Darwin has a population of 127,000, over half of the entire Northern Territory, and is very modern, mainly as a result of its turbulent past. Not once, but twice the city has been pretty much wiped out during the 20th century. On 19 February 1942, the Japanese bombed Darwin, causing severe damage to the city and killing 243 people. Over the coming years the city was rebuilt, only to be dealt another cruel blow 32 years later. In the early hours of Christmas morning, 1974, Cyclone Tracy hit the city, killing 71 people and wiping out almost the entire metropolis. Most people were left homeless, and an enormous evacuation was put in place to bring the vast majority of Darwin's dwellers to Sydney. The Museum and Art Gallery of NT has a very interesting exhibit dedicated to Cyclone Tracy, which puts across very well the devastation caused on what should have been the happiest day of the year.
However, Darwin is not a particularly interesting city. Because of the Japanese bombings and Cyclone Tracy, the entire city is made up of modern buildings, with very little traces of its history evident to the naked eye. Like any city in the world, Lonely Planet hypes up Darwin no end, listing a million and one things that a traveller can do, but the reality is that there is very little to do here that you can't do somewhere else. The city doesn't appear to have anything interesting that is unique to Darwin, and the place is used by many tourists as merely a base for exploring the various national parks in Northern Territory. In addition, the main street, Mitchell Street, is full of obscenely drunk backpackers at night (unfortunately, many of whom are from my own country), making the place a bit of an eyesore.
The main purpose of my stay in Darwin was as a starting point for a 3 day tour with Adventure Tours to Mary River and Kakadu National Park. The tour got off to a disastrous start for our tour guide Emma, as our brand new 4WD broke down literally minutes after leaving Darwin. Thankfully we got a replacement and without much delay we were again on our way. Our first couple of stops were not memorable in the slightest. We visited two different waterfalls in Lichfield National Park and went for a swim in the plunge pools. However, every tour bus in Northern Australia seemed to be there, following each other around like a bunch of attention seeking puppies. The appeal of these remote parts of Australia is to feel...well.... remote, not to be part of a Disneyland type circus!
However, this was the only disappointment of the trip, with the rest being thoroughly enjoyable. First up was a trip to an Aboriginal cultural centre where members of the local indigenous community told us a few things about their culture. One of the elder members, Eddie, showed us how to play a didgeridoo, a musical instrument played by Aboriginal people. He also informed us that there is no limit on the number of husbands or wives an Aboriginal man and woman can have. The entire tour group sat there in shock as Eddie proudly announced that he has currently got three wives, and a "European" on the side. When the group sat there with a slight awkward silence, he simply reassured everybody cheerily with the words "our culture".
Next we visited Mary River National Park for a one hour cruise along the river in a search to spot some crocodiles and other wildlife. We were not to be disappointed, as there were numerous freshwater and saltwater crocodiles located in the many billabongs beside the river, and also we spotted a few out of the water, chilling on the bank of the river. Some of these creatures were worryingly large, and indeed when one mean looking saltwater crocodile copped on that we were spying on him from just 15 metres away, he swiftly ran straight back into the river. While he is no Usain Bolt, this saltwater croc can certainly move fast. You wouldn't want to be completely out of shape if being chased by this toothy hungry beast! Even putting aside the incredible wildlife on show, Mary River in itself is extremely picturesque, with numerous billabongs, filled with tens of thousands of lilies, surrounding the main river.
On day two we entered Kakadu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for both its cultural and natural values. It is Australia's largest national park, covering almost 20,000 square kilometres, roughly the size of Slovenia. The first part of Kakadu we explored was the Ubirr Art Site, home of many Aboriginal rock art paintings, some of which dated back to 20,000 years. The paintings are extremely impressive, and it is quite remarkable that they have stood the test of time so well. The subject matter of the rock art varies, with many of the paintings dedicated to the various wildlife in the region at the time, while others depict an aboriginal dreamtime story, of which white people are only told the children's version. We are not trusted enough in the Aboriginal community to be told the full versions of their stories, and given the almost total destruction of their culture by the British in the 19th and much of the 20th century, you can hardly blame them for being so secretive. At Ubirr we also got the opportunity to enjoy a stunning 360 degree panoramic view, which gives a good insight into the various landscapes in Kakadu National Park. From this viewpoint you can see woodlands, wetlands and also escarpment - an amazing variety.
Afterwards we briefly stopped at Cahill's crossing to view more saltwater crocodiles and from a distance, caught a glimpse of Arnhemland on the other side of the river. Arnhemland is one of the last true wilderness areas on Earth. It is owned by the Aboriginal people and a permit is required for anybody else, even Australian citizens, to enter this area. Furthermore, Aboriginal cultural law overrides government law in this region, so if you get hit by a spear, then tough luck mate!
Next up was a hike up to the top of the waterfall at Maguk. The scenery was impressive, and the various natural pools above the waterfall was surprisingly warm, allowing me to make a rare appearance in the water. Indeed this is one of the few areas in Kakadu that a swim is recommended, with most of the park's wetlands, rivers and pools populated by ravenous saltwater crocodiles, lurking patiently for the next idiot to go against advice!
Day three was the most adventurous of all. We visited both Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls. While both areas are pretty beautiful in their own right, it was more the torturous journey to get to them that was particularly enjoyable. To get to Twin Falls, we firstly spent approximately one hour driving on one of the worst roads I have ever witnessed. This dirt track was narrow, bumpy, rocky, full of twists and turns and sometimes disappeared under water. It makes the road into the Bungle Bungles seem like the Pacific Coast Highway, and at times it was even almost as poor as the roads I experienced in Bolivia, except that in Australia the drivers aren't crazy - a massive plus! Next we needed to catch a 15 minute boat ride along the river, followed by a 20 minute walk. To reach Jim Jim Falls, more stomach twisting travel was required along the so called "road", followed by a 45 minute walk, in which most of the time was spent hiking over massive boulders, one to two metres in height at times, with each and every member of the group petrified of loosing footing and inflicting massive physical pain on oneself.
So my 5 weeks of travel around Western Australia and Northern Territory has come to an end. I have witnessed so much immense scenery, seen an abundance of wildlife, and have met so many brilliant people. When travelling with the same people for 9, 10, 12 and in some cases 21 days, you begin to feel that you have known them your entire life, which makes it more difficult to have to say goodbye. Indeed that is what makes travelling so bittersweet. You meet so many like-minded people from different parts of the world, but have to say goodbye far too quickly, as everybody goes their separate ways. But I'm certain there will be many reunions to come in the future and the fond memories of the last five weeks will not disappear anytime soon.
I am now back in Melbourne, where I will catch up with some friends before making a monstrous journey to Seoul, to begin 15 days in South Korea. I better learn a few words of Korean!
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