Andrew and I have always wanted to visit Darwin - Australia's most northern and only tropical capital city. We had heard so many amazing things about it's multiculturalism, food, sunsets, landscape and lifestyle. So off we headed, making the most of a long weekend and some cheap flights.
I'm happy to report back that it's all true. We fell in love with Darwin and the 'Top End' as it is affectionately known. The city itself is small and mostly new due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, however it was the vibe and lifestyle that really caught our attention. It is an incredibly buzzy place, with everyone out and about enjoying the beautiful weather (it is currently dry season) accompanied by a friendly and relaxed attitude. It was a nice contrast to the much busier Sydney, with both of us genuinely feeling relaxed as soon as we arrived. And to be honest, by the end we didn't want to leave (a wet and cold Sydney in the midst of winter didn't help things)!
We spent two days exploring the city, before heading south and spending a day in Litchfield National Park. Our first port of call was the Parap markets, held every Saturday morning. We grabbed fresh mango smoothies, chicken and pumpkin laksa (one of the best I've ever had) and enjoyed the vibe of the market. We loved all the incredible produce that was available and snacked on many tropical treats. It is here that you can really see how multicultural the city is with not only a large indigenous population, but many ethnic backgrounds represented as Darwin is much closer to Asia than any other major Australian city.
To finish our first day up north, we headed out onto the harbour in a beautiful old pearl lugger to experience one of Darwin's infamous sunsets - a real treat for us east-coasters! 'Stunning' doesn't do it justice. It really is a special sight and capped off the day so perfectly.
next: Darwin, part two.
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| parap markets |
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| laksa |
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| heritage houses at myilly point - the only to survive cyclone tracy |
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| darwin harbour |
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| beautiful |
Looks lovely :)
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know that Australia had a tropical side. It looks like a cool place to add to my list of places to visit. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteit certainly does! check out far north Queensland in particular with it's rainforests and islands. so beautiful!
DeleteBeautiful! This is inspiring my mid-winter long weekend break. Any specific staying and eating tips in part 2 would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Some eating highlights were both the Parap and Mindil markets, and both Hanuman and Zamaan restaurants. We stayed in the city centre which was very convenient. Enjoy your time in Darwin, it's beautiful!
DeleteGreat pictures ! You should visit Broome, there are a lot of great camping spot around like Manari or Beagle Bay. The Gibb River Road nearby is one of the greatest place I went travelling (after visiting most of Europe and several Asian countries), as you said, sunset in the North are always stunning. I can't wait to visit Tasmania after attaching your pictures, seems to be a great place !
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