Recently I spent half a day wandering around the Darwin Museum with my grandson to catch up on all the new exhibits, including new boats in the Maritime section.

With all the controversy about boat people arriving from  Indonesia, and the tragic loss of life involved when things go wrong, these small traditional boats in the museum made me realize what a desperate undertaking these voyages really are.

If you have some time on your hands, the museum is well worth the trip. The kids love it.

Birds on Casuarina Beach

The wet season brings a green freshness to Darwin and the Top End and migrating birds take full advantage.

It's always been a quiet time for tourism, perhaps because of the weather, but also because historically it has always been a difficult time to travel.

Now new roads and rail mean Darwin is not cut off from the rest of Australia as it used to be every time the monsoon rain kicks in.

This is a good time to search for cheap flights and accommodation because  tourism is slow.

New waterfront developments

Darwin port developments have changed this area from tidal mudflats and industrial sheds to an attractive artificial beach and recreation area.

For full details see Darwin Wharf

Darwin Australia's Northern Capital City

A glance at a map reveals why this outback town has become so important to Australia for tourist connections, defense operations and support for outback communities.

With a population of about 110.000 and growing, Darwin is large enough to have all the facilitIes of a modern city, yet still small enough for it's people to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle without the pressures of big-city living. Both the Australian Commonwealth and the Northern Territory governments provide their services here, and the Australian defence forces have dramatically increased their presence in recent years. Along with tourism, government and defence are the biggest employers in Darwin

Enjoy a relaxed Australian lifestyle in Darwin, your gateway to the Outback and Australia's gateway to Asia.

Whether you are living here or visiting for the first time, Enjoy Darwin will help you gain the most from your experience with lots of local information. Looking for the best fishing? or the best real estate investments? or maybe some work to get you to the next stop on your travels? Let us help you find the details, the things that really count. After all, we both know all the big ticket items are already on the glossy travel brochures.

Enjoy life on a friendly rock with a cool sea breeze.....

Hughenden Outback Cattle Country

An ancient landscape, rich in fossils and rugged peaceful beauty.

This is a land which draws you into the ancient past, which shreds the glitzy carnival of modern life and speaks to you of peace and purpose in the immensity of time.

Hughenden is a town of about 1500 people situated on the banks of the Flinders river, about half way along the road between Townsville on the coast and the mining town of Mt Isa. With an average rainfall of only 450mm, this is now predominantly cattle grazing country, although it also has a rich history of sheep farming on the black volcanic soils in it's southern areas. With the slow demise of the wool industry in the past few decades, the sheep have been replaced with cattle and the many shearing teams which once worked through the area are now only memories.

Tours and Travel in the Australian Outback

It is the wet season in the Top End and Monsoon rains are filling all the creeks and waterfalls with torrents of water.
This has always been a quiet time of the year for tourists, but some of the most spectacular sights are due to these monsoonal rains.
Wangai Falls is a clear quiet swimming pool in the dry season, now the water level makes swimming suicidal.