The View From My Beer
schooner of Great North Super Crisp was just the thing to wet the whistle with the temperature again raising above 35C.
Darwin
The fourth day on my seven-day trek through the Outback. Despite having flown into Darwin three days earlier, I had decided to spend most of my time on the road doing an poutback pub crawl. Today I had the chance to spend some time in Darwin itself before flying down to Alice Springs.
I had already been to Darwin earlier in the year, being a port of call on the Bali to Brisbane cruise. I had really enjoyed that day. That was only the second time I had visited Darwin, and the first since the 1980s.
My Day
The Strand
I got up early to take a walk along The Strand. This had been one of my favorite walks when I visited Darwin earlier in the year on my Bali to Brisbane cruise. Due to the presence of crocodiles and marine stingers in the wild ocean waters, year-round safe swimming can be found at the man-made rbeach at found on The Strand. This area is protected by a seawall and is patrolled by lifeguards.
Humpty Doo
Before my afternoon flight to Alice Springs I had time to visit Humpty Doo, one of the classic NT pubs located close to Darwin. There are a few theories about the origins of the name ‘Humpty Doo’. One theory suggests the name comes from the Aboriginal name “Umdidu,” meaning “popular resting place”. Another theory is that the name comes from the army slang term “umpty,” referring to the dash in Morse code. A less likely theory suggests a link to the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.
I didn’t have a lot of time, so I arrived early and had to take a one-hour walk before the pub opened. I was keen to enjoy one last counter meal before leaving Darwin. I don’t think I have had a bad steak yet since I have been in Darwin, and I am pretty picky when it comes to steak. For me it has to be burnt just the right way.
Alice Springs
My day concluded with a flight to Alice Springs to embark on a few days visiting the red centre. After pikcing up my car I and then checking into my hotel, I had just enough time to make the short walk into town along the banks of the very dry Todd River, for a quick beer before calling it quits for the day. I was going to be leaving early in rthe morning and I wasn’t sure exactly how much time I would get to see some of Alice Springs itself.
