Darwin... Northern Territory (NT), Australia

Darwin is closer to Indonesia's capital Jakarta than to Australia's capital of Canberra! This harbor/port city is a vital trade center link and gateway to Australia's trading partner, Asia. Every so often on our train trip, The Ghan would have to stop and let freight trains go by as they have the right away by law.

One of Darwin's biggest exports is the mango. Did you know that mangoes have to be hand picked due to their delicate nature?

The NT has a frontier mentality. IN 1998, the NT was invited to become Australia's 7th state. The NT rejected that notion by a referendum vote! The vast north of Australia has a mind of its own!

Darwin is in the steamy heart of the tropics. Compared to the red center of Alice Springs, it is a lush green. It is known as The Top and it has only 2 seasons, wet and dry. We were there during the wet season. That season will last for approximately 7 months! It rains most days, but we lucked out with an occasional rain shower in our 2 day stay.

Darwin's is a place where men outnumber women by almost 2 to 1. The average age of a Darwinite is 30. Darwin was destroyed by a cyclone in 1974 and completely rebuilt.
World War II history buffs know that Darwin was bombed 67 times during the war by the Japanese.

The NT has the highest concentration of indigenous people in Australia--- nearly 60,000 Aborigines. We saw Aborigines walking around and/or sitting on the side of the road, but we never met anyone who was indigenous to the country during our 2 month stay.

The snorkel on the front of the truck is so the vehicle can ford the flooded washes and rivers without trouble. Cool huh? Some Arizonans who try to drive through the Indian Bend wash could use one of these! Also, notice the Rooguard on the front end. Unfortunately, they do hit kangaroos whilst driving down the road.