Darwin

Monday 7th january. Its day 54 which is exactly half way.

Sitting around in Darwin waiting for my overnight flight to Adelaide (which will also be flight 5 of the 10 I am doing).

Cyclone Helen passed 100km south of here at about 3am on Saturday morning. A near miss. Darwin got hit by 100km/h winds which ripped up trees and took out a lot of the power. Many of the shops have been closed over the weekend because of a lack of power and also they are still on holiday. We spent Friday night in our hotels as it was advised to stay indoors - and some hotels would only let you out if you signed a waiver.

So besides seeing a city prepare for a cyclone and nearly having one, the other highlights of Darwin have been......


nothing.



In its defence we have arrived in the wet season over Christmas which is its quietest time. Apparently the Aussie goverment has plans to turn it into a tropical city (as they want a 'city' in the north of Australia. Its not there yet and to me it has too many disadvantages to become one. Still as a base to visit Kakadu, Litchfield and Arnhme Land it has its advantages . But as a place to visit - no...

So off to Adelaide tonight. My plans for the next few weeks are:

Adelaide until Fri 11th.
Travel between Adelaide and Melbourne until Fri 18th. Probably hire a car and follow the coast road although I do want to visit the Barosa valley.
Fri 18th to Tue 22nd Melbourne
Tue 22nd to Thur 31st Melbourne to Sydney - east victoria, snowy mountains and Canberra.
Fri 1st Sydney.

Looking forward to less clammy weather. The humidity in Darwin is 95% and temp is 32C. Like living in a bath!

See you later in the week.