Vacation - Darwin NT

Vacation Darwin.

Darwin would have to be one of the most unique cities in the country if not the world.

It is a very long way from Darwin to populated parts of the country. You have one hell of a journey before you get to the next major city!

Not too many cities have crocodiles in the suburbs when it floods that I know of, but in Darwin, I have seen it myself. A big croc right there on the racecourse just across the street from my home in Parap.

I lived in Darwin for two years, and it was like moving from Seattle to Miami moving from Melbourne to Darwin! The climate change is very noticeable to anyone not acclimatized to the tropics.

It is a very moist heat in the wet season. The build up months to the "real wet" part of the wet season is very humid indeed.

You can feel the excitement of the tropical climate any time of year in the Northern tropics and some love the wet season best of all for some of the incredible fishing available at that time of year.

Tropical storm over Darwin

The tropical storms are amazing to watch up the top of Australia and sunsets take on a new meaning!

If you love tropical storms as I do, The wet season will provide the biggest lightning show in the world. No Kidding it really is the most active place for lightning on the planet.

When it rains properly it buckets down and gets a bit more comfortable, yet you can walk around in the rain without feeling at all cold, in fact I used to run in the rain as many other locals did.

Some of the best Moon and Sun sets you will ever see happen up here. I have seen a huge blindingly bright sunset many times in Darwin. The moon is so big and clear too.

The nights are warm and romantic, which is fine, as the beaches, the nightclubs, the yacht club all have beautiful waterside settings and the whole feel of the place at night is magical.

I lived right near the yacht club and sailed almost every day I lived there.

The water is not very deep around Darwin and the Arafura sea, and fish can be seen everywhere you go by water.

The city itself is not big, but there is so much outdoor living to do within a mile from the city it matters little Mindil Beach is pretty spectacularly located too being right in the city.

Darwin has a population of 120.000, but in the middle of the wet season many locals go south to avoid the sticky weather.

The wet season can be as much fun or even more if you do not mind the heat, or if you have come from somewhere hot and muggy!

Some of the places around Darwin such as Harold Springs and Berry Springs are a must visit as well, as both are unique.

You can go fishing in Darwin without leaving town. The floating pier and the channel that runs alongside it is full of fish, and fresh bait can be caught with a casting net.

If you are catching prawns you may like to eat the bait!

The local fishermen, particularly the aboriginal people are usually quite expert with a caste net, and you can learn how to throw it in a few minutes of teaching.

The yacht club has many small craft as the sea is very calm. You can go up the rivers fishing too, but take a local so you don't become food for a big salt crocodile!

If you have decided to holiday or take your vacation based from Darwin remember you are close to a lot of other amazing wilderness country as well!

OK not close by some standards but Darwin is up the top, and so is Weipa in Western Australia, and Cape York Peninsular in Queensland, so if you have the time you can visit some of the most isolated uninhabited places on our planet on the Cape.

Fogg Dam just outside Darwin is a tranquil place and the local home of the "Blue Meany" magic mushrooms.

They come up during the wet season and has been an open secret amongst the hippie community for years!