when we landed in Darwin at around midnight, one night in June, was the intense heat and the smell. As the plane doors opened there was a rush of warm, humid air, which made it slightly difficult for me to breathe. Wearing a thin skirt and a vest top I found was a good move as lugging our luggage around was sticky work. The smell I mentioned, was that of the outback. It’s hard to describe but I suppose it is the fragrances emitted by the trees around. It’s not unpleasant, but different.

Getting transport from the airport was easy. We went outside (into the warm) and found a Shuttle Bus, which took us to our hostel. As with most things in Australia, transport is cheap especially with our strong pound. The Darwin Airport Shuttle Bus can be booked, if you prefer, by calling +61889815066 (if I have translated the number correctly – Darwin (08) 89815066) or fax +61889815377 (Darwin (08) 89815377). If you are in Darwin, simply call free on 1800358945. There is also an office near Knuckey Street (I can’t recall the exact location) where you can book and pay for your taxi.

Once at our destination we eventually found alternative accommodation (long story) and settled down for the night. The Darwin YHA was pleasant. There was a pool, shared showers and toilets – but plenty of them and the room had air conditioning. I don’t remember much else about it but our night there was pleasant enough and we got a few hours sleep before having to check out first thing in the morning (not normally required – we were given the room on the condition we checked out first thing so the guests that would be arriving could be checked in). We had to leave
our luggage in a locked area in the hostel we were supposed to stay in (Chilli Backpackers – also known as Nomads Darwin, and probably the subject of another opinion) whilst they prepared our room, and in the mean time, we went for a walk.

The sun was beating down on us and it wasn’t long before, despite factor 30 sun cream, I began to burn, and this was by 10 in the morning! We moved from shop to café to bar to hostel, hoping our room would be ready and reapplying more sun cream. There are many takeaway places to eat in Darwin, but none I would recommend over any other. There are also plenty of bars, many with Irish or English themes to them. Rorkes Drift serves nice food and you can see a red telephone box along with other advertising and British memorabilia. On entering the pub, and many of the others, I would have to put on a cardigan because it was so cold. The air conditioning is very good, and a complete contrast to the UK where it is the norm to put extra layers on when you LEAVE the pub.

I don’t like Darwin at night, or at least I don’t like anywhere except the main streets of Darwin at night. When we arrived I came across a chap who made me feel uneasy. He was drunk and mouthing abuse, so I just kept walking. The streets are dark and for some reason I didn’t feel as easy there as I did in Sydney. We didn’t see any trouble however; I just had this bad feeling.

There are many nice shops in Darwin, some of which sell art by Australians and Aboriginals, others sell Aboriginal artefacts and many others selling tourist gifts, some of which are more tasteful than others. There are clothes shops and places to buy diamond jewellery. There is also a Mambo shop with some great bargains, and a big shopping mall, which is worth a look around. Mindil beach also plays host to popular markets on Thursday nights during the dry season (April to September). We didn’t get the chance to visit them, but my lo
cal guide and friend told me that they are well worth a trip, along with the beer can boat festival (Beer Can Regatta) in July/August!!!

Of course there is much more to do in Darwin and the Northern Territory as a whole than just shopping and eating! We got the opportunity to visit a local nature reserve (I’ll have to get my friend to remind me what it was called – possible Howard Springs Nature Park) and got to see more of the local wildlife including many fish. There were notice boards around so that we could learn more about what we were seeing and it was a very pleasant day out, and not a croc in sight!

Crocodile farms are a popular tourist attraction, although we didn’t visit one of these either. Perhaps next time! We did, however, visit Aquascene. Here you can feed many, many fish bread whilst one or more of the members of staff give a talk. They describe the fish that you can see, including the popular Barramundi, which is eaten in much the same way as we eat cod or plaice. They tell the story of how the fish feeding came about and a little about the history of the area which is also depicted on boards surrounding the place. The fish splashing around was a wonderful sight and I don’t think I can put into words how many there were and how beautiful it was. The water was teeming and we had great fun. [I’m afraid I resorted to childish behaviour and had bread fights with my mate. Unfortunately I’m not a great shot, so I ended up hitting a chap with my bread, I’m glad he saw the funny side!] The backdrop to the whole place is wonderful and the area is really beautiful.

A visit to Kakadu is another great chance to see some of the wildlife of the Northern Territory and learn about the culture of the Aboriginal people who live in it. Like my better half, I think this is worthy of a separate opinion as we covered a lot of ground and a lot of activities. Again, this is definitely worth a visit, even
if you can only manage the one-day tour.

We were fortunate enough to be in Darwin when the Olympic torch came through. We watched local bands and minor celebrities and it was a great experience. Obviously, this is pretty much a once in a lifetime event, but there are many other festivals and celebrations going on in Darwin throughout the year. August plays host the Festival of Darwin, which is preceded by the Darwin Fringe festival, which occurs the fortnight before.

I don’t know about you, but after all that I am exhausted. If you would like to know more about Darwin, both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to Australia have great sections on things to do, places to eat etc. There are contact numbers and addresses, which are also very helpful. Alternatively, if there is something I can help you with, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line. Also, you could check out kajroberts’ opinion in this section which describes the same holiday, but through his eyes and includes different information. I have purposely gone for my own personal view and experiences rather than the history and fact and figures relating to Darwin. I may update this opinion at some point to include this information.

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