Pictures of Darwin

Aurora_b
Mike and Liz Downing
Tue 15 Oct 2013 18:47
Some pictures of Darwin that we didn't get a chance to send before we had to leave and sail off into the sunset! (A feature of sailing west.) 
 
The high-rise of Darwin - looking across from Fannie Bay, the main yacht anchorage.
 
We anchored with other yachts when we first arrived and waited for the tide to go into a
Customs berth for inspection of the boat.
 
They have had infestation problems with certain types of mussel and they inspect every yacht before it's allowed into a marina. And by inspect, we mean they send a diver down to check the bottom of the boat and squirt ammonia into the seacock intakes to kill off the growth. Luckily they don't charge for doing it, but if they don't like what they find, they may insist on the boat being hauled out of the water and cleaned. (Now that would be very expensive!) 
 
We were surprised to see so many high-rise hotels and apartment blocks in a location that can be hit by
cyclones in the wet season.
 
 
The man himself - John McDouall Stuart.
 
One of the streets in the town centre.
 
 
The Boab Tree in the centre of town. A tree for dry regions and in Australia it's only found in the
northwest. Apparently they store water in the big trunk they have.
 
 
 
After 10 months of dogged resistance, the skipper succumbed in a moment of weakness and
bought a Barmah (the traditional kangaroo leather hat). It's going to take quite a while 
getting used to wearing it in public!
 
It didn't take long for the crew to decide they wanted one too!