Day Four

Today I began to look around Darwin but it is incredibly hot and humid so not conducive to walking very far or very fast! As I am just round the corner from the Esplanade I thought starting there would be a good idea.

The Esplanade runs parallel to one of the main shopping streets but is bordered by the sea and by a lovely grassy park with masses of trees, especially frangipani. There are access points to little coves and bays all along'its length and beautiful views out over the seas.

with fascinating, coloured rocks.

There are also a lot of reminders of the suffering of the Dawin people at the hands of the Japanese on the war. Darwin was very heavily bombed and many local people lost their lives fighting bravely so there are many memorials to these men. There are also handpainted tiles in panels inlaid into the pathway honouring 200 Remarkable Territorians( i.e. people from the Northern Territories )- the quiet achievers.

About halfway along is Lyons Cottage, Darwin's first stone dwelling (1925) and now a museum displaying early photos of Darwin. (Darwin was named after Charles Darwin who was a friend of John Wickham who was surveying the area and arrived at Port Darwin on HMS Beagle in 1839.)

 At the far end is Lameroo Beach, a sheltered cove popular in the 20s when it was the home of the saltwater baths. There is also a deckchair cinema, sadly closed until the end of the wet(season) I added to my list of seas by a short paddle in the Timor Sea.

Taking a picture of the Parliament building I remembered reading that it's possible to go inside so, thinking to cool off in the air con, I went inside. I was absolutely amazed that I could wander at will , my knee didn't set off the alarms and I was carrying a small rucksack. I decided to watch some of the debate so wandered into to the visitors gallery, bliss, air con! Having seen the proceedings I saw a cafe in the corner and sat down to a cup of tea and toasted(!) banana bread amongst all the ministers still talking shop. It was quite extraordinary. Perhaps our politicians should be more approachable. I followed this by a lovely browse in the state library.

The plants and trees and that peculiar sideways growing grass are all reminiscent of  Malaysia, and then I remember that Borneo is probably nearer Darwin than most Australian cities! Just to prove we are still in "the wet" I arrived home in a downpour.