It is thanks to South Australia once and twice to Tasmania closing their borders in the past year that I am in the Northern Territory. NT have been much more sensible to Covid19 management, much like NSW who did not close their border to everyone for one case. Today I drove the 2.5 hours from Darwin to Kakadu.
Drove from my hotel Mercure Crocodile Hotel to Cooinda Lodge to get the tour for Yellow Waters. These signs deter you from stopping to look for crocodiles? I expect instead of catching lunch you may become dinner.
Yellow Waters Cruise and I recommend the sunset cruise is a must do in Kakadu. Our tour guide was Lily who is very knowledgeable and humorous. She loves what she does. Every time something caught someone’s eye she would steer the boat back for us to get the best vantage point. This is the proof. Thank you Lily.
Aquascene in Doctor’s Gully is a sanctuary for fish. They come in at high tide. You can feed the fish which include barramundi, catfish, mangrove jack, mud crabs, stingrays and others.You can stand in the water and they swim around your legs. No crocodiles or sharks here. The harbour fisheries remove any sharks and crocodiles which come into the harbour as soon as they are spotted. Around 200 crocodiles are removed each year.
The first time I realised Darwin, well, anywhere in Australia was bombed during WWII was in Baz Luhurmann’s epic movie “Australia “. I knew Japanese minisubmarines entered Sydney Harbour but I never learned any of this at school!! It’s a disgrace we weren’t taught this important history. The museum shares Darwin WWII stories of people from all walks of life and embarrassingly made me aware of my lack of historical knowledge of my country. Sure I am first generation Australian born of Italian parents but this history should be mandatory in school. This museum is set in pretty grounds with lots of equipment salvaged from the bombing.
More than 270 people perished on 19 February 1942. Luckily the government evacuated women and children following the bombing of Pearl Harbour. But Darwin was taken by surprise.
List of enemy aircraft and what was attacked
Here is a statue representing The Digger and all who have served, past and present, to pritect our freedom and Gunner the kelpie who alerted allies when Japanese aircraft were approaching.
On my travels I have also learned about Japanese and German boats and mines along the New South Wales coastline during WWII. These maps from the Fisherman’s Cottage Museum in South West Rocks NSW show the positions of mines and the loss of life and vessels
Oh the weather here is fabulous. Funnily the locals told me it was cold at 25 this morning. Darwin city is so pretty with an area called the Waterfront. Lovely cafes and restaurants and an area to swim which is protected from crocodiles and Box Jellyfish.
Darwin Waterfront
The Parliament House looks like it is from a tropical island.
Darwin Parliament House
WWII Darwin was bombed by the Japanese for 6 months. Hard to imagine this harbour under attack
Tracy destroyed Darwin on Christmas Day 1974 and left 48000 people homeless. MAGNT also had Year 12 Art student exhibits. Some amazing talent but I felt a lot of sadness from their art works which depicted their fears, loneliness, confusion and anger experienced during this pandemic and how art helped them cope.
For my overseas friends who always wonder how we can live in a country with the most venomous animals in the world, I learned we have cute coral and plants which are deadly also.
But this part of the world is known for crocodiles. Sweetheart had a reputation for attacking boat outboard motors, not humans.
Across the road from MAGNT is Fannie Bay. Don’t be deceived by how pretty it looks. Not a good time to swim here with deadly box Jellyfish in season.
My first plane trip since November 2019. Like many people I have had several trips cancelled because of the pandemic. London, Port Lincoln, Tasmania twice. I am so happy this trip did not get cancelled. Do I remember what to do? It was different. Had to wear a mask for 4 hours but I am travelling again!! This is my first time in the Northern Territory.
Hello Darwin! Oh the weather is divine. I left Sydney this morning 8 degrees Celsius. Darwin is 31!! First stop is the Palm City Resort. Dumped my bags and explored The Esplanade through Bicentennial Park.
The sunsets here in Darwin are spectacular. I couldn’t get to a beach in time but this view isn’t bad.
First break away since Covid19 with my previous trip overseas was a 30 day Trans Pacific cruise in December 2019.
CV19 has forced us to look at what is in our backyard. As most countries around the world, Australia does not allow us to leave our country. Not such a bad thing when you have this beauty nearby.
Avoca Beach
With our low rates of CV19 most of our country has opened up for Easter. Queensland has caused a bit of panic with 2 clusters shutting down the Greater Brisbane area and the Byron Bay area of NSW is under some restrictions but on the whole we finally have some freedoms.
Avoca Beach is 1.5 hours from Sydney in an area known as the Central Coast of NSW with 40 beaches.
Five minute drive down the road is Copacabana Beach. Not to be confused with the one in Rio de Janeiro, which I have been to several times. This Beach has no crime, no oil slicks, no crowds, no high rise. It does have clean sand and surf, surfing, fishing and a slow beach lifestyle.
Copacabana Beach
Spoon Bay
We stopped in a town called Kurri Kurri and discovered the Big Kookaburra
Big Kookaburra
Kurri Kurri was a mining town and the town depicts some of its history with murals throughout the town
45 minutes from Sydney Harbour is a totally different water world, the Hawkesbury River. This was the location for my 60th birthday celebration, on the Banjo Paterson houseboat on this beautiful part of Sydney. I celebrated four days with 8 of my closest and dearest.
I arrived at the most western town in New South Wales, Broken Hill. The reason I decided on this road trip. From White Cliffs I had to go back to Wilcannia to take the road to Broken Hill. Only one place to stop between Wilcannia and Broken Hill is the Little Topar Hotel.
The hospitality was typical country although their “ring for service” bell might make you believe they do not offer friendly service. But the rabbit trap “ring for service” bell is typical Australian humour.
Broken Hill, known as the silver city, the Capital of the Outback, is the longest lived mining city in Australia. The break in the hills which gave the name to Broken Hill no longer exists due to being mined away. The city has beautiful heritage listed buildings.
The Palace Hotel is the Outback site for the movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The movie starts in my local area, the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville Sydney and ends in the Palace Hotel Broken Hill. Broken Hill now hosts the “Broken Heel” drag queen festival in September each year. I don’t like to be negative in my blogs but these 2 drag queens were not a good advertisement for the Broken Heel Festival or drag queens in general, on this night. They had just completed a show for the Indian Pacific guests and were in the foyer in full view of patrons hoping to get a photo opportunity. They eventually capitulated but they were the most uninviting Drag Queens I have encountered. Hopefully this was just a bad night because they gave drag queens a bad image. Give me good old Sydney drag queens any day, oh, and the Idaho Queen of drag, Minerva Jayne.
famous paintings seen in Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Over 50 Aussie female solo traveller USA road trip and beyond 