2026/10 Darwin Part 1

2026

9 October - 17 October
Darwin Part 1

Saturday, 10 October

Excursion into Darwin

We checked into our hotel on the Esplanade, where the ever-changing lights and busy park below delighted us while we sat on the balcony savouring a cool drink.

View from our Hotel balcony at 6:16 am

At 8:48 am

We visited the newly opened Larrakia Cultural Centre, where Larrakia culture, heritage, arts, and fine dining come together at Stokes Hill overlooking Darwin Harbour.

Larrakia Cultural Centre

Building Design Sketches, 2021

Taking in the view over the harbour

Darwin Convention Centre

After leaving Larrakia Cultural Centre, we meandered through the Darwin waterfront precinct back to our hotel.

Old Courthouse and Police Station, 1884

Opposite the Old Courthouse

Government House - Admittance by Invitation Only - we did ring the bell but couldn't find our invitation

Supreme Court

The many stairs leading to ...

the Opendeck Cinema

Opendeck Cinema

Vintage cars like this you only see in Darwin

That has got the RNM intrigued

Sunset back at the hotel

Another beautiful day ends

Sunday, 11 October

Every moment, another sight from the balcony

We took the bus to visit the Art Gallery and Museum

Art works

Spiritual Ceremony Cathedral termite mound

Can't get enough of these amazing sunsets

Good night

Tuesday, 13 October

Kakadu National Park Full Day Tour

Today we visited this site full of beauty and fascinating sights.

Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve

Jesus birds. Why? Because they walk on water.

An abundant birdlife.

Alas, what lurks below the beauty?

The locals call her Karen.

Caution: Radiation - Why?

Transmitting Station - Humpty Doo

Our tour bus

Welcome to Corroboree Park Tavern

Wild boar and kangaroo

Buffalo and crocodile

Welcome to the Aboriginal Land Kakadu National Park

There are red stop signs even in the wilderness

UBIRR

Welcome to Ubirr

Depiction of the Namarrkan Sisters

On this walk, you will see one of the world's finest rock art collections and some of the best views across Kakadu's vast landscapes.

A home becomes an art gallery

Aboriginal people have lived around Ubirr for over 65,000 years.

The art that recorded important events in the lives of Ubirr's residents is now a priceless part of the world's heritage.

The rock art of Ubirr tells different stories. For Aboriginal people, the paintings tell the story of their country and their culture. For archaeologists, the story is one of changing artistic styles. These reflect changes in the environment and Aboriginal society over many thousands of years.

Archaeologists estimate these paintings to be 5,000 years old. This art style occurs only in a small region of Arnhem Land and northern Kakadu.

This Mabuyu painting reminds Aboriginal people to tell a story that warns against stealing. After a fishing expedition, Mabuyu dragged his catch on a string when a greedy person cut it and stole his fish. That night, Mabuyu waited until the thieves had eaten his fish and were camped inside the cave near the East Alligator River. Then he blocked the cave with a huge rock.

Archaeologists estimate these paintings to be 5,000 years old. This art style occurs only in a small region of Arnhem Land and northern Kakadu.

The most recent residents of shelters often painted over older art to illustrate modern events in their lives. The act of painting and storytelling was generally more important than the works of art itself.

Favourite foods often feature in the rock art of Kakadu. If a hunter was particularly proud of the size or condition of his catch, it was sometimes painted on shelter walls. The paintings were more than visual records of the catch. They represented the animal's spirit and helped in future hunts.

A clue to the past.
Thylacines once lived in Kakadu but are now extinct. Their numbers are believed to have declined after dingoes arrived in Australia about 4000 years ago. It is assumed the painting was made before thylacines went extinct, so it is estimated to be thousands of years old. The Thylacine is sometimes called the Tasmanian tiger because of its aggressive hunting style, its striped back, and because it was found only in Tasmania in recent years. Thylacines were meat-eaters and had a pouch like other Australian marsupials. They lived in open forests where they fed mainly on kangaroos and wallabies.

Photograph of the last captive Thylacine. Tasmania 1934.

Image credit: Australian National Archives

NOURLANGIE ROCK

We climbed up to the top

Laws to live by

Arm ornaments, Goosewing fan, Spear thrower, Barbed spear, Headdress, Dilly bag

As children, Aboriginal people are taught to respect these laws and the system of punishment that enforces them. This art recalls the story of a young girl who broke traditional food taboos by eating Barramundi at the wrong time in her life. She was punished, and a battle between clans followed, killing many people.

Art from the Creation Time

During the Creation Time, when the First People created the landscape and all it contains, Garranga’rreli visited this place as the Rainbow Serpent. She painted her image on this rock to remind people of her visit. Her stop here is part of a longer creation path that links this place to Manngarre, the East Alligator River, and other places in Arnhem Land.

A health warning

The bones of this person have been swollen by Miyamiya, a sickness you can contract if you disturb the stone of a sacred site downstream near the East Alligator River. One of the reasons Aboriginal people are so concerned about protecting their sacred sites is that some sites, if disturbed, are considered to be extremely dangerous for everybody.