Before heading out to Dili, I had planned a weekend in Darwin. I enjoyed the city so much on my previous visit that I wanted to spend more time here, and check out a few more activities and sights that there hadn’t been time for on my first stop.

Joined now by Mei, we started off the weekend with a visit to the Parap Village markets. Situated between the city and the airport, this market offers a wide variety of food options, plenty of stalls showcasing local art, and more. I picked up a pair of socks with crocodiles on them (crocodiles are a bit of a thing in the Darwin area), and a pair of swimming shorts, as I had managed to forget to bring any. We bought breakfast from a couple of the food stalls and found spaces at a picnic table to eat – we shared this with a trainee doctor from Auckland who was now working in Darwin, and her parents who were visiting from New Zealand. Also at the table was a young pilot, working in his first job flying light aircraft out to the local communities.

From the markets we went back to the city to check out the World War 2 tunnels museum. Oil was originally stored in above-ground tanks, most of which were destroyed during Japanese air raids in 1942. Following this it was decided to construct underground storage tunnels, a project that proceeded slowly and at great cost. By the time they were finished, the threat from the Japanese was already gone. After sitting empty for a while, two tunnels were pressed into service to store jet fuel in the 1950s during confrontation with Indonesia, but they were plagued with water ingress and leaks. Today two tunnels are open to visitors, and at a length of 172m and width of 4m, they are quite impressive!

The weather was hot, so we refreshed ourselves with drinks in the marina area nearby before heading out to the aviation museum at Darwin airport. The museum hosts an impressive collection of aircraft, some of which are shown below. The centerpiece, an enormous B-52 bomber, was too large to fit in a photograph! Also on display was a fascinating exhibit about the 1919 air race from the UK to Australia. A large prize was offered by the Australian government for the first crew to fly from London to Darwin in a British aircraft in thirty days or less – six qualifying entrants were received, plus one French team.

The race was won by brothers Ross Smith and Keith Smith, accompanied by mechanics James Bennett and Wally Shiers. They completed the flight in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber. The second place team arrived after 206 days, and none of the other teams finished. One crashed on take-off on the first leg from London, and others crashed or disappeared along the way.

Dinner that evening was at Darwin’s other marina in Cullen Bay, reached once again by some very sketchy rental e-scooter riding.

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We started the next day with a visit to Darwin Airport’s control tower. One of the controllers there had seen details of the flight on social media, and reached out to invite us for a tour. The tower is run by the Australian military and seems to be quite an attractive posting. A second, newer tower sits next to the active one but is apparently long-delayed in going into operation.

After the tower tour we drove out of the city to the Litchfield National Park. Created in 1986, the park covers about 1,500 square km, and contains multiple beautiful waterfalls, swimming holes, impressive termite mounds and more. We started off the visit with a hike to the Upper Cascades, a series of waterfalls with swimming holes throughout. The track started out very easily, but soon became rugged and rocky, causing Mei to regret her choice of flip-flops for footwear. The long hot walk was worth it though, and a cool swim was very welcome at the end!

From the Cascades we continued to Wangi Falls. These approximately 50m tall waterfalls drop into a plunge pool which is usually open for swimming – today however they were closed due to high water flow and potential crocodile activity. We did enjoy a one hour hike up the escarpment to cross over the top of the falls, and descend down the other side.

Our next stop was Tolmer Falls, a most impressive fall which plunges into a narrow valley on the edge of a high plateau. A short hike brings visitors to an outlook point with great views both of the waterfall, and out over the flat lands below the plateau that the park sits on.

We carried on around the park loop road to our final water-related stop, Florence Falls. This is another very popular swimming spot and, unlike Wangi Falls, was open. The walk to the swimming hole at the plunge pool is short, although it does feature 160 steps. These take minimal effort on the way down to the pool, but rather more on the way back!

After swimming for a while I made a sudden realisation – the keys to the car were still in my pocket. We rushed them to the shore in the hope that the electronics had survived their experience and fortunately that seemed to be the case, as they continued to function, and the car rental agency never billed me for a new set!

On our way out of the park we stopped at a field of termite mounds. Constructed from a mixture of soil, termite saliva and dung, these intricate mounds have highly effective ventilation that keep the inside relatively cool and dry.

That evening we met up with Griffin’s parents, who had arrived in Darwin for a holiday, for dinner at the marina. The next day we would all be going our separate ways – Griffin and Mei leaving by commercial flight, and me in Planey. Next stop, East Timor.

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