Day 26 Darwin City

Today we too advantage of it being a Sunday with less traffic etc to go into the city and explore the waterfront and civic centre.

There is a huge street art culture here and everywhere you look the buildings have painting of various types.









The first Temple on this site was built in 1887, the date on the original ceremonial bell. It was damaged by cyclones in 1897 and 1937 and partly damaged during bombing raids and looted by Australian soldiers during World War II. In 1974, the Woods Street Temple was completely destroyed by Cyclone Tracy and the present Temple was re-opened on the original site in 1977. The religion practiced at the Temple is a combination of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. A translation of the Chinese symbols over the Temple entrance is: ” The Power of Almighty God reaches far and near.” In the grounds of the Temple is the sacred Bodhi tree, believed to be a direct descendant of the tree under which Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment.





We continued walking to the state square precinct area and saw the Parliament House a contemporary tropical building opened in 1994 and houses the NT Legislative Assembly, Supreme Court features local Mt Bundy granite and accommodates criminal and civil courts and Governors House built between 1870 and 1871 at this is the official office and residence of the Administrator of the Northern Territory and is the oldest surviving continuously occupied structure in the NT.







Anglican Christchurch Cathedral cyclone Tracy destroyed all but the front wall and portico, and these were incorporated into the new cathedral, constructed in 1976.




Tree of Knowledge - This is an ancient tree of the Larrakia People who know it as Galamarrma. The tree is a Banyan tree and was established in 1898.



Brown’s Mart in Darwin is a unique building that dates to the 1880s and is highly regarded as a landmark in the city. Built of porcellanite stone, it has a corrugated iron roof and is considered to have architectural, historic and social significance. The building suffered substantial damage in a cyclone in 1897. During WWII, it was converted to a torpedo workshop. After the war it was used by the Navy until about 1952. It then housed the police force, the Crown Law Office and the Motor Vehicle Registry. The building was repaired after Cyclone Tracy in 1974 and has been used as a community theatre since.

From 1887-1910, the building was known as the Mining Exchange where the Port Darwin mercantile agency, run by JAV Brown and HH Adcock, operated as importers, customs and shipping agents. Its use as a shipping agency and auctioneering venue continued until it was leased by the Bank of New South Wales in 1937 while its own building was constructed.




Town Hall Ruins - On Christmas Eve 1974, after almost a century enduring tropical conditions and 64 air raids during World War II, Darwin's Town Hall literally started crumbling during Cyclone Tracy. The heritage building — erected 14 years after European settlers arrived in the region in 1869 — was damaged beyond repair by the natural disaster along with much of the city. Yet some hoped to rebuild the Town Hall and the building's rubble was fortuitously sent to a government depot for storage. More than 40 years later, that salvaged rubble finally made its way back home for the conservation works.



The HMS Beagle Ship Bell Chime is a unique, publicly accessible musical instrument and monument. The installation was created by artist Dr. Anton Hasell in 2009 to celebrate 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin. The Bells - 11 cast-bronze bells that represent the ship's traditional bell sounds. The Birds - Each bell is topped with a bronze sculpture of a native Australian bird species, ranging from budgerigars to black cockatoos, paying tribute to the parrots Darwin encountered in Australia. The Ship - One bell in the chime is topped with a replica of Charles Darwin’s ship, the HMS Beagle.




We then went and had lunch on the Stoke Wharf waterfront.




Tonight we are going to Sunset Mindil Beach Markets a congregation of over 200 unique stalls, ranging from food stalls offering incredible local and international cuisine to an array of arts, crafts etc. The 53rd Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta was also taking place an iconic event features homemade watercraft built from recycled materials.