Alan & Lyn's Huge Adventure: A relaxing day in Darwin 3/8/15

Sleep in today , out at 8am and it was great , leisurely breakfast and deciding what to do today - these are the big decisions we have to make each and every day !!

Darwin was the choice , but we had to pay for another night first . After chatting to Jenny for a while , we headed off , taking back roads whenever possible - we got to within 5klms of Darwin without going on the highway , and did it easily . It is a public holiday today - Darwin Cup day !!

We called in at Fishermans wharf for a look at all the trawlers and a couple of Paspaley’s pearl boats , and their huge motor cruiser - and I do mean huge - it was over 50m long and several different levels !! Must be money in Pearls !!

We found our way to Stokes Hill Wharf and drove into the parking area , people were fishing everywhere off the wharf , we parked and wandered down to the cruise boats not knowing what was there . Weren’t we surprised to find several different food shops - seafood , Thai , cafes , and lots of tables & chairs under umbrellas on the wharf . That was good enough for us , it was lunch time , and it’s been a while since we’ve had some fish & chips - we had local barramundi with chips & caesar salad - a strange combination - chicken caesar salad with fish - but it was all very nice , especially the barramundi !!! We sat near the edge of the wharf about 10m above the water . There was a nice breeze blowing to keep the temperature manageable .

The wharf was one of the targets , when Japanese bombers hit Darwin - there are plaques and signs commemorating the event . Apparently most Darwinians believed it wouldn’t happen to them , so they ignored calls from the Tiwi Islands saying the Japs were coming , thinking it was the Americans instead - bad choice - they got hammered !!

After lunch we cruised around the Harbour Precinct - a wave pool , swimming pool and food & accomodation , before finding the deckchair outdoor picture theatre . There are movies there every night from 7:30pm during the dry season .

We walked down the side of the theatre and up a lot of steps to the Esplanade , a little green oasis separating the city streets from the harbour . Speaking of the harbour , it’s 7 times bigger than Sydney Harbour !!

Just to show you we are still here and not making it all up - here we are !!!

The afternoon was running along nicely , we walked around the esplanade , then back to the ute and down the road to The Museum . We got there at 3:20 pm - it closes at 5 pm . There are some great exhibits there , and a good one of Cyclone Tracey and another of aboriginal art . The Cyclone Tracey section had lots of photos of the damage , before , straight after and twenty years on . There was also some footage taken by some employees of the ABC that fateful christmas day !!

After that we checked out the aboriginal art , before noticing there weren’t too many people around - we thought we’d better leave , it was nearly closing time ! Where did that hour & a half go !!

Then it was time to find a spot with a nice outlook for our picnic tea - we drove up to East Point and back again to the museum - it was the best spot to watch the sunset before we head back home . And what a sunset it was , the sun sliding down into the ocean in a blaze of yellow & orange .