rain, rain, rain

So that's what a tropical storm is! They don't do anything small in Australia, let me tell you. Anyway, what a lovely place Darwin is. For a start it's tiny, not even a city, probably about the same size and population as Ayr. It's all very modern too, probably because the place has been flattened twice in the last fifty years by japanese bombers and a cyclone respectively. Speaking of which, the whole Cyclone Ingrid thing seemed to blow over (arf!) before I got here, and none of the locals looked like they were too worried anyway. Most of them are pretty young, which is another nice thing about the place, that and the fact it's party central every night of the week! I'm glad I was sensible and left some of my money behind in Adelaide, I could quite easily have a blowout here. I mean, first night and I found a pub doing $3.50 pints, spirits and shooters, it could easily get quite messy! The first few days weren't fab cos I picked up a flu on the way here somehow. Then, having got rid of it, burnt myself to a crisp instead. Anyway, sightseeing-wise, the highlight has to be the NT museum, whihc has a great section on Cyclone Tracey, which levelled Darwin on xmas day 1974. There's some great newsreel footage from the day after which has to be seen to be believed, and you can also go into a dark room and hear a sound recording of the cyclone when it was at it's peak: not for the easily frightened. Apart form that, life in Darwin all seems to be about avoiding the sun (and the rain) all day, then hitting the pub. Now, if that's not a holiday, what is?

another day, another beach...