Im here. Darwin. My home town. Where was born and raise until I left when I was 23. Its not changed. My parents still live in the same house, they have the same neighbours. Its the same still. The humidity is still as suffocating. It still has the same smell. Its a mix of heat, humidity and the sea. I like it.
There’s not to much I can say about Darwin these days. I affectionately call it the twilight zone you come here and it really is like you cut off from the rest of the world. FIFO husband and I say we always get a real holiday when we come here.I like it but I don’t. I get frustrated my Darwin’s inability to change and whilst I appreciate that’s what most people that stay and live here like about it, its stuck. Its stuck between trying to become a thriving metroplis and hanging on to what its had and all the issues that goes along with that. From an outsiders view, its having trouble growing up.
Darwin is essentially a government run town filled mainly by defence personnel, government employees to help run those defence personal, and then there is those that have come here because its the last frontier. Really when you come here there isn’t to much further to go. Someone said to me that Darwin is a place you come to when your running from something and I have to agree that’s somewhat true. Its how it was when I was growing up and its still that way only bigger, more people and more suburbs. Darwin’s transit nature is what keeps it from really thriving I think. Its still has that Rouge feel to it which I hope it never loses but on arrival somethings just never change. Somethings that with time and growth should.
Darwin when I was growing up was amazing. It was little 6o thousand people if that. Everyone knew everyone somehow. My family and I would fish, crab, camp every weekend. Seriously every weekend. I woudl get home from school at three and we would be setting up camp by seven. Then every school holidays we would camp at Kakadu and we would help muster the buffalo and it was amazing fun.
Going to school was like a united nations affair and I loved that. I wish that was the case for home. Integration was normal. There was no Greek, Italian, Asian, white, or black it was just John, George, Lee or Ashley. It was second nature and if there is anything I miss its that. Going to George’s for Nasi Goreng , Ashleys for baklava was normal. It was great. Like a typical kid I never appreciated it. Darwin was safe back then but then most towns where in the 70’s and 80’s. Now they have security cars following certain buses. It breaks my heart and I long for the old Darwin that I remember that I would love my kids to experience.
I shouldn’t be to harsh this is Darwin after all. Darwin’s laid back nature is why most people stay for those that decided that the heat and build up wont get the better of them knowing that the reprieve of the dry is just around the corner. I long for the old Darwin so perhaps its my inability to move on and realise that with certain population growth comes certain problems and all city’s (because that’s what Darwin is now- a city- not the town I loved as child) has them.
What I am sure of is that I will be sure to jam the boys time here with everything I had as a kid, well Im going to at least try. I cant wait.
Have a lovely week my friends,
xxD
