Darwin 13th of July

We had an early arrival at Darwin Airport and bearing this in mind we had booked at Rydges Airport Resort . First impressions were good, a free airport shuttle and a lovely foyer looking out towards the tropically landscaped pool. Our spirits plummeted as we were told that checkin was at 1pm and 'No, you can't sleep in the lobby or lounge, but you may drag a chair around the side (near the industrial bins ) so that no-one can see you .' I was rather annoyed as this was already costing $260, I explained  that we would be leaving at 4.30am the next morning so would be checking out really early . Anyway to cut a long story short we had to pay an extra $130 for an early checkin - only to find that our room at this 'resort ' was worse than our worst accommodation in a developing nation ! 

We slept for several hours then toddled off to reception to take advantage of the free 'city center' shuttle bus only to find that it ran twice a day once at 10am and once at 5pm. Rather disgruntled we crossed the access road and hailed a cab. The driver was a rather unusual character who spoke very disparagingly about his city . 

We were dropped off at Mitchell Street and reassured that this was the life and soul of Darwin and there was nothing else within walking distance for us to see. After a tasty lunch at Monsoon - Liz's steak was particularly succulent and a great ice coffee at an Italian cafe across the road plus a lemon lime and bitters at Shenanigans for thirsty Liz , we met up with Liz's mothers friend Barb.  

Barb kindly drove us to Fanny Bay, the museum and the sailing club so that I could see a bit more of Darwin . I was very grateful to her as the silvery ocean view looking back towards the city was lovely and I could see why people are drawn to this family orientated city . Barb told us that more money per capita is spent on infrastructure in Darwin than anywhere else in Australia . 

That evening we caught the 5pm shuttle bus into the city , we were told that pickup was at 5.20pm so needless to say we kindly declined the offer, voicing that we would catch a cab back to the resort after dinner. The shuttle bus driver was actually extremely helpful as she drove us to the waterfront which was actually only a short walk from Mitchell street. We walked from the bus terminal through the mall which had very interesting plaques about Darwin's part in the war. A left and right turn later and we were back in Mitchell Street, we headed back to Shenanigans to have a beverage before meeting my stepdaughter Niki for dinner at The Tap. I went to the ATM and was bedazzled by the spectacular sunset! No one had prepared me for this visual treat .  After dinner we went to the impressive water front where we took the street level elevator down to the restaurant level . We went to a French Restaurant where I was reprimanded for ordering chocolate brownies with salted caramel sauce - apparently I was meant to ask for petit fours . Unashamedly we ordered a dessert each the waiter seemed to baulk at our request - how were we to know that the desserts ere of a generous proportion not the minute items at a highly inflated price that the French usually demand? 

A tremendous effort was put in by all of us , Liz exclaiming all the while that she knew that three desserts was too much, what a shame she was too demure to protest when asked whether she wanted to order. When the sumptuous treats were demolished we trudged slowly back up the street through the mall to catch a cab to the resort . I was thoroughly impressed by the entertainment district in Dsrwin and look forward to seeing more of it in the best future!