Darwin Day 1 – Sunset Dinner Cruise

The first touristy thing we did in Darwin was the Sunset Dinner Cruise on the Charles Darwin with Darwin Harbour Cruises.

Not knowing our way around we almost got on the wrong boat.  There are two companies running similar cruises and we nearly got on the first boat we saw.  While queuing to board I had a funny feeling we were in the wrong place. I asked the man that was helping people board and he confirmed my doubt.  So we had to rush back to move the car further down Stokes Hill wharf.

We departed soon after boarding but had to wait a while for dinner.  The sun hadn’t started setting yet so we had a few drinks and chatted.  I have to say the food was quite average in my opinion but I’m not one for mass-produced buffet food.  However I wasn’t there for the food.  I was there for the sunset.  And I wasn’t let down. At all!  It was the most stunning sunset I have ever seen.  As soon as it started to set I was out the door on the balcony and took a few hundred photos in about 20 minutes.  Below are four that I picked out to share with you.

 

 

Darwin accommodation – Mantra on the Esplanade

Our accommodation was at the Mantra on the Esplanade, overlooking Darwin Harbour.  I was lucky to be able to see the sun rise from my bedroom window and the sun set from the balcony.  It was a three bedroom apartment but we booked an apartment with a 1 bedroom apartment and a connecting hotel-style room.  However when we checked in we were upgraded to the three bedroom apartment.  Parts of the décor were a little dated in some rooms but it was a nice comfortable apartment.  During the day the temperature was around 32 degrees Celsius every day so we had to keep the air-conditioner on all the time.  Each room had it’s own control and I had to keep mine on during the night.  Our apartment faced west and caught the afternoon sun.

The sun setting from our apartment balcony.  The colours of a Darwin sunset are simply amazing.

 

Darwin – Day 1. Getting there

Our flight to Darwin was scheduled for 8.35am. To get there (I live about 40 mins from Melbourne Airport) meant leaving home at 5.30, and dropping the car off at the airport parking place. What I didn’t plan for was missing the turn off to the airport and having to drive across the Westgate Bridge, getting off the freeway and straight back on again in the opposite direction so I could take the correct exit. All this wasted about 15 minutes. Once I dropped off my car and we got the transfer bus to the airport I was able to relax.

In my opinion, the efforts airlines have gone to to make it “easier” to check in are only making it easier for them to not hire terminal staff. Even though we checked in and chose our seats before leaving for the airport, we still had to spend about 10 mins trying to understand the new check in system. It doesn’t seem to save passengers much time.

Next stop was the food court to buy some breakfast. I can’t eat before a flight until I’m safely checked in and ready to board the plane. We had at least half an hour to fill in before boarding so we were able to relax and watch the planes come and go from the Qantas terminal. Once we boarded we had to wait for forty minutes because a passenger had to get medical clearance before he could fly. Unfortunately he chose to tell the flight attendant after he had boarded.

To get to Darwin, you fly right over the centre of Australia, including Alice Springs and nearby Uluru (nearby being a relative term). It is while flying over the centre that you realise how Australia really is the wide, brown land. I sat in the window seat so was able to look out of the plane for a lot of the flight. There’s not a lot to see apart from the desert but it has its own beauty.

Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre (above) is Australia’s biggest lake. It covers 9,500sq kms and is the lowest point in Australia at 15m below sea level. It only fills once every fifty years on average because it is in an arid and semi-arid part of the driest continent in the world. There are smaller floods every three or four years but they only fill it up to 1.5-2m. It is divided into two sections. The section in the photo above measures 65km x 24 km. It is a salt lake and the salt is up to 50cm thick at its thickest point. I was really glad when we flew over it. I didn’t really know the path we would fly from Melbourne to Darwin.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Summer Lovin

Taking photos of sunsets is one of my favourite things at any time of year but the most spectacular ones occur during Summer.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Water

I took this photo a few days ago at Howard Springs in Darwin. They have made this part of the National Park into a great family-friendly area with a wading pool, fun playground, picnic facilities and bushwalks. Beside the play area is a beautiful waterhole where Barramundi, turtles and other fish swim. The water is so calm and provides beautiful reflections of the surrounding trees. This is truly an oasis in a broad area that is fast being developed with houses.