Quintessential Darwin sunset
We arrived in Darwin at 0400 on the morning of the 6th (I think). Our sail
through the Van Diemen Gulf was rather uneventful -- just 20 or so hours of
motoring over sheet-glass water, sometimes going 7 or 8 knots, sometimes
going a slow 2 or 3 knots, depending on the tide. It felt like it took
forever to get through the last stretch of water -- we were so close to
Darwin -- but nothing is "close" in the Northern Territory (or in Australia
for that matter).
We spent our first day in Darwin a bit overwhelmed. You know you have been
out of civilization a long time when Darwin is overwhelming. Our last real
town we were in was Cairns, which we left a month ago, so you can imagine
my desire to get some space, meet some new people upon arrival and hang out
in an air conditioned pub for a few days.
Our first days, however, were devoted to sussing the town, cleaning the
hell out of the boat and restocking provisions. After going through
bio-security we were allowed to enter Tipperary Waters marina. Because the
tides are so extreme in Darwin we entered the marina through a lock, which
was an exciting and new experience. I now feel totally prepped for the
Panama Canal. (Ha.)
After the boat was cleaned, the stainless polished and Rutea was tucked
snugly in her slip, Emma arrived just in time to help me explore and get to
know Darwin. We stayed in a hostel the first few nights to get the full
Darwin experience, complete with pool parties, sunset wines at the lagoon,
bars packed full of overly aggressive guys on leave from the outback and of
course, air conditioning.
To be fair it is not really that hot here. It gets a lot hotter, but right
now is the "dry season" so the humidity drops and the nights are cool
enough to sleep with a sheet. Apparently it is absolutely miserable here
in the wet season (summer) but I hope never to experience it first hand.
I like Darwin. Aside from the fact that there is not much to do aside from
drink, eat, shop for kitschy trinkets (crocodile pot holder, anyone?) and
drink some more, I find it nice. I think a lot of Aussies come here to
retire -- think Florida -- and the pace, the people and the lifestyle are
all a bit slow. Get yourself a cold beer and watch the sunset at the
Darwin Sailing Club and you will find yourself getting lost in the deep red
of the sun, considering rethinking your retirement plan.
But Darwin is no paradise. Just like all the rest of the "Top End", Darwin
is infested with crocodiles. Not so much in the city, they try to trap and
remove any salties found on city beaches, but the surrounding areas are
chock full. We had seen lots of advertisements for "Jumping Crocodile
Tours" in the tourist office and so, for her last day Emma decided she
wanted to do a tour. We signed up for a day trip through Wallaroo tours
which took us on a jumping croc tour and a trip through Lichfield National
Park. It was amazing.
Our first stop was the croc tour. I didn't like the idea of seeing
crocodiles and then going swimming after, but hey, it all turned out A-OK.
Our tour group of 18 all piled into a little tinny with metal grates on the
sides that came up, oh maybe three feet out of the water. Our tour
leaders, real bush guys, hacked up frozen chicken pieces and tied them to
poles. Rather short poles, I thought. We cruised up the river and watched
as massive (and not so massive) crocs slithered off the muddy banks they
were sunbaking on to come check us out. Feeding time.
Corie and Emma: crocodile huntresses
The tour guides proceeded to taunt massive, 18 foot long crocodiles --
prehistoric, pissed off, primordial, and just plain sinister looking
crocodiles -- with chunks of chicken. Slap the water with the pole, dangle
the chicken at the croc's nose, pull the chicken away as he lunges for it
and hear his jaws snap on thin air as he falls back into the water, not
three feet away from the boat.
Feeding a little guy
crocs but thin aluminum, a short grate, or nothing. At one point one croc
even butted the side of the boat. I don't know if it was an act or not,
but the guides kept saying, "Crikey! Aw mate, this is the scary part! We
don't know where he is! Oh, that's a big one there!" Real Steve Irwin
shit. But I was 100% convinced. That was the real deal.
After an hour of harassing crocs and scaring the hell out of tourists, our
guide drove us into Lichfield National Park. He was nice enough to stop at
the bottle shop on the way so that anybody who wanted could grab a few cold
ones for the road. Surprisingly, Emma and I were the only ones who
obliged, but I also think we had the most fun all day.
We spent the rest of the day swimming in stunning waterfalls and swimming
holes -- where there are only fresh water crocs which don't normally attack
humans and the few salties that get in are removed. Reassuring, yes. It
was pretty full of little kids and older people anyway, so I figured I
could out-swim all of them.
Swim at your own risk
exploring the park, hiking, swimming, fishing, camping, investigating giant
termite mounds, and still find new things. The area is rugged and remote
but very beautiful. A national treasure, really. If you ever make it to
Darwin I would highly suggest booking a tour with Wallaroo Tours. They
take you on a great tour, are knowledgeable, fun, and (perhaps the best
part) they serve you prawns and champagne at sunset on the beach to
conclude the tour.
Unfortunately Emma flew back to Brisbane last night, however Kyle (my good
friend from UCSC) has just arrived in Darwin and is going to sail to Indo
with us. I am excited to have a partner in crime on this leg of the trip
and am hoping that maybe, just maybe, having him around will make it a
little easier to leave Australia next week. Don't get me wrong -- I am
super excited about Asia -- but I have kind of fallen for this country in
the past seven months and it will be hard to tear myself away.
I am sure we will manage to have a few more adventures before we leave for
clear waters and perfect surf, so stay tuned!
***
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At 7/5/2013 12:27 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 11°27.96'S 133°08.13'E
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