DARWIN
During WW2 Darwin was bombed on 64
separate occasions. The first bombing raid was the most intense and
sustained, with a heavy loss of life and equipment. The first raid was
two sorties by the Japanese. The harbour and ships in the morning and
the runway and planes in the afternoon. The extent of the raids and
bomb attacks was kept for the most part from the greater population at
the time. But fully explains John Curtin’s strategies from that time
and the alliance with the USA.
So, for Darwin and far north of the
Northern Territory is a war town/state and much of the history is
still on display in museums and surviving infrastructure.     
Darwin also lies in the cyclone belt
and over the years have been struck by storms of varying intensity;
cyclone Tracey on Xmas Eve 1974. 
Since
the benefits of Air Conditioning becoming the norm, Darwin as a city
has grown very fast. One of the fastest developing cities in
Australia. The city
itself is built on a low bluff overlooking the harbour. Having been
almost entirely rebuilt twice, and biuldings for the most part are
modern.
In the early 1870s, Darwin
felt the effects of a gold rush at Pine Creek after employees of the
Australian Overland Telegraph Line found gold while digging holes for
telegraph poles.
No old hotels have survived
the Darwin’s recent development.  
The Churches are of modern
design.      
Darwin is a great place to
visit in the traditional winter months. Warm and dry. A day trip to
Mandorah for lunch is recomended.    
Be sure to have an extended
visit and delight in what this great city has to offer.
Diary
notes  
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