Friday 13th August - Darwin

Anne threatened Mitch and Chelsea by saying we may never leave, but in case we do the Land Rover got a bit of a check over and service.  An oil change was due, and we also changed all the filters as well as carrying out a fluid and wheel bearing check.  Now if only we could get our vehicle as clean and shiny as Mitch's new white Defender, however it would only get dirty again so what's the point in giving it a wash?

Most of the day was spent wandering around the centre of Darwin, a compact CBD with plenty of green space around to sit in and enjoy the sunshine or, more appropriately, to find shade.

We sought out the various old buildings that had survived the destruction of 1974 cyclone Tracy, some dating back to the 1880s, which nestle between the rebuilt concrete blocks.

We both thought that we could cope with living in Government House, perched on the cliff top overlooking Darwin Harbour,

although, as a backup, an apartment in the new billion dollar waterfront development overlooking Wave Lagoon and a man-made sandy beach would do.

One difficulty of living with a sea view would be the knowledge that you cannot safely swim for much of the year, with saltwater crocodiles, box jellyfish and blue-green algae all trying to lead to your demise.

We both like Darwin, it has a very laid back feeling, perhaps due to the heat (and humidity in the wet) ensuring nobody feels like rushing, whilst the lush palms remind you that you're in the tropics.

There's a cosmopolitan mix of people as Darwin is closer to south east Asia than other Australian cities, and because of the large number of tourists and travellers this time of year the place has a definite buzz (Mitch says every night is Saturday night down town).

We walked back through Bicentennial park, and a BBQ rounded off a great day (Mitchís garlic and chilli prawns will be remembered for a long time to come).