I’d forgotten that a bike is such a great way to see a place, slow enough to take it all in but fast enough to cover more ground than walking.
We borrowed Mitch and Chelsea’s bikes and cycled up to East Point along the cycle track that follows the cliff line.
The headland was fortified in the lead up to WWII due to its strategic location overlooking the straights into Darwin harbour. 6” and 9.2” guns were installed in impressive emplacements that remain today, although in an ironic twist of history the larger calibre guns were sold as scrap metal to the very country against which they were supposed to defend when the Japanese Fujita Salvage Company bought them in 1960.
A boardwalk takes you out to the edge of the mangroves that grow on the northern side of the headland; we’re always fascinated by the aerial root structure they develop to survive.
On our way back to the house for lunch we stopped in for a look at Fannie Bay Goal which served as Darwin’s main jail from 1883 until 1979.
A particularly morbid part was the gallows constructed in the old infirmary for the hanging of two convicts who robbed and killed a local taxi driver in 1952.
A refreshing dip in the pool cooled us down after the cycle, then it was time for a final trip into Darwin. Anne was almost tempted in a couple of Aboriginal art galleries but managed to resist, although we did finally buy a billy can so that we can easily boil our water the next time we have a camp fire (which may be a while as it’s too hot up here). After the donation of an esky from Mitch we’re most of the way to having a proper Australian camp setup; we now just need swags.
We cooked risotto in the evening as a small thank you to Mitch and Chelsea, which we accompanied with a glass or two of bubbly.
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