Friday, 3rd April – Australia day 19 – Darwin

It’s hot and we are beginning to realise just how acclimatised we were to the heat by the time we left south-east Asia;  Penang was much hotter than Darwin but not half so draining.  Hopefully we will re-acclimatise over the next few days otherwise we are going to be in a permanent state of exhaustion!  This morning we walk to Cullen Bay, which is a couple of kilometres from our hostel and not as interesting as the tourist literature would have you believe.  The main attraction is the marina – full of expensive yachts – and the ferry terminal.  There are a few shops, cafes, restaurants and modern holiday apartment blocks.  But not really worth the walk in the heat.  We toy with the idea of taking the ferry across the harbour to Mandorah Beach but decide against it as there is little there but beach and one hotel complex.  Instead we walk a further kilometre or so to the Botanical Gardens,.by which time we are starting to flag.  The gardens are lovely and we picnic by the fountains which shoot about 20 feet into the air and then walk around the rainforest and shady gardens.  Not far away is Mindil Beach which is famous for it’s sunset markets held here on Thursdays and Sundays from late April until October.  There is a sandy beach and a small park between the foreshore and the road, but little else including people. Everywhere is so quiet!  We bus back into Darwin city centre exhausted and I crash out around 8!