Darwin, Australia - Stroll in Town - 1 of 3

The Northern Territory is unique in many ways, and Darwin its Capital is no exception. Although it occupies over 1/6 of Australian’s land mass (over half million square miles), it is sparsely populated (260,000) and therefore called the "Real Outback" (red dirt roads go on forever). As a comparison, this is three times the size of California which has a population of 40 million. The Northern Territory is famous for its desert landscapes, tropical wetlands, and deep-rooted Aboriginal culture. The Northern Territory is a self-governing territory, not a state. While it has its own Legislative Assembly and Chief Minister (currently Lia Finocchiaro), the federal government retains the power to override its legislation. Its economy is driven by mining (gold, bauxite, manganese), energy (gas and petroleum), and lastly tourism.

Darwin, Australia, is famous as a tropical, multicultural gateway city known for its intense WWII history, the 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastation, and its close proximity to rich national parks and wildlife, like Kakadu. As Australia's only tropical capital, it is also known for its Asian-influenced food scene and being a big destination for saltwater crocodile experiences. The site was settled in 1869 and was known as Palmerston until it was renamed in 1911. Darwin was supported to build air services during the 1930s and use as a fueling and military base in WWII. Unfortunately, it was severely bombed by the Japanese in 1942 and later extensively rebuilt. In December 1974 Cyclone Tracy damaged or destroyed most of the city (with two-thirds of the residents evacuated). Darwin was rebuilt a second time, making it one of the most modern cities in Australia. We found there were some older parts of the city, but many areas were very modern with beautiful apartment building and restaurants. Darwin has the youngest median age of all the capitals of Australia and is the most multicultural. Although we didn’t go on an organized tour, and much of the city was closed down today, we did read many of the historical site signage, then many imbedded ground tiles (looked like manhole covers – see photos) and spoke to people about the city.

Karen opted to get her nail/toes done while I spent the time enjoying the city (after failing to try to get a haircut 3 times). I went around and spent some time at a local bar and watched soccer and rugby excitement and craziness (they are both big contact sports here).Read more