Wanderlust Heaven!

Darwin’s an odd place.  I’ll get into my reasons for saying so soon…but the first thing I noticed was the sub-tropical temperature and mood of the place.  I could finally shed my long pants and fleece, and strap on the Tevas.  80% of the clothes in my pack are for hot weather, so the preceding two weeks were a bit challenging in the clothing dept.  This was the Oz I remembered and loved from way back.  Finally, a bit of sweat on the forehead and on the beer bottle. 

OK, various observations about Darwin, in no particular order:

·        In other parts of the world, humans are beating the animals, for the most part – as evidenced by the massive amount of roadkill, the extinction of sea creatures, etc.  But in Oz, the animals may be winning – there are millions of feral rabbits, kangaroos, etc. in Oz, and around Darwin the crocodiles and bats are numerous.  The bats remind me of being in Sydney’s Central Business District at night – I used to hear screeching, then look up and see scores of bats flying around the tops of tall buildings.  With the proliferation of introduced animals in Oz, and global warming, it makes me wonder if the planet is taking control back from us and gaining revenge.  Might be a good thing, after all.  As the dearly departed Dr. Hunter S. Thompson once wrote (I summarize liberally), “Most people are afraid of topics like death, massive destruction, and the complete annihilation of the human race – but not me.  I’m comfortable with these concepts.” 

·        Darwin was bombed 64 times by the Japanese, who pretty much leveled the place in Feb. 1942.  They sank some Aussie, British, and US ships, and blew up some critical oil tanks that were conveniently painted white, thus ensuring a nice clear target for the Japanese Zero warplanes.  There are some amazing ‘oil tunnels’ built into the side of the cliffs – older Aussie men built these tunnels from 1942-5, after it was finally understood that external oil tanks kept bringing the Japanese back for (successful) bombing runs.  By the time the tunnels were ready, the war was over.  Anyway, the town is full of monuments to the bombings.  Between those and the Christmas Eve 1974 Cyclone Tracy, Darwin doesn’t have much left from the old days.  I remember going to Sydney’s Maritime Museum and watching video from the 1942 bombings and the 1974 cyclone, and both were simply devastating.  Makes you realize that the current era is peaceful almost without precedent, and that every day that doesn’t feature a murderous cyclone is a pretty damn good one.

·        Darwin’s the capital of the Northern Territory.  There’s something random about being in a ‘territory,’ I can’t quite put a finger on it.  The NT did get self-government in 1978, so it’s technically a state (I think); that said, locals called themselves ‘Territorians,” the local broadsheet is “The Northern Territory News,” and in general the place has a bit of an out-there feeling that might have been present in the 19^th century in the US West. 

·        It’s a small city, with about 75,000 residents.  I had beers in a city pub with the 2 people who sat next to me on the flight in…it’s that kind of place.  You keep seeing the same people, so be nice to them first time round!

·        Despite its small size and perceived lack of offerings, Darwin surprises.  The night I got there, I was reading ‘The Northern Territory News’ and noticed there was a poetry slam in a little artists’ space in town.  I grabbed a poetry I had written in Adelaide (denouncing the Bush Administration, natch), walked over to the slam, read my poem, and made some friends in the process.  I should say that almost anything that ‘slams’ the Bush Administration is guaranteed to make you friends over here.  It always pays to read the local paper, even if it’s crap – I usually pick up 2-3 things to do.

·        Darwin also has a kaiten-zushi (sushi train) place.  That’s one more than Boston has.

·        Some people walk around barefoot.  You don’t see that in many first-world cities, except on city beaches.  Darwin does feel like a cross between a developed, Western city and a laid-back, low-boil Asian or Latin place.

·        There’s a Thursday night market on Mindil Beach with a huge array of food, music, crafts, etc.  Good place to wander about for a few hours and watch the sun go down – which is stunning to watch up here in the tropics. 

·        The nighttime weather, at least now in ‘The Dry’ (season) is perfect.  I walked out of the poetry slam, which was held in a stuffy room (artists don’t seem to be into air-conditioning), and into a beautiful, breezy night, estimated temp. 80 degrees F, with a hint of a sea breeze.  I could have slept outside…would have been a good way to lose my wallet.

I liked the place, despite it being a little sleepy.  My general belief is that you can have a good time anywhere, at least for a night or two.  Curtin Springs Station (see above) was good for about a night.  Darwin would suit for much longer.  But tomorrow I fly to Cairns for some scuba diving.  Over and out.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 16th, 2006 at 12:09 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.