Darwin

[Shelley]

Going up to Darwin soon with hubby for a weeks break. We have a hire car and one place I want to visit is Fogg Dam - I have no idea why??, lol.

Its not really a birding trip as I am trying to spend time with hubby and just generally sightsee I suppose. He laughs as I said I am looking forward to our trip together, just the two of us, he corrects me and say "three of us, you mean, me, you and camera"... I want to do a couple of sunsets/sunrise.

So, any recommendations on places that could be worthwhile as we have never been to Darwin before? I have been told I will see Crimson Finches. Where would I see them? I will do at least one day of birding.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[Planted]

definitely hit Litchfield national park if you can, lots of waterfalls, water holes and scenery to photograph.
well worth the drive out of town.
depending on how far you want to travel Yellow waters has some great scenery and wild life too, but it's about a 3hrs "300km" drive out of Darwin. you will see lots of birds, wild horses, crocs etc etc too.

my pic closer to town that has plenty of differing scenery though would be Litchfield np

Mindle beach markets "thurs night" great sunsets but all the way along the coastal road you will also get some great shots "Fannie bay" Lee point etc etc...

Berry Springs "not far out from Darwin"

Howard Springs "also not far out of Darwin" i used to love hand feeding the "HUGE" barramundi there if you take a packet of pilchards with you they will take them from your hand at the wier if you dangle them in the water "even just above the waters surface"

the above are just a few places of interest though as there is much to be seen and photograph if your keen and depending on how far you wish to travel

there is also Katherine gorge which is stunning, but might be a bit far ? "approx 4.5 - 5 hrs drive from Darwin"

i wasn't into photography when living in Darwin, but now wish i was as i traveled over most of it and saw some awesome things in my time there...

nearly forgot the territory wildlife park free-flying birds of prey demonstration too, would be great to photograph

[Shelley]

Thank you so much, I will look into this. Some great things to do by the looks of it. We don't mind travelling.

[Mark L]

Non-photographic. I was there over 15 years ago and the Art Gallery had an interesting permanent exhibition on Cyclone Tracey.
Some one had gone out and recorded the sounds that happened that night. Part of the exhibition is a dark room where some of the sounds are played back. Chilling and memorable.
Yellow Waters also lives on in my memory.

[Shelley]

Non-photographic. I was there over 15 years ago and the Art Gallery had an interesting permanent exhibition on Cyclone Tracey.
Some one had gone out and recorded the sounds that happened that night. Part of the exhibition is a dark room where some of the sounds are played back. Chilling and memorable.
Yellow Waters also lives on in my memory.

Thanks Mark, always interested in history. Yes, going to these sort of things, brings home the reality of it all.

[mrDooba]

".....me, you and the camera...."

Love it

[tanz]

Hi Shelley,
Darwin is a fantastic place and you will have a great time. My suggestion is to get a campervan instead of a hire car and head out of Darwin which will save you driving back and forth, and it means you will already be in the beautiful places to get the great light for your photo's (even though it isn't a photography trip ). I agree with all the places Planted has recommended and if you want to go a bit further south you can head down to Katherine, there is a place called Edith Falls north of Katherine with a huge swimming hole and waterfall next to the camp grounds and there are walking trails to go and explore as well. And then if you go into Katherine, you can see Katherine Gorge. For example our last trip up there we got a camper and stayed at a caravan park just outside Litchfield NP, it is possible to see all the falls there in one day, it just depends on how long you want to spend in each spot, we then headed down to Edith Falls for a couple of nights, then back up and stayed at a caravan park at Berry Springs. There is so much to see and do and you will have a great time........hmmmmm starting to get jealous, I might have to go speak to hubby about when we can go back

[Shelley]

Thanks Tania - rest assured we will be going back, as I am outback girl for sure. We are really checking it out this trip and planning another. Kinda hoping in 12 months or so to go away for a few weeks travelling up north.

If we get time we will go to Katherine Falls, as I have heard about that place.

Thanks for taking time to reply and give your thoughts - if we had more time I would seriously think about what you said, but we have only a week.

[Mark L]

Good one Tania. I was going to suggest Edith Falls, but thought it may be a little out of the way, and it looks best early or late in the day. I loved this place.

[bricat]

Mindil beach market as suggested is fabulous for sunsets but also the colour of the stalls and the crowd. Everyone seems to be on holiday in the NT which stands for Not Today, Not Tomorrow, Not Tuesday, Not Thursday. PS. Make your way down to the pier as well for a great feed and photo opportunity. I saw first hand the result of Cyclone Tracy when serving with 6th Battalion RAR and the Tracy exhibition is a good one. cheers Brian

[Shelley]

Thanks Brian, I will do that - the markets sound good and so does the pier.

Really looking forward to it, as my hubby works very hard and the break will do him good.