21 February 2000

Spent today looking around Darwin. It is like a big, tropical, country town. Struck by the racial mix of the people here and also that race doesn't appear to be an issue. All appear to be interacting together: Aboriginal people, Asians, Chinese, Europeans, Islanders and Malays (please note alphabetical order, to obviate cries of racial bias) - all as it should be - although the aboriginals do gather in groups of their own people and sit in parks, under trees, etc, anywhere the group can all sit. They do this in the other outback towns we have been in, too, all age groups mixed in together - nice to see. We have not seen them interfere with or cause any trouble to passers by, and have never felt uncomfortable or threatened by them or felt the need to avoid them or anything like that. We have seen and heard a few squabbles, fights and arguments from them but these have been within their own groups, not with "outsiders".

Much of the architecture in the city centre is new (as you would expect after cyclone Tracy in 1974) which gives the place an air of youthful vitality. I was particularly impressed with the NT Parliament building. I was not so impressed with the residential high rise apartments and hotels right on the shore of the bay. Again, and for the same reasons as down Trish's way, swimming and suchlike water activities are non-existent in the summer months. "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to ..... swim in".

Am beginning to doubt the existence of the wet season. We have not directly seen any of it so far, although we have seen the effects of it. Have seen the odd downpour and thunderstorm, but that's all. Perhaps we have been fortunate. We have either been in places after it has gone through, or left them before it has hit. I hear on the news tonight that Winton is isolated by floodwaters, with the roads into and out of the town cut, and supplies having to be dropped to outlying areas. We were there last Friday week.

After leaving Darwin city went out to look at Fannie Bay Gaol (yes, that's its name). It unexpectedly sits right on the foreshore of the curiously named Fannie Bay, surrounded by residential development right up to its perimeter. It was in use up to the time Cyclone Tracy struck and despite plans to redevelop the site it has so far been kept (and I hope continues to be) as a tourist attraction. I think it would be a great pity to lose such a well-known part of Darwin's history to "development".

This afternoon paid a visit to Casuarina Square, the biggest shopping development in the NT. Just like Penrith Plaza, really, only considerably bigger. Same shops, too.

Ute booked in for service tomorrow morning. Drop it off around 8:00 a.m. and then continue into city again. More sightseeing.