DARWIN - days 1-3

Sparsely populated (1% of the population occupies a fifth of the continent), slow and quiet, the Northern Territory - of which we'll be visiting the "Top End" as it's known here - isn't a place to expect to get anywhere fast.

Unsurprising then that its sultry capital, Darwin (pop c150,000)

doesn't seem to know the meaning of rush-hour.  August is apparently the best time to visit for decent weather (aka only 30°ish, but not too humid and draining a heat); virtually cloudless skies are promised and, fingers crossed, nights that aren't too hot in to sleep in our hired camper vans.

After landing at about 4pm, we were determined to stay awake a few hours, and wandered...

before a sandwich on the terrace of our b&b with a burning sunset over the ocean

Next morning, we walked past the NTAAJ building - more than a quarter of NT population is Aborigine and more than half of the Territory land is in Aborigine hands; many of the tourist trips, cruises etc, are run by clan collectives

as was this cafe and gallery

on our way towards Parliament House - very impressive, airy and spacious

 

- Australia's newest parliament building, dating from only 1994.

In the adjacent building is the Territory library

also showcasing aboriginal crafts 

(sadly this carpet was too big to sneak into our rucksack!)

Then past the Supreme Court

to the 1870 Governor's House, built from locally-quarried porcellanite stone

the cathedral

and to the waterfront

to meet some more locals (yellow-wattled lapwings)

Day 3 and we bade farewell to our Airbnb home, and our kindly host, Robyn, dropped us at the pick-up for our camper van on her way to work.  It's a monster

Just as well parking spaces are generous! Sleeps 6 - we'll be four once Gordon and Fiona arrive tomorrow, but there'll be plenty of room.  First stop today was pretty, tranquil East Point national park

for a picnic lunch and wander

but not a swim...

We stocked up in Woolworths in nearby Palmerston and settled down for the evening in a campsite near to the airport (to pick them up bright and early Saturday morning) - accompanied by fruit bats and the odd adventurous possum