Arrivo....Darwin! The end of the road.

Cool graffiti - a reminder that we are once again in the city

Darwin CBD...lots of BIG hotels & plush resorts, great restaurants & cafes & a good selection of interesting retail outlets

The Arafura Sea with storm clouds rolling in

Esplanade boardwalk leading to the famous "Deckchair" outdoor cinema & old WW2 underground tunnels

Colonial Government House

Architecture post cyclone Tracy- note the original facade remnant of the church

The mighty GHAN- iconic Australian railway

Darwin to Adelaide via Alice

The outskirts of Darwin

Finally rain ! And lots of it...

Darwin ahead & a tropical storm brewing..,

Entry to the National Parks, Kakadu & Jabiru

This is what all the tourists come for!

The Adelaide River

Leaving Katherine

After departing Katherine the last few hundred kilometres pass quickly.

We finally hit rain at last; it becomes heavy & then ceases as suddenly as it started.

Tomorrow (in Darwin) we learn of the tropical storm that hit Alice with enough water to allow the Todd river to flow...quite an event at this time of year.

Adelaide River is a stunning tiny settlement with typical country colonial residences, neat as a pin. There is an interesting rail museum here & upon leaving the town we chance upon the mighty Ghan making it s way from Darwin to Alice. An iconic Australian rail-trip.

Huge road signs denoting entrances to the National Parks float by....Kakadu, Litchfield; we wont be stopping at this point-hellbent on getting into Darwin before this evening.

There will be plenty of time to explore after a decent rest!

Suddenly we are entering Darwin & seem to drive for ages thru the outskirts of commercial & industrial areas. A large city (for the Territory!). So many Caravans & Backpacker vans on the road, no doubt arriving early for the season.

Amazing infra-structure here; apparently Darwin is currently the fastest growing city in Australia. There is lots of building going on to rectify the shortage of housing no doubt...interesting, environmentally sound building necessary given this temperamental tropical climate.

Entering the Darwin CBC we drive directly to the waterfront- along the lovely esplanade with its tropical park, to take in the spectacle of the glorious turquoise waters of the Arafura Sea...

Finally, the end of the road, for now at least!