Darwin - the Root Toot Tootin Top End

We are in the largest state of Australia known as the Northern Territory.  It is twice the size of Texas and the least populated state in the country.  In the US, it would be considered a frontier state and that is exactly how it feels.  Darwin is its largest "city" with a population of around 150,000.  It is a working city prone to booms and busts depending on what's happening in the oil or gas industries giving it an earthy blue collar vibe.  The coastline is rugged in a very different way than on the east coast of Australia.  This is the Timor sea, amazing beautiful in color but filled with saltwater crocodiles and box jellyfish so swimming/playing in these waters is extremely dangerous and you see literally no one even wading in the water here.

Timor Sea in Darwin

The Northern Territory has the highest concentration of Australia's indigenous peoples in addition to many immigrants from around the globe.  We have learned that in order to immigrate to Australia, you are first sent to a sparsely populated area like Darwin where you will need to work and live for 4-5 years prior to being granted citizenship.

It seems to be a safe town as we regularly see kids aged 7 or 8 biking to school without an adult hovering nearby.  On the other hand, groups of rowdy aboriginals routinely create chaos in the parks or on the city buses.  Similar to our Native American populations, some aborigine's here struggle with alcoholism, poor health & mental illness.

It is now late spring and everywhere you look, the trees are blooming or laden with fruit.  Ripe mangos cover the side walks and the air is filled with sweet scents.  Darwin hosts miles of biking/walking paths along the coast line sprinkled with parks, picnic areas and numerous preserves.  For WWII enthusiasts, Darwin has a rich history.  It was attacked in WWII by the same Japanese air fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor and did significant damage.  Luckily, they had advance notice so very few were killed in the attack.  During the war, there were 40,000 American troops stationed here before they moved onto the Philippine islands.

Darwin Botanical Gardens  are a must see!  Check out this Poinciana.

We visited the Litchfield National park which sits 100 miles south of Darwin.  It is a favorite spot for the locals as it features multiple "croc free" swimming holes at the base of some lovely falls.  We took the day to hike and take some refreshing swims along the way.

Wangi Falls

Florence Falls 

It is a beautiful park filled with lots of uncrowded hiking paths as it seems most folks go directly to the swimming holes and stay there.  A fascinating element of this park are the giant termite mounds.  These 30+ footers win the prize for their massive size created by a termite that is just 5 mm in length!

Whoa - this is a termite mound!

Temperatures are in the low 90's with very high humidity.  This time of the year is what the Aussies call the Big Build.  Soon the monsoon rains will be here for days.  For now, showers come and go providing a much needed drink to the dry earth.

We are off to Kakadu National Park which sits 3 hours east of Darwin.  Driving long distances is something you just have to adjust to in these parts.  Every once in awhile, you happen upon a little village.  We love the name of this one called Humpty Doo.  How fun it would be to grow up in a town with a name like that!

Stay Curious!

Cheryl and Dan