Cruise Day 17 - Darwin

As we had been to Darwin a couple of times our plan was just to walk to the Botanic Gardens, as last time Darryl had been too sick to see it and waited outside in the car for me to have a look. Luckily we got off the ship quite early and walked past the lookout, Parliament House & Government House. When we got to the first bit of the gardens we thought we would take a shortcut but it turned out not to be one at all, and we had to back-track. Inside the gardens I saw a huge spreading tree and took a photograph, then noticed a huge python sunning itself on a high branch. After a few photos, Darryl approached a couple of men just arriving and they laughed as it was a fake! After that we headed up a path to the Information Centre where we picked up a map. Just after that we greeted a man having morning tea, and he happened to be a photographic artist who had a display of his work, (which was really good), of various spots around Darwin. We chatted to him for a while, then had morning tea and headed back to the Information Centre to use the toilets and free wifi. While there Terry & Shirley turned up. Further over was a Budhi Tree (the same type under which Buddha achieved his enlightenment. Flying foxes were high in some trees in the rainforest section, although it was pretty dry. That loop culminated in a little waterfall, before continuing on a boardwalk. We eventually got to the plant display that we wanted to look at and despite it being closed, we realised that it just wasn't what we thought we were visiting.

Parliment House

  

Bodhi Tree (Sacred Fig, Budha Tree)

Eventually, we started heading back to the centre of town, and looked in a couple of shops on the way, before getting back to the ship for a very late lunch. 

Garden Road Cemetery

Saint Mary's Star of the Sea Cathedral

Darwin CBD

Town Hall Ruins

Mokuy

Chinute Chinute

At dinner we spoke to Terry & Shirley and they had been disappointed with their visit to the Gardens and subsequent stop at the Museum. The show was on pretty late so we went up on deck to listen to some live music. It was too loud so we went up to listen from the golf green, which was like a private sanctuary. Darryl did some putting practice.