24th July Darwin

Kms today 193 Kms to date 6839 

We had our last breakfast together for a while and headed out together to visit the Magnetic Termite Mounds.  These termite mounds are unusual because they are flat sided in stead of having folded sides.  The reason is that the mounds are built on areas that are likely to flood and so all the internal storage had to be above the flood level, hence the flat sided mounds which have more space inside.  The termites use the earth's magnetic field to oriented the mound N-S and reduce internal heating.  The more traditional termite mounds are in the background on higher ground.

The termites aren't magnetic, but use the earth's magnetic field to orientate their mounds N-S

Morag turned around to go back to Batchelor and Pine Creek, and I kept going through the park and up to Darwin on the recently sealed B30.  It was refreshing to have a long section of winding road to enjoy.

I got to Darwin about midday and after a bite of lunch at the harbour precinct, I went to the Tourist Office and got a city map and booked a day trip to the Tiwi Islands. The next trip was on Monday, the 26th July and my 70th birthday, so it was my birthday present to myself.  

I found the Paravista Hotel, which was in the Parap area of town and booked another night due to my trip on Monday.  The hotel was opened just before Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and was relatively undamaged. There is an aerial photo in the foyer showing the area round the hotel completely denuded of trees after the cyclone.

This is what Darwin looked like after Cyclone Tracey

I had dinner at a local Japanese restaurant and was tacked onto a large group of people celebrating a birthday. It was one of those restaurants were the chef throws bowls of food around and has a continuous patter to go with it. The beer you were encouraged to drink was an import from Japan and cost $16/bottle!

CUmtotheNT was a local Tourist Slogan!

             

After a rather unsatisfying meal, I went for a walk to find an IG for some snacks. The road I took used to be an aerodrome when the first planes arrived in 1903 and is now called Ross-Smith Avenue after the pioneering airman. There was an original hangar used by QANTAS in its early days. 

After I did my shopping I walked home along the shore and saw the magnificent red afterglow on the horizon and decided to see the sunset the next night.

Sunset afterglow.