It is unseasonably warm in SA at the moment with the sort of heat that puts roses in your cheeks without physical exertion, dries the washing in a matter of moments and makes me realise I am not quite ready to give up spring just yet.

Although driven inside before 9 am, I have still been able to do small gardening jobs such as snipping the faded heads off the daisy plants I put to ground in early April.  I am sentimental about daisy’s and always have been.  I inevitably plant them wherever I live and now being back here, I can (and do) plant them till my heart is content.

Being inside also gives me time to pickle some of the veg I grew, cook florid stalks of rhubarb, spend more time with our three lovely cats and catch this blog up.

Darwin – Part I

I love the ease and simplicity of Darwin and that it somehow smells of summer and spice all year round.  There are just two seasons in the top end.  Wet and dry!  The dry sees blue skies, heat and sunshine.  The wet is hair frizzing humidity, impossibly beautiful late afternoon thunderstorms and the fluorescent greening of the landscape.

Most mornings, I stood on the balcony of the unit with a strong iced coffee in hand and just watched the sun rise over the city and surrounding ocean.  Evenings, and the sky was ablaze with the setting sun.  It really was beautiful.

Experience Darwin

There is an awful lot to like about Darwin.  More than just a city of backpackers, crocs, heat and some of the best tabloid journalism you will ever read, Darwin is no longer the wild untamed mango-madness frontier it once was.  With its rich Indigenous history and melting pot of nationalities, this place has become a relaxed and stylishly cosmopolitan go-to destination.  Did I mention there were crocs……..

I now know why the water in the Adelaide river is so brown!!…….

Darwin is a city best explored on foot.  So perfect for walkers, you will do no better than to wander the streets and laneways in search of quirky book stores, street art, bars, cafes, culture and history plus there is the waterfront, parks and gardens.

Beautifully presented and encapsulating the Top End perfectly, is the amazing Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.  With its permanent displays – the Cyclone Tracy exhibit is deeply compelling, beautiful artwork, artifacts, ‘Sweetheart’ – the legendary icon of the north and exhibitions, I spent the best part of a day here and could not recommend a visit more highly.  It is located in Conacher St, Fannie Bay.

You can just hang out in Darwin itself or, you can head out of the city to places which will slow you right down.

The landscape is ever changing, immense and glorious in the top end and at times, so stunningly beautiful, it looks like vivid water colours.  There are giant termite mounds, tracks and trails through rain forests, wildlife, swathes of rich stony dirt and dazzling blue skies.

One of the best spots to swim in crystal clear water so pellucid we could see the flawlessness of the smooth round stones which littered the bottom of the swimming holes, was in Litchfield National Park.

Part of the Wagait traditional Indigenous lands, Litchfield, with its striking rock formations, swimming holes – most bordered by monsoon forests, lookouts, waterfalls and bushwalking tracks and trails is a must visit and the perfect place to beat the heat.

In these stunning places, where water is as essential as life itself, I often heard nothing but the beat of my own heart and my breathing.

Nature inducing awe doesn’t get much better than the top end.  Part II –  crocs, a little street art and eat/drink Darwin coming soon…..x