Sightsee and gaze, don't set the country ablaze

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It has been quite some period of time since Australians have had the opportunity to board a plane for a bit of adventure. Of course international travel is still off the agenda for the foreseeable future, but the respective States are starting to open up their borders to domestic tourists, and importantly to the money they spend. So I thought after 18 months without a break here's a chance to visit the iconic Northern Territory of my own country, after 20 long years having not even stopped in to say g'day! I have great memories of my last visit, and with a good deal of excitement masked up and boarded a Qantas flight from Sydney to Darwin to commence a new adventure. There have been countless travel moments in my blogging life where prior flights passed over Darwin on the way to various destinations in Asia, but those glorious adventures are on hold due to the ongoing pandemic. In the meantime, it takes just four hours out of Sydney before travellers arrive in tropical Darwin, and my timing is less than two weeks after the conclusion of the annual wet season.

From the airport it was a breeze to snag a taxi to Mitchell Street, the buzzing centre of the city. I unloaded bags and headed out for a midnight brewski or two, as the cares of Sydney life began to recede. The bars are pumping in Darwin, with great musos belting out classics to enthusiastic crowds of revellers. My first night of the trip ended up quite a late one, but I was too wired to stay in the hostel after not travelling anywhere for so long. The next morning I got sorted, and navigated the dorm room full of drunken passed out ragers in order to get on the move. I headed down to Mindil beach for a sticky beak to ease in to things. The area is famous for it's casino, which is now one of the major attractions in Darwin. There's also a beautiful walking path along the beach, but please note it's not suitable for swimming due to the abundant crocodiles and jellyfish that call Darwin home.

The next day I spent exploring Darwin waterfront and was blown away by this stunning place. The site has been designed with elegance and sophistication; featuring apartment buildings, restaurants and shops along the waterfront, a wave pool and even a man made beach for the locals to cool off with their families. The waterfront is spectacular, full of fun and energy and a wonderful spot to explore for a day. When you visit be sure to drop in to a cafe or restaurant and soak up the energy of this lovely attraction for locals and tourists. The layout and design are so appealing, it's a super impressive place. The next morning I headed to Crocosaurus in the city centre, and what a fantastic and intriguing place it is to visit. The resident saltwater crocodiles are huge and can be viewed from above, or from viewing areas under the waterline. It's one of life's great experiences to see the big crocs interacting with the humans in the cage of death who are lowered in to the terrain of the crocs, while staff dangle food for the big crocs right next to where the humans cower. When you see crocodiles swimming from under the water it's truly out of this world, they look like nothing I've ever experienced. And I have the videos to prove it too!

I decided to push on from Darwin as the hostel is a bit too wild for my taste, seemingly full of long term residents who have become longer term drinkers! I booked a greyhound bus for the four hour drive south to Katherine, and it was after arriving that things quickly went to hell. I arrived at my pre-booked destination (during Easter mind you) and there was nobody manning the reception. I reached the owner on the phone, and he said I didn't have a booking. I confirmed I had an approved and paid booking through booking.com and asked to see him so that we could discuss the situation. He said he was not at the hostel, and maintained that he is full and there is no booking, Oh-oh, I was clearly in trouble now and feeling quite frustrated, I tried one hotel tramping in the hot sun where the owner was stunningly unhelpful and unsympathetic about my predicament, but finally found the great Pine Tree Motel where the friendly manager got me sorted in a very nice room at a reasonable price, while I negotiated with the company for a refund. I have never had an owner dishonour a oonfirmed booking anywhere in the world, until now that is!

I was up early for breakfast with the friendly staff, and then headed to the visitor information centre as soon as they opened. They had me sorted for tour options, and referred me on to a hire car company who fortunately still had a car available. I headed south on the Stuart highway in my new set of wheels, known to Aussies as the track, and after 100kms heading towards Alice Springs reached the turnoff to Mataranka thermal pool. The pool is within a national park, and features 34 degree temperature all year round. With plenty of shade, swimmers stay in the water for ages in the pristine environment, it's really special to soak up an outback experience. Following a relaxing visit I headed back to town, being careful when overtaking roadtrains as it's quite a risky manoeuvre. I still had time to head out to a nature reserve very close to Katherine to conclude a wonderful day on the road.

The next day I was on a tour to Katherine Gorge, which is only 30 kilometres out of Katherine. The boat trip included a visit to two of the spectacular gorges, where tourists have to do a half kilometre walk between them. There are 13 gorges in total, but the bigger boats can't access them. It would only be suitable for super fit canoe paddlers prepared to lug craft between gorges to get all the way down. The scenery is rugged and spectacular, in fact it's a photographers dream and one of the the top tourist attractions in the NT. I really enjoyed the tour, and drove back to town with time to spare. As such, I dropped in to the Katherine museum for an enjoyable and informative visit, and could sense the passion of the museum staff when they asked for feedback. Outback Australia has a remarkable history, and the museum does a first class job of bringing it all to life. I suggest (when the time is right of course) you should prioritise a visit to Outback NT where, basically all of you should be here now!

"Travellers never think that they are the foreginers." Mason Gaze

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[Jason Adams]

Great post, thanks.
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[Home and Away]

Sounds fun, except for the cancelled reservation...
I hope Booking de-lists them.

[Tom Rooney]

Cancellation
Thanks guys, great to hear from you and hope you're well. It was disappointing but all worked out for the best.

[D MJ Binkley]

Darwin architecture
What a beautiful building.