Wednesday, February 21, 2018, Darwin, Northern Territory, City Tour

Darwin, Australia is the cultural hub of the continent’s Top End, named for its northern most location.  The laid-back city got is name after the HMS Beagle sailed into the harbor during a surveying expedition in 1839.  The famed naturalist Charles Darwin, who had sailed on the ship’s previous voyage of five years, was so esteemed that its captain named this newest discovery for him.  This lively center of arts and culture is the largest city in the thinly populated Northern Territory state.  It boasts a rich and lively arts and culture scene, much of it centered on the MAGNT, or Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.  Its excellent collection of art and artifacts reflects the region and its indigenous people.

We started our shore excursion at lookout point at East Point Reserve to take in sweeping views of Australia’s Top End, the Timor Sea, the city, and Darwin Harbor.

Darwin is one of Australia’s most successful and engaging multicultural cities.  Darwin is a modern tropical capital with an intimate feel, set on a harbor twice the size of Sydney’s.  

Huge cranes at the commercial pier of the harbor.

 Wallabies along road to military museum.  Below two are sparing, so fast they were a blur!

 At a blur from moving bus of decoy to make enemy surveillance think these are air defense missiles.

Parliament building for the North Territory state.

One of our stops was at an extremely great museum.  Please see pictures of Cyclone Tracy at end.

 

Our last stop was at Charles Darwin National Park; we made a quick stop to view ammo bunkers used in World War II.

 View of downtown Darwin from National Park.

The following (numerous and maybe boring) pictures detail events of the December 24-25, 1974 cyclone that nearly totaled Darwin.  The details are very interesting to us.  Reminds us of destruction to Joplin, MO of June 2011.

We are on our way to Komodo, Indonesia.  Tomorrow is a sea day; we are really looking forward to seeing the world's largest lizards - some 10 feet in length.