Fabulous Journeys

G’day from Fabulous Journeys! I have just returned from my 2-week trip out of town and had the great opportunity to visit Australia’s Northern Territory. I was at Darwin to catch up with some friends I made through internet marketing, and I had a chance to also explore Darwin city itself.

Flying Into Darwin

It’s difficult to get into Darwin without flying. Unless you are seriously wanting to take the long drive across the long empty stretches of the Outback, flying is the best way to travel into Darwin. I flew into Darwin from Singapore and booked it on Zuji, as they had great special offers to Darwin. The flight took roughly 4 hours, and arrived really early in the morning at 4:40AM. I found it interesting that it is much quicker to fly to Darwin from neighbouring countries than to some of the Australian capital cities!

My friend Trixie met me at the airport, and had to travel 30 minutes to get there. I felt so special that she would wake up at that time of the morning (well, even earlier than that!) just to pick me up and have me stay at her and her husband Steve’s lovely 5-acre property in Howard Springs. If you’re reading this Trixie, thank you so much for your great hospitality!

Top Attractions in Darwin

Before arriving in Darwin, I didn’t know much about what to see in the city. I only knew that it was at the northern tip of Australia, and that there are a lot of crocodiles in the rivers and the sea. I heard from my friend Trixie of the Crocosaurus Cove, which is something like an aquarium of crocodiles in the city, but that was about it. My friend Sharon, who came from McKay and also stayed with Trixie, is also a first timer to Darwin, so we both relied on our good host to take us around and show us the highlights of Darwin.

Here are some of the top Darwin attractions:

Darwin Waterfront

The Darwin waterfront used to be a very industrial area that included the main port of Darwin (Stokes Hill Wharf), where both cargo and cruise ships would dock. More recently, the Darwin waterfront has been redeveloped to include Darwin’s first convention centre, a nice boardwalk along the shore, a new wave pool and restaurants along the Stokes Hill Wharf. There are a few apartment complexes that are being built around the area, which would offer great views of the harbour and sea. There is also a small beach that is protected from the crocs and other dangerous creatures and is considered safe for swimming.

I had lunch with my friends Allen, Sandra and John at the Stokes Hill Wharf and had a fantastic time catching up. The location itself being by the harbour makes for a nice refreshing place to have a meal with friends. There are a few food stalls to choose from, mostly seafood, Chinese, Western and Greek stall. I had a local Barramundi and it was delicious!

Mindil Beach

Mindil Beach is known for its magnificent sunset. Locals and tourists flock to this beach to watch a spectacular sunset. During the dry season, the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets open on Thursdays and Sundays. The sunset market is a great place to sample some local food, find local products, get a Chinese massage, tarot card reading and other quirky stuff. There are numerous aboriginal artwork and items like the didgeridoo, boomerang that you will find as you walk around, as well as Asian items. Live music is also available in various parts of the area.

By the time the sun is about to set, the crowd in the market would slowly go to the beach to watch the sun go down into the sea. The sunsets are apparently much more spectacular during the wet season, when the sun’s colour turns red, and the sky is all red. Nevertheless, I saw one of the best sunsets by the beach here at Mindil Beach.

Eastpoint

Eastpoint is a nature reserve not far from the city centre of Darwin. The area has forests, picnic areas and a man-made lake called Lake Alexander. Lake Alexander is a saltwater lake that is safe for swimming all year round. There are also military facilities in the area. Dudley Point is an area in the Eastpoint reserve that offers a great view of the Darwin skyline and Fannie Bay. This is also another great spot to watch the sunset. Locals and tourists come here to enjoy the views and have a picnic.

Casuarina Beach

Casuarina beach is roughly 20 minutes outside Darwin CBD, and has a decent stretch of beach for people to walk on and enjoy. Some people come here for a picnic or to do some watersports. There is a surf lifesaving club on the beach. My friends and I had a takeaway lunch and sat on one of the picnic tables here. This is where we saw some people kite surfing along the coast, which was a pretty cool sight to see!

Crocosaurus Cove

The Crocosaurus Cove is one attraction you will find in the city centre of Darwin. It is located on Mitchell Street, which is the main street in downtown Darwin. You will find numerous crocodiles that were captured due to misbehaviour (i.e., attacked a human or done some harm on some people’s properties). For thrillseekers, you can get into this glass cage that will be submerged into the crocodile’s pen, and you can experience the aggression and strength of these creatures. My friend Trixie has put out a more detailed post on this, so do check it out!

Darwin is an up and coming city. It may still be very small for a capital city, but it sure has been growing over the past few years with the boom in tourism and mining. It is evident in the amount of construction happening at the moment. Darwin has been known to be the gateway to the beautiful Kakadu National Park, and the closer and more stunning Litchfield National Park. I will be writing about Litchfield National Park on my next post.

Til the next Fabulous Journeys!

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