After six months on the road with my trusty Postie Bike Mo, I
had begun to get into the groove of long distance touring.
Mo had become as predictable as any long-term travel
partner and I could easily tell when he was in a bad mood.
Like most men, as long as he was kept lubricated he was
happy enough and with some special attention at regular
intervals he was turning out to be the perfect companion:
low maintenance and reliable.
Darwin had changed considerably since my last visit in
2007 – it had “grown up”. It had lost its small town persona
and high rises were popping up everywhere. It still
possessed all its charm and laid-back approach to life –
particularly evident at the Mindil Markets where street
performers and hippies still rule. The WWII museum has a
stunning presentation of the bombing of Darwin and the
Cyclone Tracey exhibition can be found at the Darwin
Museum along with the taxidermied body of Sweetheart,
the 5 metre long crocodile who loved to terrorise fishermen
by tipping them out of their dingies. The Deckchair Cinema
was also a highlight – watching the sun set over the water
and the moon rise behind the big screen, relaxing in the
warm evening, reclined in a canvas deckchair. Pure bliss!