Return to Darwin

This week I returned to Darwin for the first time since 1992.

I had lived in Darwin from 1983 to 1988 while teaching at a couple of different high schools.  At the time my brother and his family were still living here.  Since then, they have relocated back to Victoria, and all of my friends from that era have been cast to the four winds including my mate Rod who now lives in Johore and teaches at the International School there.

Another of my great friends from that era passed away from a heart attack back in August of 2019, and was such a shock at the time and wrote about his passing in one of my essays… Bruno.

What I noticed upon my return has been how much Darwin has evolved and moved forward.  As you’d expect the population has doubled since the days that I lived here, but more than that it’s moved from being a backwater to a vibrant, lush and high-rise city.

Parts of it resemble both Singapore and Hong Kong to some degree in terms of the architecture of the new high rises blocks, now couple that with its young and diverse population and you have an incredible city.

For well over 150 years Darwin has been a melting pot of diversity.  This has infused the city with a unique charm and culture that I haven’t experienced anywhere else, either in Australia or globally.

It is a foodie’s paradise in the variety of fresh seafood and delicacies from around the world.  Last night we had Korean food at Bannsang which was incredible!

Not only has Darwin blossomed into a fully-fledged city but it’s come into the 21st century with all the amenities that you’d expect in a big city ten times its size.

Across from where we’re staying is a state-of-the-art Convention centre, surrounded by dozens of new restaurants.   When I lived here this new area was a mangrove swamp surrounded by WWII era oil storage tanks adjacent to the main wharf.  These oil storage tanks have now been relocated across the harbour to the new port facility.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is the weather, as we’re at the end of the wet season (monsoons) the days are cooler, although still hot at 32C (90F), but with a gentle sea-breeze under cloudless azure skies.

No unlike to where we live now in Queensland at this time of year except that I know our winter temps will drop much lower than Darwin’s.

One of the attractions I wanted Judy to experience was the Jumping Crocodiles on the Adelaide River and so I had booked a tour for us.  To get to the river and tour it’s approximately an hour from our accommodation in the city.  An easy drive down the main highway before turning onto the Arnhem Highway.

This area around Darwin has lots of tidal rivers, with abundant wetlands spreading out from them and the perfect environment for saltwater crocodiles.  These pre-historic giants are not to be trifled with.  They are both big – males can weigh in at up to 750 kg / 1650 Ibs and can easily grow up to 6.5 metres / 21+ feet in length.

A monster by any other name…

Even on the tour we encountered a 5.1 metre croc that was less than a kilometre from the tour’s starting point.  They are incredibly territorial and will often kill and eat others crocodile (yes, they are cannibalistic) or shark crazy enough to encroach on its territory.

Fortunately, for us the tour boat was large and sturdy, although we felt the croc hit the boat from beneath as he surveyed us warily.  He wasn’t so keen on jumping for us, although further down river we were able to experience both a 3+ metre female and a slightly bigger male leap out of the water for some tasty treats.

The main objective of our trip to Darwin was to attend a NRL rugby game (Dolphins vs Panthers) on Friday night, but really, it’s been a great excuse to come back and explore my old home.

Zach had asked if I could buy him a poster for when he goes to Stanford to hang in his accommodation, and another for his girlfriend Meera who just purchased her first home in Chicago.

Instead of a poster we decided that an original piece of art (canvas) for each of them.  They have many fine galleries dotted around the city, but the place that we fell in love with is Readback Aboriginal Art Darwin – which is a co-op run by the artists themselves.

The aboriginal artists are from all over Northen and Western Australia.  Each of the pieces of art have a certificate of authenticity, along with the artists bio including which community they belong to and the background of the artwork.

I know both Zach and Meera are going to love the pieces that we got for them, with each piece having a dreamtime story attached to them.

It’s been an awesome trip, and a city I would highly recommend to anyone who wants a unique travel experience.

Until next week.

Ciao!