Darwin is a city that has been completely rebuilt twice. Once after the bombing of Darwin after WWII, and again after the devastating Cyclone Tracy struck on Christmas Day 1975.  It’s hot, windy, and dusty at this time of the year and hot and wet from November. We’re anchored in Fannie Bay. It’s shallow! We’re anchored 2km from the Darwin Sailing Club because of the enormous (up to 7m) tides. It’s a 20 minute dinghy ride with our speedy little 2.5hp going flat out🤣. You have to time the tides just right so as not to have to drag the dinghy 500 metres through the mud.

Darwin is growing on me. Angus has picked up a couple of weeks’ work at a chandlery, so I’ve been entertaining myself  around the city. I’ve made the mistake of walking into the city in the midday sun…until I downloaded the bus timetable and worked out that the bus is just $3 (and half the time they offer free rides!)

Darwin Waterfront: Nice place to hang out and go for a swim in the Lagoon. There’s a wave pool, aquapark, loungers and bean bags, shops and restaurants..there are no crocs or stingers, or so the Darwin City Council hope!

Museum and Art Gallery: I spent a morning in the cool and quiet of the museum. The Cyclone Tracy exhibition is very well done, and Sweetheart (the 17ft crocodile) is mind-boggling!

Mindil Beach Sunset Market: This is awesome. Open on Thursday and Sunday from 4pm -9pm. Every type of food imaginable, but with a big SE Asian influence. Oh the smells! The hardest thing is what to choose. We ate our curry puffs and souvalaki watching the sun go down, with some bloke doing a whip-cracking show just behind us😳.

Darwin Gaol: Closed in 1979, but with an interesting history. In 1942 Darwin was bombed, and the prisoners were released and left to fend for themselves. The last hanging occurred in 1952 when two young Czech men were sentenced to death for murdering a taxi driver. The gaol was badly damaged during Cyclone Tracy and closed a few years later.

Deckchair Cinema: Operated by the Darwin Film Society. We went to a movie to celebrate Angus’ birthday. It was fantastic sitting on deckchairs as the sun set, with bats flying overhead and cheeky possums coming down to steal popcorn. We thought it was appropriate to watch a newly released Aussie film called “Slant”. Loved it! It was a quirky, silly, funny movie starring Sigrid Thornton. Such fun!