The Territory's seeping in

The colour orange seems to be everywhere here. The sun-sets and the dirt (but I guess you call orange dirt red) are a vibrant shade of ochre. That colour has ingrained itself into my running shoes, which have been getting a bit of a beating at the moment as I train for the 1/2 half marathon I'm doing with my pal Melanie.

My fitness footware are glowing with the dust now as I went for a 40 minute jog this afternoon from my flat to through the botanic gardens. It was a very impressive running track and it also provided me with some hills, which are rare in the top end.

I thought I'd jog through the park to the suburb of Stuart Park. A place I thought was a fair ways away from my joint. But as it turned out the whole time I was looking for the way there I was actually right in the middle of it. I had one of those 'ah ha' moments when I realised that Darwin is a lot smaller than I thought. The city shrinks a little every time I gain a new geographical perspective.

After the run I did something I know not many people at home would have done. No I didn't crack open a coldie and go pig shooting...I went for a swim. Many people up here tell me its too cold at this time of year. But after a 40 minute sweat out in 30 degree heat getting in the pool was heavenly.

What a croc

Today my friend Mel and I made the trip down to the (Croc INFESTED) Adelaide River to see the jumping crocodiles. I'm swas still feeling a little bit sick, I came down with something on Wednesday, but the trip really perked me up.

The crocodiles were spectacular. There's something about seeing a 4 meter long aggressive killing machine leap out of the water for a chop on stick, but once you've seen it about three of times you pretty much get the idea.

No, I found by the end of the excursion that I was more interested in the fiberglass crocodiles and the endless fun they provide snap happy tourists. Like Mel and me.


Tomorrow is going to be a more serious day as Mel and I get back into our running training. Now that should be spectacular.

I told you there were lizards!

At last, today was a good day for lizards. I went back to my lunch spot near the Supreme Court today. I haven't had lunch there for about a week. I had been exploring other lunch time options. None of which have turned out to be as fine a place to digest the food and the first half of the day.

I sat there in the sun thinking about how lucky I was to be in tropical weather when the leaf litter started to rustle. Within a few seconds a little lizard sprang out onto the pavement in front of me. Then another one. The reptiles circled one another for a bit until one jumped on the other and they wrestled for a few minutes before they disappeared under more of the fallen leaves. They didn't stop wrestling as their rustling continued until I had eaten my last bite and headed to the office, to wrestle the rest of the days tasks.

Darwin takes the cake

I've been wanting to tell you about this even before I started this blog. I noticed these larger than life cakes on my second day in Darwin. I was walking along the Smith Street mall to work when I noticed these icing sugar gems out of the corner of my eye. It took me a few steps to register what they were. When I did I stopped and walked back for a closer look.






These cakes are in the front window of Darwin's biggest souvenir shop. The reason it's taken me so long to tell you about them is because I didn't want to take a photo when the shop was open as the people who run it hang out the front of it quite a bit. I had to get a photo first so you could fully appreciate them (or believe me). Tonight I was able to snap them under the cover of darkness.


At first I thought the cakes had crocodiles on them, but when I looked closer I realised that they sported buffaloes, teddy bears and Chinese dragons.

Even though they look spectacular I wouldn't eat one of them because the same ones have been sitting in the display window for the past 4 weeks, at least. I suspect they are not cakes at all but decorated Styrofoam.

Unknown Territory

This evening saw my first excursion to what is known as the 'Darwin Rural Area', which spans for miles. We had an after work run scheduled at Knuckey Lagoon. It was a place that neither I or my work college(who was driving) had been to before, both being recent additions to the NT's population count.

'Don't worry...I have printed a map' I said as we were sprinting out the door with the minutes to the start time of our run counting down quickly.

' besides if we get lost we can always call to get directions' I said with a reassuring smile.

The car started. We rolled away from the kerb. I opened my bag to get out the map. I looked inside. Gees no map. I fumbled around for my phone. No phone. I had left both of these necessities on my desk in the rush to get out to the car.

I asked my work-mate if I could borrow their phone. No I couldn't as they had left it at home.

'We'll get there I said' trying to believe my own words.

We had a lovely sightseeing trip, traveling through suburbs we had not yet had the chance to experience.

It felt like we were heading in the right direction until we both got a sinking feeling that we could end up at Yularu if we kept heading the way we were going. We took the next right turn and things where looking O.K until we got to the main road.

My driver made the decision to go left. It was clear to both of us that we had not a clue about our exact coordinates and even less an idea about our destination.

It was at this moment I noticed a Darwin street directory wedged between the gear stick and the driver's seat. 'I don't own a map' my colleague said. It turns out someone had left it in her car. Luckily they did because not long after consulting the map we were at our destination.

Then we had to do the run.

A Wet Dry?

You won't see rain, they told me on the phone before I came up to he Top End. It'll be the dry season they said, sunny everyday, not a drop, not a sprinkle of the wet stuff. But last night my suburb got cats and dogs.

It didn't rain for long, but it was intense. You can see hoe much fell by the level of water in the unit complex pool. The water lapped the bottom of the blue tiles yesterday afternoon, but this morning it was almost bursting over the pebble-crete banks.

There were even droplets of rain on the low water garden this morning.

The humidity has also returned. At the moment it's 9:30pm the temperature is still 27 C and the humidity is at 79%. It's a real reminder that you're in the tropics.

The weather bureau says it's not unusual for it to rain at in May, but they didn't have any rain during the month last year. They said we could expect a little bit more but it will be isolated. They also promise the steamy air will evaporate soon.

In some ways I've relived that the weather here has some level of unpredictability, because life can be pretty unexciting without surprises.

Beep, beep, beep

No I'm not swearing. Last night I took a beep test. It was the first time in a very long time, I think I did one when I was at high school (but maybe that was in a movie a saw back in the day).

It's part of a running and fitness campaign work is doing and I though why not get involved, I'm up here to do something a bit different with my life. If you're not familiar with the fitness exam it involves running from one set of cones to another before the pre-recored beep beats you. As you progress through the levels the beeps get closer together and the test gets harder.

The test wasn't as scary as I imagined. I was doing well but I stopped at a point a few beeps before I would have passed out or vomited or maybe even both. I got up to level 8-4 which is pretty good.

The goal I'm working towards is to do a 5km run in a respectable time. I know its not very ambitious but hey it's a start.

So the training started today. I just got back from the gym, legs this morning. I hope they're not too sore tomorrow as I've got another run as part of the campaign. I wounder if I can still eat Barra Burgers?

The Other Side

I saw the Top End from a different perspective today. From the Cox Peninsular, which is the other side of Darwin Harbour.





I took the ferry from Cullen Bay across to Mandorah with a friend from work and some of her friends. There's not much near the ferry terminal on the other side, but there is a very relaxed pub which also has motel style accommodation.





Many people make the 20 minute voyage across the harbour mouth just to chill out at the pub, but some people live over there and some people take their bikes on the ferry with them so they can do a bit of riding on the other side.











I was there to chill and to eat. It was lunch time and I was very hungry. Since I've been in the top end I've heard a few people mention the 'Barra Burger' (I don't think they have any other type of fish up here). But for the last month I've been dying to try one and today I did.







I wasn't disappointed it was just what I needed on sleepy Sunday afternoon, battered fish and mayonnaise.

It was great to get out of the city for a bit. It reminded me in some ways of Stockton (across the Harbour from Newcastle) or Manly, in that you do feel relaxed looking back at the fast pace of the city. Although in this case that pace isn't too fast.

Easterly Run

Had a great start to the weekend. For the first time since I've been in the Top End I was able to sleep in till the sun was well and truly up. Then I pottered around the flat, not exciting reading but it was great.







Don't get me wrong...I was active today and I saw some of the beautiful scenery at the same time. Mel from work (and also from http://meltriestorun.blogspot.com/) and I went for a six km jog from Fannie Bay to East Point along the water-side track. As we were jogging the sun was setting over the water and the temperature was cooling off. The coastline is a jagged row of cliffs that glow an amazing pink at twilight.





The jog reminded me how much I enjoy get outdoors away from the treadmill and the elliptical trainer








For a reward after the hard work we went to the flicks to catch the movie Samson and Delia. Its the story of two young people from a central Australian community. It was a very confronting, but worthwhile film to see. I thought the ending had a sense of positivity to it, but you should see it and let me know what you think.

I have committed to another run with Mel next week. This time 8km!

Hold the Phone: Doing Things the Darwin Way

If you need to contact someone in Darwin the phone is sometimes not the most practical way of going about it. Today I was trying to get some one for work. I was calling and calling the number they were supposed to be near, but no answer.

After the third attempt I thought the place were they were was only around the corner and I was in need of a fresh air break so I walked overm there. I went inside and had a quick chat . Within minutes I had accomplished my work related task and had communed with the outside world.

When I got back to the office I talked about my experience with a colleague who told me that when the phones at work stopped working a staff member got up from their desk and walked out of the building around the corner to the state office of the telco and got one of their staff to come back to look at the problem.

Top End lesson: your fingers don't always have to do the walking.

Oh No Cold Today

I got out of bed this morning at 7 o'clock. I got dressed in my gym cloths, grab my towel and started the two block journey to the health club. As I rounded the corner of my street I felt a strange thing. Something I haven't experienced for the past three and a bit weeks. A cool breeze, blowing up from central Australia.

At first it was confronting, then comforting.

While I was sweating it out on the treadmill I heard on the radio that for the first time this year the mercury had dipped below 20 degrees. In fact it had got down to a chilly 19 degrees, but the expected top for today was still 32.

After my work out as I walked back to my flat I thought to myself about what here is the colder weather and smiled. This is about as hot as it gets in Newcastle in the middle of summer.

Tonight I'm sitting in my room and for the first time ever without my ceiling. The current outside temprature is 23 degrees. I'm not going to buy a fleecy track suit any time soon.

Lizards Who Sometimes Lunch

It's so cold in the office I have to get outside for lunch. Well that's my excuse. It's true that the air conditioning is a little colder than I'd like but I do love to sit and eat my lunch on a bench between the Supreme Court and the NT Parliament house.

Where I sit you can look out across the manicured lawns and the water of Beagle Gulf to the Cox Peninsular. Next to the bench there is an amazing tree that has roots hanging down from it's branches searching for nutrients. The tree has a tag nailed to it that says it's spectacular enough to be a significant tree listed on the important trees register.

But what about the lizards the title of this post alludes to? They weren't there today(of course it was the only time so far I've taken my camera along), but they're there. You see them come out of the leafy undergrowth to catch some of the rays of the hot northern sunlight. Some of them are big, others no so and although they're all shy they have loads of personality.

Today it was my turn to bask in the sun for a couples of minutes. Who knows, mabe my legs might get a bit of a healthy glow.

So Far, But So Close

It was supposed to be a time to get away from it all. Relax. Take stock of life.

Living in the Northern tropical Territory is wonderful. Its warm when it should be cold. The sun sets over the beach (if you're on the right one) and the atmosphere laid-back.

But I felt I needed to share the experience. To do that you have be connected to the world. So although I've sought of dropped out for a bit, I'm now plugged in from home. The thing to remember now is to turn the computer off and go outside and experience where I am.

So in the interests of accountability I'm publishing a blog to make sure I actually go out and take those photos, meet new people and hear some fantastic stories.