We drove into Darwin and found a parking spot right in front of the ruins of the old town hall. We found a place for lunch and then went for a walk down to the waterfront. There is a wave pool, a small beach area, hotels and shops as well as the wharf from which you can get cruises. We walked around the harbour and saw the boat we booked for our sunset cruise on Saturday and then headed back to town. We walked past the WW11 oil storage tunnels and climbed the stairs to the survivors’ lookout. From there we looped around past Government House, Parliament House and the Supreme Court Building.

Parliament House – Darwin

Government House – Darwin

After inspecting a few other things around Darwin City within walking distance we took the car out to the Art Gallery and Museum.

We saw a stuffed crocodile named Sweetheart and watched a short video about him before exploring the rest of the museum. They have one section of the museum dedicated to stories and records of cyclone Tracy. It was very interesting.

From there we went to the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. WOW! They are held every Thursday and Sunday night throughout the dry season. We have never seen so many people at a market. There must have been about 10,000 people at this market which had so many stalls selling all kinds of stuff.

Fire Juggling at Mindil Markets

Also there were people entertaining the crowds from musical groups, jugglers, whip crackers and aboriginal people playing and singing. The number of food vendors and the variety of foods available was also amazing.

Sunset at Mindil Beach Markets – Darwin

Terry went down onto the beach to take some sunset shots and said that the beach was just as crowded. It was certainly worth visiting.