Darwin 8/10 to13/10

Darwin City from Harbour

The Captain of the Beagle, John Lort Stokes, discovered Darwin Harbour in 1839 and named it after his former shipmate, British evolutionist Charles Darwin. We arrived in our northernmost capital city not really knowing what to expect.  The first thing we noticed heading into town was a very high number of personalised number plates on vehicles.  We followed ‘wacko’, ‘4poppy’, ‘feral2', ‘treefella’,  and many other cars all advertising their owners’ nicknames, passions and interests.  What do you think we should have as a personalised number plate?  While our caravan park is located 20 km from the city, we’ve managed to find it very easy to navigate around this capital city. The CBD itself is located on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water, with the streets laid out on a grid pattern. 

 

Until World War II, links between Darwin and the other capitals were considered to be rough and primitive.  It took a world war to ensure that a highway linking Darwin to Alice Springs was finally constructed.  During the war, Darwin was bombed repeatedly by Japanese Bombers  - while the ships in the harbour were the main targets, many buildings were also damaged and destroyed.  Ironically, the bombing led to the population of Darwin increasing, primarily because over half a million defence personnel were deployed to this city to help defend the country from what was thought to be an impending Japanese invasion.

As far as our Aussie history goes - Did you know?

·         188 Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin on 19/2/1942

·         Darwin and the Top End were bombed 64 times during WWII

·         251 people were killed in the first two raids of the first day

·         Darwin was attacked by submarines in the month before the air attacks

·         One 80-man submarine still lies outside Darwin Harbour today.

From our perspective, we were aware that Darwin had been bombed during WW11, but the extent of the damage and the loss of life that was suffered took us both by surprise.

6" Guns

9" Gun Placements

There is still evidence of some of these wartime events throughout Darwin today.  Running parallel to the main highway as you drive into Darwin is one of several WWII airstrips that were built by armed services personnel.  Mark and I visited the East Point War Museum, which had video footage and information about the bombing of Darwin as well as machines and memorabilia.  It was very interesting but also raised a few questions.  Authorities were informed that hundreds of bombers were heading towards Darwin, yet nothing was done to protect the ships in the harbour....why not?  The Japanese had amazing maps of this area of the country...why?...because the Australian Government had employed Japanese topographers to survey and chart  the Northern coastline.  We were also amazed that the huge 9.2 inch guns that were built and deployed in Darwin after the bombing, were never fired in anger.  Another aspect that astounded us was that when the Government determined that these guns were outdated and unnecessary, they were subsequently sold as scrap to a Japanese salvage company and taken to Japan.  (Bureaucracy gone mad – don’t you think!)

Info in War Museum

Mark in Oil Storage Tunnel

After most of the fuel supplies had been damaged by bombers, it was decided to build underground steel-lined concrete tunnels that would be safe from air attack.  Four hundred people were employed to hand dig tunnels into the cliffs surrounding the Port of Darwin, taking two years to complete six tanks that could be filled from pipes leading from the wharf.  Once again these were never used and now house a display of historic photographs.

Tunnel 5 Info

While we were here, we also visited the Cyclone Tracy exhibit at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.  Standing in a darkened room listening to a sound recording of the cyclone hitting Darwin was eerie - sounds of sheets of corrugated iron being hurled through the air into buildings combined with the sheer power of winds that were around 200km an hour.  I'd never want to witness it firsthand!

Palmerstone Town Hall (Cyclone Damaged)

Original Administration Buildings

The city we saw is Australia’s most modern city, constructed out of the ruins of the cyclone.  Many of the buildings were reminiscent of buildings we’ve seen in Singapore.  The NT Parliament House which overlooks Darwin Harbour is an example of modern tropical buildings, whereas the Governor’s House which is directly opposite is one of the earliest buildings in this city.  It has been reconstructed after cyclones twice following the original plans.   Just a stone’s throw from the CBD is the Stokes Hill Wharf which is being developed into a district of eateries (another Portside).

NT Parliament House

Governors House

Mark at Mindil Markets

Sunset at Mindil Beach

One of the highlights of our stay here were the Mindil Markets.  These sunset markets are located next to Mindil Beach and we took our chairs and drinks and joined the throngs of people who were enjoying the cosmopolitan tastes of Darwin.  These markets reflected the multi-cultural influences of Darwin – it is so close to Asia that more people visit Bali than Perth or Brisbane!  While Mark found a local bar, I visited the Chinese Temple where a guide was very happy to talk to me about the altars and their meanings. 

Chinese Temple Gates

Chinese Temple

Children's Section

Fannie Bay Gaol

 We also visited Fannie Bay Gaol which originally opened in 1883 and was a working prison up until 1979.  It was quite depressing seeing how primitive the conditions were for the prisoners.  One of the buildings was marked as ‘Children’s Quarters’.  These cells were used for juveniles; prisoners with infectious diseases including leprosy, and in the 1970’s it was also used for refugee Vietnamese Boat People! 

Lake Alexander

During our stay in Darwin, the weather has been quite warm.  While the daytime temperatures of 33 degrees have been quite bearable, the night time temperatures of 26 degrees have been quite uncomfortable.  I definitely could not live up here, or if I had to, I would rarely venture far from the air conditioning during summer.  Accompanying this heat has been a plague of mosquitoes, that have made it their mission to put puncture wounds all over my body.  Thank god for my Bushman spray and our tubs of Citronella!