Darwin (Day 2) Part I

Darwin (Day 2) Part I - Australia

- March 15, 2015

Life has been really hectic and tough for me during the past few months. Just realized I haven't been updating my blog for the past two and a half months! Sigh... my Darwin blog has been pending since then... Anyhow, I finally have the time to sit down and continue with my Darwin blog. :)

Here's what we did on our Day 2 in Darwin back in November 2014...

We woke up around 8.30am and had our breakfast at Curve Cafe Bar.

Our schedule for the day as follows:

a) first half of the day - self tour around Darwin City (Part I)

b) second half of the day - 1/2 day Darwin City sights by AAT Kings (Part II)

We spotted Diamond Princess during our long walk from Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront to Bicentennial Park. The weather was crazily hot! So make sure you put on your sunscreen and bring plenty of water before going around Darwin City.

Ship anchor

Darwin harbour

Diamond Princess cruise ship

Darwin harbour

Along the way, we passed by Deckchair cinema, Darwin's premier outdoor cinema (cinema under the stars!). Runs seven nights a week during the dry season, cinema doors open 6.30pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets can be purchased online or available nightly from 6.30pm. Chairs, limited number of pillows, repellent and water are available. There's bar inside stocked with beer, wine, soft drinks and ice creams. Ticket price $16 per person (adult). Since our stay in Darwin was a short one, we did not have the time to try out the deckchair cinema.

Deckchair cinema

Tonight 7.30pm movie - Like Father Like Son

Deckchair Cinema

Took a peek inside the deckchair cinema

Next, we strolled along Bicentennial Park. Shaded by tropical trees, the park is an excellent place to stroll. We spotted Darwin Cenotaph commemorates Australian's who lost their lives in World War One. A walkway behind the Cenotaph is lined with memorial plaques.

The Cenotaph

Bicentennial park

Memorial plaques

Lameroo beach is located at the centre of Bicentennial Park. A concrete walkway leads down through tropical rainforest to the beach. When we got there around 11am it was low tide with rocky tidal flats exposed.

Lameroo beach

Pathway towards Lameroo beach

Lameroo beach

We saw a unique car plate number "MR AYAM" and decided to post it here. :)

We spotted Mr. Ayam!

Besides the Cenotaph, a monument commemorates the naturalist and explorer Ludwig Leichhardt reaching Port Essington 17th December 1845. He was born in Germany on 23rd October 1813 and arrived Sydney on 14th February 1842. He was then appointed as the Government naturalist. Eager to lead his own expedition, he finally received backing from graziers and friends to lead a party 4800km from Brisbane to Port Essington by sea. Their trek, lasting 14 months and 17 days was a great physical achievement and of major importance to Australia as it resulted in the discovery of many great streams and large area of grazing land.

Leichhardt memorial

Not far from Leichhardt memorial, there's a lookout point at the esplanade. If you are lucky, you might be able to spot the below vessels:

a) Patrol Boat - Fremantle Class Patrol Boats patrol the northern waters for illegal fishing and other prohibited activites.

b) Prawn Trawler - Fishing trawlers off Arnhem Land and Gulf of Carpentaria coasts make Darwin their home port.

c) Mandorah Ferry - makes regular daily trips between Mandurah and Darwin.

d) Oil Rig Tender - Port Darwin is an important base for offshore oil exploration and production in the Timor Sea.

e) Container Ship - easy to spot in the harbour as they have numerous containers stored on deck.

f) Guided Missile Frigate, HMAS Darwin - A long range escort, the HMAS Darwin can counter simultaneous threats from air, surface and sub-surface.

However, we couldn't spot any of the above vessels during our trip there. :(

Lookout point at the Esplanade

Esplanade

Esplanade - Ships and sunsets

Aquascene, Doctors Gully Road is only 12 mins walk from Bicentennial Park. Fish feeding is open during high tide. Everyday with high tide, hundreds of fish come in from the sea to be fed. The fish that visit Aquascene are not controlled in any way and are free to come and go.

Aquascene

Aquascene - open during high tide

Crocosaurus Cove located in the heart of Darwin city, provides visitor a chance to experience the personal view of Australia's iconic saltwater crocodiles. Cage of death, one of the unique activity to ensure an up close and personal face to face encounter with the massive reptiles. The cage of death operates 12 times per day, with the maximum number of 2 people inside the cage. (1 person - $160 or 2 person - $240 includes full day entry)

Crocosaurus Cove

After a long walk, we decided to have our lunch at Cafe Twenty One located in Smith Street Mall. There's free flow of ice water to quench our thirst and we ordered a glass of icy cold watermelon juice as well. We shared a portion of the show stopper - consist of beef burger (beef patty topped with fried onions, mushrooms, melted cheese, avocado, lettuce and tomato) and chicken salad (chicken, bean sprout, celery, red capsicum, tomatoes, onions and peanuts) Overall the food was ok. We rushed back to our hotel to refresh ourselves before going for 1/2 day Darwin City sights by AAT Kings. Since it will be a long post with numerous pictures, I decided to post in under Darwin (Day 2) Part II - Australia. So stay tune for my next post. :)