Darwin - The Esplanade

I was up early and decided to go for a walk to explore downtown Darwin. The temperature would rise to 90 degrees later in the day so I set off about 7 am while it was a bit cooler.

One of many high rise overlooking the sea. It looks good in the morning sun.

The main drag along the esplanade.

Interesting fountain.

Quite a few joggers were out getting their exercise. All of them were young women. Of course there were quite a few walkers of all ages.

The blue sign points to Australia's Navy presence in the area. A few minutes after I took this photo, they put to sea.

The light is beautiful at this time of morning.

The park goes right up to the edge of a cliff that overlooks the sea. You could walk out on this walkway to get a better view.

I guess the park is about a mile long or even longer. It certainly is a pleasure to stroll through.

Darwin was attacked by the Japanese in February 1942. The Japanese used the same task force that they used on Pearl Harbor and dropped even more bombs. It's a relatively unknown major event in WWII and you can read about it here.

Although there was a lot of damage, the raid was nothing compared to Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

I was intrigued by these seats.

More of the high rise across the road from the park. No doubt forty years ago it was lined with expensive houses.

There was a pathway down to the beach below the cliff.

Obviously a drinking area.

I dipped my hand in the sea to say I had done it.

An imaginative place to store your beer can. There was obviously somebody still drinking in the area because an empty beer can was thrown onto the beach while I was there.

I would be willing to bet the drinkers were aboriginals. It's difficult to know how to describe what is going on here. In one sense, Darwin appears to be like any other modern city with people walking about peacefully and quietly. Every now and then you come across a loud disturbance and it turns out to be aboriginals shouting abuse at each other or at themselves. When I entered the place where I am staying, there was an Aboriginal woman lying on the seat by reception. The white people walk by as if they don't exist.

On the bookcase above the computer station where I am typing this is a bunch of pamphlets for Opal Fuel. It's petrol (gas) that has been modified so that when it is sniffed, it does not give the high that regular fuel gives. It's designed for use in Aboriginal areas and travelers to the area are encouraged to use this fuel. It only comes in 91 octane and the pumps for higher octane are padlocked and you need a key to unlock the pump.

The Navy.

The War Memorial.

The Northern Territory effectively became a state in 1978.

Beyond the point is the entrance to the harbour.

I loved the railings on these steps going down to another beach area.

Seats for the open air cinema. Two of the three picture theaters in Maryborough had these kinds of seats. Of course, these theaters are long gone. The seats were quite comfortable.

The screen.

I was thinking of going, but I got sleepy about 7pm and the film didn't appeal so I went to bed instead.

This bird did not like me and squawked at me until it looked like I was leaving.

But I really did enjoy this walk. In the cool of the early morning with a bit of a breeze coming off the water, it was most pleasant.