Darwin, last day on the ship

Now the last day on the ship has arrived. This morning we completed our immigration procedure and then went on a tour organized by the ship. Since we will be seeing a lot of wildlife, we chose to visit the Aviation and Military Museum along with a city tour.

Darwin has really spruced itself up since 2023. You really have to look hard if you want to find any litter in public spaces. According to our guide, the general tendency is that people do not drop or leave anything behind. There are hardly any trash bins, as everyone, even during large festivals or events, disposes of their waste at home. The city is also very beautiful with lots of greenery and water. It is hotter at around 32°C compared to before, but since the humidity is relatively low, it is much more bearable than at 28°C with 80% humidity.

First, we visited the Aviation Museum and then the Military Museum. Both museums are not particularly interesting to us and the exhibition concept seems quite amateurish. They are mainly run by volunteers. For Australians, especially those from Darwin, World War II is still very present, as they were regularly bombed by the Japanese for two years. The exhibits are neither special nor are they complete and well-preserved. The arrangement and presentation is also odd; there is a room full of crests from different army units from World War II and then a post-war tank like the Centurion. The most exciting thing in the Aviation Museum was a B52 bomber. It is actually surprisingly small, only the wings are very large. This is probably because it can fly up to over 15,000 meters high. However, the plane has no turbines or other technology left inside.

After that, we drove through the city. There are many public parks, some of which have small artificial lakes and where you can chill and barbecue. In some parks, the barbecue stations are powered by solar energy and can also be used. The downtown area with the shops is very pleasant. Moreover, there are particularly beautiful neighborhoods, some of which are by the sea or a lake or have picturesque locations. In the harbor area, a large mole was built to protect against storm surges. This has a covered walkway on one side and the inner part has been expanded into a huge swimming area with lounge spaces, many restaurants, bars, and some residential buildings. The sea, separated from the mole, also has the advantage of having neither sharks nor crocodiles. The artificially created lakes are also kept free of crocodiles. Overall, a city with a high quality of life.