Darwin, Australia

Darwin is the biggest city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory. The Top End, like other tropical regions, has a dry season and a wet season and sees its population grow in Australia’s winter months from June to August, as it is their Dry when tourists come. The climate changes from very hot, in the winter months, to very very hot, humid, wet and sticky, during the summer months. I only tend to travel up north in the winter months as getting out of Darwin and into the bush proves to be much more difficult in the Wet. My father comes from a little town 9 hours drive from Darwin, so I have been fortunate to visit Darwin on a number of occasions.

This trip has been a three week tennis tour starting in Cairns, then Darwin in the middle week and Alice Springs in the third week. The sleepy feel and hot climate are a couple of the many reminders that I’m back in one of my favourite places in Australia. It is the markets that encapsulate the charm of this little treasure. I plan my eating schedule around the markets; Thursday Mindil Beach, Friday Nightcliff, Saturday morning Parap (my favourite) and Sunday night a smaller market at Mindil Beach again. My biggest problem of the week is deciding what to eat on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Mindil Beach is known for its markets and the beautiful sunsets over the water. A good meal is a great way to unwind on a Thursday night. The locals bring their own picnic rugs and chairs as they sit amongst the stalls. The market food is like a mini Asia. The best produce, always fresh, and great curries. I’m one of those people who tend to find something they like and stick to it till I can’t look at it anymore. My choice was the Thai green curry. Very similar to the curry I had at the Bangkok markets, it's spice and taste are definitely worth going to Darwin for. Another great dish I tried was the green paw paw salad which is made fresh while you wait and is one of the freshest tastiest things you can have, with its chilli, crushed peanuts and dressing. Impossible to miss is the Malaysian stall with its roti, its like a hot croissant in the shape of a flat bread. Its flaky and so fresh, it's on my cooking list to try and learn how to make. 

Parap village is a few minutes drive from Mindil Beach and it’s the place to be on a Saturday morning. Parap’s specialty is laksa, a creamy coconut soup with spices and meat or prawns. But there is so much more. One of my favourites is the Thai sweets stall that serves one of the best desserts ever created : sticky rice and mango. My green curry is served here as well and it's never too early for one of those. There are fresh Vietnamese spring rolls served with BBQ pork, duck or prawns, noodle dishes, all sorts of curries and lots of freshly squeezed juice stalls. Now I tend to go to these places for the food but there are souvenirs and all sorts of things to buy from bags, to art to clothes to Jewellery. Darwin is a great place. I'll certainly be going back for years to come!