July 17: Delighted With Darwin
Arriving in Darwin two days ago felt rather poignant as Adventure Baby and I are now a little more than halfway around our lap of Australia in terms of miles. We’ve braved strong crosswinds, driving rain, intense heat, wildfires, long stretches without gas or services, near wildlife misses, and a rather severe arm infection on my part. We celebrated by riding to the northernmost point via paved roads I could find in Australia on Google Maps.
Heading to Lee Point Beach, a secluded and pristine section of coastline in the Casuarina Reserve in the northern suburbs of Darwin, we followed the road as far as it went and then inched our way a little further north by riding on the wooden walkway towards the sand.
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as swimming in the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay (2022) or gazing at the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Barents Sea off Nordkapp (2023), but it seemed like a celebration, nonetheless. There are unpaved roads that reach further to Cape York, but I was content with taking in the beautiful views of our white sandy beach, the sparkling turquoise waters of Beagle Gulf, and admiring some of the colorful and unique birds nearby.
My stay in Darwin was made more delightful by the central location of my hotel, allowing me to easily walk to all the little pubs and shops in the city center. My dish last night at the Hanuman Restaurant was particularly savory, a generous portion of local prawns cooked in a savory coconut and wild ginger curry. I ate every single bite of the moist and flavorful fish meat and used my spoon to lap up all the remaining sauce.
Today’s ride south to Daily Waters took me through a great deal of smoke and some fires as much of this region is experiencing planned burns or wildfires sparked by extreme temperatures, flammable grasses, and strong winds. Apparently, fires are largely allowed to go unabated because doing so reduces the risk of late-season wildfires, controls weeds, generates carbon credits for economic benefits to remote communities, and meets Aboriginal cultural commitments.
The vast stretches of burned trees and grass made for a rather stark landscape, with black grass on both sides of the roads and many of the trees sporting charred trunks and branches.
I was happy to find the temperatures already getting a little lower as I inched my way south, arriving at my destination for the night without having rivulets of sweat running down my body for the first time in many days. What a great day on the bike!
