Today we crossed the continent from south to north - not in one day obviously, but we reached Darwin having left Adelaide, what, 3 weeks ago? I know it is stating the bleedin' obvious but the climate is just a tad different, 3000km to the north and now only 12º south of the equator. Just for a change it is 32ºC today; it was 32 yesterday, 32 the day before, 32...
There morning was taken up by returning our trusty camper van on the outskirts of the city, hoping they didn't enforce any of the many penalties threatened for not leaving it clean, not emptying your toilet, or just because they don't like you. It had certainly sounded like they might when we picked it up, but nothing to worry about, I am married to a Sulaiman and the van was actually cleaner than when we started.
A quick taxi ride into the city and drop our bags at the hotel and the rest of the day is ours to enjoy - and we will have our own bathroom tonight! Yippee!
Having missed everything at the Brighton Festival Fringe in May (given that the Great Escape Music Festival doesn't count), we find ourselves right in the middle of its Darwin equivalent. OK, its not quite the size, but there are some interesting things on and we have booked up for some serious theatre tonight and some comedy tomorrow night.
In between there is a beach front to explore, some WWII history and for some reason I seem to be fascinated with the impact of Cyclone Tracy which basically demolished the city on 24 December 1974. Consequently the city is virtually all new build. The old cathedral was just one of the buildings destroyed by the up to 280km/h winds - yes that is 280km/h! We actually met someone who was living here at the time when we were in Larrimah (Pink Panther) and he did say it was a terrifying experience. I know the people of many Caribbean islands, and many other parts of the world live with cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes year after year. I can only sympathise when their lives are turned upside down, often literally. I will be trying to find out a little more about Cyclone Tracy over the next couple of days, as although more than 40 years ago, it seems to have continuing meaning for the city, in particular those who lived through it.
Sad to have woken up today to find out that England lost in the semi-final, but like many I congratulate Southgate and his team for their performance in getting as far as they did. As it happens I have a cousin of Croatian descent, so I am adopting the team for the final - hope that is ok Corey!
It is again beer o'clock (funny how that seems to come round so quickly), its time to find a bar and then head for the theatre. We are also considering the deckchair outdoor cinema for late tomorrow night. All for now.