Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
As per The Whitlams song entitled "You Gotta Love This City", we LOVE Darwin! It was another glorious winter's day and the sea was sparkling as we cycled along the waterfront. We managed to explore 75 kilometres of Darwin by bicycle over two days.
We had another Warm Showers family host us in Darwin, and they even had an 11 year old son. We were thrilled when they offered to cycle with us on our first day and their son cycled with us on day two as well. We were also excited to have some screen time at night after long days of cycling!
We cycled along the waterfront all the way to Casuarina Beach and back. Along the way, we visited the Darwin Military Museum where we all enjoyed the interactive experience and Nightcliff, where we enjoyed freshly made tropical juice and lunch from one of the many food vans scattered along the waterfront.
Afternoon drinks overlooking Casuarina Beach was picture perfect. The surf lifesavers were on duty with hardly anyone in the water. We played and splashed along the water’s edge with strict instructions not to swim.
Deadly stingers prevent people from swimming in Darwin for most of the year. Stinger nets were installed in the 1980s; however, the cost of upkeep was prohibitive, largely due to the damage caused by the colossal tides, up 6o seven metres (which are a result of a broad and wide continental shelf). Then there are the crocodiles.... A local that dad met, however, said that the risk of being bitten by a croc at this time of year was far lower than having an accident on one of Darwin’s major roads!
We mingled with every other tourist in Darwin at the Mindil Beach markets and together with the masses, we enjoyed sunset over the ocean. Us kids played on the beach as the sun went down and we later discovered that we had been eaten alive by sandflies.
On day two, we cycled to.the Darwin Aviation Museum and then into the city where we visited the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. At the RFDS museum, we enjoyed virtual reality (VR) experiences of flying in a RFDS plane as well as the WWII bombing of Darwin Harbour. The virtual reality experiences for both the RFDS flight and the bombing of Darwin were unreal.
We repeatedly learnt about two historic events in Darwin: the bombing of Darwin and Cyclone Tracy. Another local said that all history in Darwin began on 19 February 1942!
After two days of cycling, we were all thrilled to cool off in the wave lagoon on the waterfront.
None of us wanted to leave Darwin and we have to thank our Warm Showers hosts again, as they made our stay so memorable. We LOVE this City!
2025-05-22