Palmerston Town Hall
As you can see from the photo above, there were some changes at the ruins of the Palmerston Town Hall between 2019 (Monday’s article) and 2020 (above). The townspeople added an artistic, spiked globe between the front and back walls.
But let’s move on to today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Darwin and Litchfield National Park:
Explorer of the Seas in Darwin
“Foot” Patrol Ain’t What it Used to Be
Wangi
Ursula Hanging Out in Darwin
Feelin’ Froggy
Wrong Cathedral, Guys!
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Magnetic Termite Mounds
During our 2019 trip to Darwin we took a tour. The two sights we were destined to see that day were the famous Wangi Falls (more on that later), and the fascinating and massive Magnetic Termite Mounds located in Litchfield National Park.
Anatomy of a magnetic termite mound
These mounds are not “magnetic”. Nor are the termites that make them. Rather, the term refers to how these termites (amitermes meridionalis) construct the main axis of these slab-sided mounds along a north-south orientation. Some of these mounds may reach 6.5 feet/2 meters in height:
Magnetic termite mounds
But these aren’t the only termites here. There is another even more impressive species called the cathedral termite (nasutitermes triodiae). Let’s head on up to one and take a look.
Approaching Cathedral Termite Mound
As you may have deduced from the name, a cathedral termite mound is one on a truly grand scale. Some reach 13 feet/4 meters!
Cathedral termite mound
Now let’s head out to another Litchfield National Park attraction, Wangi Falls.
Wangi Falls, Litchfield National Park
Here I’ll just let the falls themselves do the talking:
Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls
Wangi Falls
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Welcome to Darwin — South entrance to “The Mall” on Smith Street
As with other articles in this series on Australia and New Zealand, the photos you’ll see this week were taken during two visits — March 2019 and February of this year. Today we’re going to walk around the streets of Darwin situated on the Timor Sea in the Northern Territory of Australia. It’s a small hike into Darwin from the cruise ship terminal at Fort Hill Wharf. Along the pedestrian walkway you’ll head northeast as you pass south of Stokes Hill Wharf :
Stokes Hill Wharf
This is actually a fun walk, because you’ll soon arrive at a foot bridge that takes you west, past the Big Buoy Water Park to a row of shops, restaurants, and cafés that make up the ground floor of a large waterfront apartment complex. Cut across the green space and you get to another storefront-laden apartment complex that contains a public elevator. Take the elevator here, or the stairs if you’re so inclined, because we have to get up to street level for the town center.
Looking back toward the Darwin Waterfront Precinct
From up here you’ll find a few things of interest:
Darwin Waterfront Precinct
Continue northwest along the pedestrian sky bridge, head up some more steps, and you arrive at Smith Street, which takes you straight into Darwin’s main shopping district. Heading toward the pedestrian shopping area (“The Mall”) you’ll pass several sights. This is the Christ Church Cathedral:
Christ Church Cathedral
Just before the cathedral, on the opposite side of the street near the Darwin Supreme Court building, is a bronze statue of a Tawny Frogmouth Owl by artist Koolpinyah Barnes:
Tawny Frogmouth Owl by Koolpinyah Barnes
Nearby are the Palmerston Town Hall:
Palmerston Town Hall ruins
The Palmerstown Town Hall was completed in 1883, destroyed by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, and the ruins were stabilized and the area turned into a public space and performing arts venue in 1980.
Palmerston Town Hall ruins
Some other historic original stone-walled buildings from Darwin’s early days:
KPMG Office Building
And the oldest building remaining in Darwin city center is the Brown’s Mart building (1885):
Brown’s Mart Theatre
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Decisions — Murder in Paradise
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The Globe — Murder in Luxury
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