The landscape had changed once again, with lots of lush green grass and trees (mainly eucalypts) and quite a few pools of water just 'lying around'. At times the train passed through quite dense eucalypt forests. Termite mounds were also plentiful - no wonder they had problems with termites eating the railway sleepers before changing over to concrete sleepers! Many mounds were the characteristic ochre red, but there were also some paler brown ones. The height and breadth of some of the obviously older ones was quite impressive. Around the town of Katherine there was a definite tropical feel in terms of the vegetation. It was also quite hot and humid. The outlook varied from overcast to cloudy over the course of the day. As we drew close to Darwin, quite a few palms started popping up in-between the eucalypts.
The tour and cruise along the first part of the Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk) was very worthwhile, and it was a definite highlight seeing some indigenous rock art which is thousands of years old. (This tour is reviewed separately in another posting.)
Whilst in the Northern Territory we experienced the paradox that is indigenous life and culture in Australia. In Alice Springs and Katherine, many indigenous people appeared to be spending the day just sitting under trees in parks (some obviously drinking alcohol), whilst at Nitmiluk we saw the other end of the spectrum - educated, articulate indigenous people who were proud of their heritage and culture and were making a living from sharing aspects of it with visitors to the region.
The Darwin Rail Terminal is 15km from the city, and situated close to thick stands of mangroves (not unlike Cairns Airport!). Darwin is very flat, and the drive in to town takes you through a number of industrial suburbs with low squat buildings and past a Department of Defence establishment. The absence of tall buildings in the centre of town is quite striking, and those that exist seem outwardly to be hotels and apartment buildings. Perhaps this is a legacy of Cyclone Tracy, which devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. My family and I experienced Cyclone Althea in Townsville in ..., but Tracey was far worse. Even in our experience, the most difficult time was after the storm, when all essential services were cut and there was "water, water everywhere".
The passengers from The Ghan seemed to be distributed over a number of the hotels in town, but many of us were either at the Holiday Inn Darwin or the fabulous Holiday Inn Esplanade (both on the Esplanade). In contrast to Rydges in Adelaide, I was hugely impressed with both the room and the facilities at the Holiday Inn. Even a choice of feather pillows was made available on the beds - soft vs firm! It was also extremely nice that when the TV was turned on, there was a message welcoming you by name.
We arrived in the late afternoon to the now familiar sight of indigenous people lying on the ground in the park across the road, and later on one of the young women in our group was approached by an obviously drunk Aboriginal man. Whilst out foraging for food there was safety in numbers, with indigenous people soliciting donations and loitering around the entrance to shops and eateries. A number of places appeared to have security guards patrolling the front entrance, and shops which were closed due to it being New Year's Day appeared heavily fortified to avoid vandalism.
The sense that we non-indigenous people were being 'eyed off' made me feel uneasy in a way that I have not felt since I was in Nepal and tried to go for a walk around central Kathmandu, but was accosted with every step I took. Within metres of the front door of the hotel I had come to the inescapable conclusion that westerners were seen as walking cash machines to be exploited at every opportunity, being bombarded with demands to buy this or that or the other thing or to avail yourself of some service. It was so unpleasant and "in your face" that I became discombobulated and lost my normal impeccable sense of direction in the rabbit warren of haphazard street layouts and had to ask for directions back to the hotel. It was also clear that there was one price for locals and another highly inflated version for visitors (and no fixed prices displayed). I abandoned my plans for gift shopping and solemnly emailed my family to explain the situation and covey my apologies in advance. I was very glad that we did not have to dally long in Kathmandu before heading off for Lukla and our Expedition Medicine course and trek.
However, I digress! Following all that gourmet food on the train I had a hankering for something simple, such as good old-fashioned fish and chips, and fortunately we found an outlet (Chip 'n' Fish - reviewed separately) that was open in the 'foodie' district in Mitchell Street nearby. Since breakfast was not included as part of the package, we also descended on the adjacent Coles supermarket and found some more bargains - yoghurt for $2.99, two cans of mango slices for $2.50, a litre of juice for $1.00, and a packet of scones for $2.70 and mince pies for $0.90. However, I have to say that the Coles self-checkout system was rather user unfriendly and frustrating.
The next morning it was stormy with thunder and lightning and moderately heavy tropical rain. Despite this we enjoyed a swim after breakfast in the excellent outdoor pool at the hotel. It is probably about 30 metres long and reasonably wide and 2 metres deep at one end so it is great for lap swimming.
After that it was off to the local Police Station to report the theft of my iPod Touch on The Ghan. I had accidentally left it in a small alcove above my bunk bed on the morning of the last day and did not realise it was missing until a few hours after disembarkation. The Terminal Manager was very helpful and the cabin was checked thoroughly and various staff avenues followed up, but without success. I was very sorry to lose it as it has been a wonderful and versatile tool, and often helped me to meditate and get to sleep. The Terminal Manager (and the carriage manager on the train) mentioned that it was extremely unusual for anything valuable to go missing, so I guess I was just unlucky. Fortunately I had travel insurance and still have my original purchase receipts so should be able to make a claim. (Moral of the story: make sure your valuables are locked in the safe when you are out of the cabin!)
The rain had stopped and there were a few hours spare before departing for the airport, so after another relatively healthy Subway lunch the gang headed off for a foot tour of some of the historical buildings close to the city and the waterfront. From the ruins of the old town hall to Christ Church Cathedral incorporating elements of the old and the new to the renovated Administrator's Building and the timber Government House, there were many stories of courage and resilience in the face of the devastating destruction of Cyclone Tracy.
The new and modern waterfront precinct is very attractive, with a number of multi-storey apartment buildings ringed around a small beach with a protected swimming area and a very reasonably priced wave pool nearby (adults $5 half-day/$8 full day). The Entertainment Centre and the sea wall and wharf are also accessible from this area.
It was extremely hot and humid and, as in Katherine, our clothes were pretty well soaked through by the time we had been out for a few hours. We walked back to the hotel along the Esplanade for a bit and then visited Coles again to pick up some juice and ice-cream to rehydrate and cool off. As well as a lounge off the downstairs foyer, Holiday Inn Esplanade has a large and comfortable lounge on the first floor, to which we retreated to recover from the heat. They were also happy to store our bags after we had checked out and were wiling away the time waiting for the airport shuttle. Just after we arrived back at the hotel there were more heavy showers, so we had timed things well!
The airport shuttle is $15 per person (discounts for two or more) and was an efficient and stress-free way of getting to the airport. Check-in was uneventful, but yet again I was targeted for the explosives residue scanning test just after the security scanning. It seems to happen nearly every time I fly - perhaps I am just unlucky!
Things were looking up - seats in row 6 and access to the window seat for takeoff. Then it all went pear-shaped very rapidly. There was someone with a loud hacking cough in the seat behind and a family of five settled into row 5, including mother, father, girl aged about 8, boy aged about 6 and a screaming toddler of approximately 2. He wrestled and squirmed like an anaconda and screamed like a banshee when his mother tried to strap him into a harness prior to takeoff. His efforts were so impressive that the cabin attendant came and suggested that she wait until the aircraft was actually ready for takeoff. He did not appear to like being restrained in any way and the ear-splitting screams continued for around 3.5 hours of the four hour flight. Apart from being physically unpleasant and exhausting, it was so intrusive as to render my planned work activities impossible as I could not "hear myself think". The cabin attendant was obviously sympathetic to those who were suffering, and towards the end of the fight was kind enough to offer us a complimentary snack as a gesture of solidarity. Eventually we landed just before midnight and nary an apology was offered at any stage by the parents.
It is not the first time that my flight experience has been completely destroyed by disruptive screaming children (even worse when on an international flight and people are trying to sleep), and of course these families have a right to fly, but perhaps there are ways of being more considerate to their fellow passengers. Aside from the vexed question of parenting style, perhaps things like more playful distractions, travelling at a time that is not past a toddler's bedtime, and seating the family down the back of the aircraft (where there were quite a few vacant seats and fewer people would be disturbed (no-one behind them) and it would be easier for the parents to get up and move around with the toddler) might be helpful.
During the flight there was a quite spectacular sunset visible from the other side of the aircraft (but alas no chance to get to a window to capture it) and then as we neared Melbourne I could see a blood-red half-moon rising over the horizon. This gradually became orange and then gold, floating above the city lights as we came in to land.
The Busy Beaver Airport Parking bus was fortunately waiting outside the terminal so I was able to collect my car fairly promptly and was home just after 0100. I was very pleased with the service that they offer and would use them again.
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