DiNo's Travels Around Australia - 2014/2015/16/17: Day 55

We recommenced our exploration of Darwin this morning starting on the southern part of the city along The Esplanade and then progressed along the coast in a northerly direction. We tried to feed the fish at Aquascene (their signature offer) but the tide was out and there were no fish. Cullen Bay was our next destination. It is an upmarket suburb set around an inlet from the harbour. Mindil Beach came next and we drove by the Sky Casino and the Museum and Art Gallery. We drove along the foreshore of Fannie Bay to see the Fannie Bay cliffs and on past Lake Alexander to Dudley and East Points. The latter two were dominant in the defence of Darwin during WW2. There was a large gun emplacement at East Point which remains a permanent reminder of the 29 bombing raids on Darwin in 1941/42.

The foreshore is blessed with countless public places all easily accessible, but again, there was not a person swimming from the beaches. A few people were swimming in Lake Alexander.

The WW2 historical education continued with a visit to the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre. Its prime show piece is a B52 bomber, one of only two on display outside the USA. Of course the plane did not participate in WW2 but the Americans provided it to the people of Darwin because of the special relationship that developed between the Territorians and the USA forces during the war.

It was a bright sunny day today, hot and humid. We saw no evidence of the cloud from the Indonesian volcanic eruption underway at the moment. The possibility of volcanic ash has caused the Darwin airport to be closed for precautionary reasons.