Darwin

After leaving Cooinda Lodge Caravan Park we drove to Jabiru and then on to Darwin passing through the Mary River National Park. We arrived at Howard Springs quite late in the afternoon and set up our van there. We had now been on this wallaby 6.5 weeks spending 2-3 days in most places to get to the "Top End" known as Darwin. We reflect on the efforts of John MacDowell Stuart's exploration efforts and how long it took him to reach the Top End, six months. No comparison! 

We had not done much research on Darwin and soon discovered a beautiful, vibrant and charming city, despite our limited knowledge and ill informed perceptions. Darwin is obviously on the brink of a boom in mining, agriculture, aquaculture and tourism.  We had not planned on finding this. 

We had planned on, 

1. researching a little of my Dad's time in Darwin before he enlisted for WWII in 1940 in Darwin. He had told us stories of his work in a hotel, his adventures hunting Buffalo and Crocodile in time off from work and of course his football days. But know very little of detail.
2. Going to the Markets and watch the Sunset over Minndil Beach, Fannie Bay
3. Going to the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery.

We met a guy in Tennant Creek who had lived in and knew quite a bit about early Darwin and told me I might find something out about Dad by talking to the chinese family Fong or the greek family of Nick Paspalis now known as Paspaley. 

Thinking about it I recalled Dad talking about a mate he met in Darwin by the name of Nick Paspaley. It turns out they were born in the same year. Dad in Murray Bridge SA and Nicholas in the Greek Island of Castellorizo. My niece Sarah Jane also confirmed Dad knowing the Paspaley family. So I thought I might research some of this at the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery.

Since then the internet has helped me a little. Nicholas with his father and mother fled Greece and settled in WA Australia. Their name then Paspalas. Nick's father had a keen interest in pearls and wanted to establish pearling in Darwin. His Brother and sister together with Nick pursued their father's dream after his death. 

My brother Andrew believed the old hotel was on the Darwin Esplanade and was still there. On the Saturday walking around the old Esplanade area looking for anything that may have represented the old Hotel Dad worked at we discovered the old Australian Navy underground fuel storage tanks. We paid our entry fees and in that very modest piece of history discovered photos of the hotel where Dad possibly worked.

Hotel Darwin on the Esplanade after the WWII bombing of Darwin (Courtesy Darwing Fuel Storage Proect)

The person on the left looks very similar to other photos I have of Dad during that era!

The Underground Fuel storage project was a very interesting first stop. Other than finding a photo of the Esplanade Hotel it brought home how vulnerable Darwin and Australia was during WW2 and probably still is? But I do not see refugees as a major threat to our security. Our nation is built on a very rich multi-cultural society through refugees, convicts and immigrants from all corners of the world. Muslims are not new to Australia, they brought Camels in that helped open up the outback and get the telegraph line through from Darwin to Adelaide connecting us to the UK and Europe.

The next day we tripped off to the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery. Initially I asked about records from the 1930’sand photos of the Esplanade Hotel, Crocodile and Buffalo Hunting etc. I was asked to come back during the week as all staff responsible for records were only in Monday to Friday.

We then visited  the maritime section of the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery  on the shores of the Arafura Sea overlooking Fanny Bay. A beautiful spot with a café  that has the most gorgeous view out to sea and across Darwin Harbour framed with Palm trees and big shade trees. Mind you it was the dry season.

Given Darwin’s proximity to South East Asia and the Timor sea it is no wonder that the focus is on wooden Pearl Diving boats and many South East Asian fishing boats. It is truly a fascinating collection of wooden boats that portray many and varied ways of wooden boat construction. Most in the collection are not restored so that the viewer can see firsthand the techniques of the artisans. Most were hand hewn frames with rough cut carvel planks and fixings were mainly trunnels, Some fixings were of iron nails, Some of the smaller craft were sewn together with cane or grass fabric type stitching.

Map showing origins of some of the boats in the collection.

An old Pearl Lugger

A Vietnamese Refugee Boat.

Some of the outrigger Lanteen rigged craft

The dug out canoe from Indonesia

Other Indonesian boats typical of fishing and working craft.

The view from the balcony cafe' at the Darwin
Museum and Art Gallery

Rigging and sails represented Lanteen styles in smaller craft and gaff rigging and sails in the Pearl Luggers. There was a beautiful Kole Kole dugout canoe in beautiful condition from Indonesia escorted to Darwin also in the collection.

It was very interesting to note that the Indonesian Models the Australian Wooden Boat Festival had bequeathed to them were very similar to some of the full size boats in the Darwin Museum. If you are ever in Darwin make the time to go to their Museum and Art Gallery to view their Maritime collection. It is truly worthwhile. We also visited the collection of the Darwin Tracy Cyclone, very interesting as well as a reminder of that awful Christmas Eve in 1970?

On Sunday evening we drove to the Minndil Beach Markets so we could get some nice fresh fruit and then watch the sunset over Minndil Beach. First disappointment, there were no fresh fruit stalls at the market. Dallas did get some nice fruit salad (pre packed) at one stall whilst I got some Vietnamese food so we could eat the same whilst watching the sunset. The sunset eventually came and was gone in about ten seconds, beautiful but so sudden. The markets were interesting but not what we expected probably a bit too much commercial stuff and not enough hand crafted items.

On the Monday we had to have the Navara ute serviced in the city, yes 30,000 km in less than 12 months, most of them caravanning. Once we dropped that off at 7.30am (Ugghh!) we were dropped off in Darwin where we had a cafe' breakfast.

After breakfast I had a look at the Camera House shop for some extra micro cards for our cameras. We were starting to wear out the ones we had. Whilst there, I spotted a nice Cannon EFS 10 – 18 mm wide angle lens. Something I had been after for some time so hopefully you may notice some improvement in our photography.

Soon after we walked down the mall and noticed the Paspaley Pearl shop, in I went and asked if it was possible to talk to anyone from the Paspaley family. I was directed to the 4^th floor of the Paspaley building in Darwin. This was getting embarrassing! I had started something that I could not stop. 

A Paspaley Pearl Jewellery shop in Darwin

The Paspaley offices in Darwin

Anyhow off we went to the 4^th floor and were warmly greeted by the staff. I explained that during the late 1930’s my father and Nick Paspalis were mates and I just wanted to know if there were any photos that dad may be in to help me piece together Dad’s time in Darwin.

I was given an email address of the PA of one of the Paspaley’s who was currently overseas. Nick Jnr I understood. When I emailed the lady concerned she was very positive about the possibility of finding out more about my father but it would take time and just leave it with her. I have done that and will follow it up down the track. This meant there was little value in following up at the Museum as first planned.

So soon we were at the Big Red Bus Terminus which we could hop on and off around Darwin so we boarded it and set off. After passing through the city seeing many things we had not noticed before we were soon at the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery. We decided to alight and take morning tea in the Café. The view was just superb looking out over Fanny Bay whilst having Coffee and tea with some scrumptious crepes, berries and cream.

Following morning tea we tried to view the Art and hand Craft section but this was closed on a Mondays. Back on the bus and out to East Point Reserve, then on to Parap and then into the city water front precinct. By the time we had a nice seafood lunch we were advised our car was ready to pick up. This was done and we were back to the Howard Springs Caravan Park and packing up to leave tomorrow after early morning haircuts for both of us.

Great spot for a swim in the centre of Darwin

On the Darwin Wharf we noted the sacrifice Australian
citizens, armed forces and the Maritime Industry made in
Darwin during WWII.

A Nice snack on the Wharf also!

More about the sacrifices

This boat does the sunset cruise

New Guinea Protest!

Mindil Beach getting ready for sunset

A beautiful but brief sunset!

It was sad leaving Darwin as we loved the place and vowed to come back a spend more time there some day!