23 March 2013 - Aurora Shady Glen Tourist Park, Darwin, Northern Territory

Saturday in Darwin is as wonderful, as hot and humid, as a Friday. We have heard reports from travellers on the road to watch for the bikies, for the drunks in the street, to guard our belongings. We read the local paper where some of the letters to the editor give credence to these loose tales of negativity however our own experience so far does not fit with any of this.

We have stepped around aboriginal folk squatting in the shade waiting for public transport, or for tomorrow, or simply sheltering in the shade. We were asked once for money however our refusal was accepted without malice. Today in the Parap Village Markets we met a chap from New Zealand’s Palmerston North who came eons ago to travel as we are and stayed and stayed. The flotsam and jetsam of life so often ends up in places such as Darwin, and it is these who add to the colour of these far flung places. However the fluffy sorts who man jewellery, incense and massage stalls in markets seem to be fairly uniform, a fact that would cause great grief to these types doing their best to be different, but in the end they are so much the same.

Just as the brochure and the rather dated DVD of the Leylands in Darwin promised, there was a fascinating mix of South East Asian foods on offer, but how one can sit down at 10 am and eat a punnet of dinner style food, I do not understand. I am sure I am repeating myself here; our strict daily routines are to blame. Could we have not gone without our cereal and yoghurt this morning and feasted on spicy delicacies mid morning? Actually, no. Or could we not have come later and made this our lunch? No, because we had other plans.

Parliament House offers free tours at 9 am and 11 am on Saturdays and you should, by now, know that we have a passion for history and politics. There were about a dozen of us, of all ages, who trailed around with Jane and Jenny who gave us a comprehensive run down on the European beginnings of Darwin and the subsequent governmental upheavals through the subsequent years. We enjoyed every moment and will return there again next Tuesday when the parliament is to resume their sitting schedule.

A resume of the Northern Territory’s political history cannot be contained here in my blog, even though I am apt to attempt such explanations. But I shall try a brief summary here for my own records if nothing else:

In the early 19^th century, Britain was keen to secure “ownership” of the northern coast land of Australia before the Dutch or any other lurking colonial power. The harbour had actually been discovered by Lieutenant Stokes of the British Navy in 1839 who gave it, the harbour, the name “Darwin” in honour of his esteemed ship mate, Charles Darwin before that biologists great and controversial epistle hit the shelves.

Up until that time, or at least from 1863, the territory was part of South Australia. However, while that government enjoyed the fact they were in control of the communication links with Europe, they were not enarmoured with the cost of funding such remote outreaches. When Federation came in 1901, they offered the Territory to the Commonwealth making on the deal having added up the cost of maintenance over the years plus accrued interest.

Right through to 1988 there was all sorts of upheavals concerning the Territories political status, but in that year they were granted state-like status, at least for inter-governmental financial purposes. The Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act gives the Northern Territory limited state-like owners. The major state powers retained by the Commonwealth in the Northern Territories include Aboriginal land rights, the mining of uranium and other prescribed substances, industrial relations and control of Commonwealth national parks. The “power” that the Territory has in self determination can be dissolved with the stroke of a pen, the repeal of the Act. Such is the precarious nature of this parliament in the north.

Parliament Building

We ate our lunch on a bench in Bicentennial Park, the very attractive swathe of parklands that runs along the top of the cliffs above the port. Then we drove to Palmerston to shop for groceries.

Palmerston was the original name for Darwin, but now graces a much newer settlement, a planned satellite city of Darwin established in 1982. It currently has a population of about 30,000 and as the fastest growing city in the Northern Territory, is expected to be home to between 36,600 and 42,000 by 2021. Given there are very few “cities” in the Northern Territory, this claim of being the “fastest” growing is a bit of a joke, but I should not mock.

The skies had closed over and storms threatened as we drove the twelve kilometres back to camp, and sure enough, no sooner had we unpacked the cruiser, did the skies open up. Rain heavier than we have experienced so far soon flooded the park and great rivers swept through many tent sites. A great lake grew in our awning canvas and it was not until we noticed our porch roof dropping toward the concrete pad that we realised what was happening. By the time we emptied it out the rain had stopped, the rivers had receded and we caused another deluge all about our own site.

Despite the rain, it is still terribly sticky and we will be in for another humid night. The bugs have been biting well today and I am scratching. Perhaps I should tie my hands together.

I should note here, quite importantly, that today our youngest grandchild turned one. It is amazing to think that it was a whole year ago I announced Aurelia’s arrival.