OZtralia.tv Blog

Taking Flight over OZ’s Darwin

By: Phoenix Arrien

I love Australia from ground or air. Right now I am in the air and the plane is cruising over the Northern Territory, a patch (oh, the size of some European countries) of wilderness, cattle stations, indigenous country and the odd town.

Below me are the fabulous muted colours that are so Australia. Patchworks of browns and greens, parted by the octopus tentacles of great rivers. Plumes of smoke roll from one spot for it’s the burning season up North. The land is burnt to facilitate fresh growth and food for wildlife, as well as to stop wildfires in the hot summer season. It’s an indigenous practice that is now widely used in the tropical North.

Down to the runaway in Darwin - at least I hope there is a runaway here somewhere, all I can see is sparse scrub…oh there it is.

Darwin has an entirely different atmosphere to anywhere else. The median age is 29 so it buzzes and jumps at night due to a lively pub scene. It is also the gateway to incredibly diverse environments and tourism attractions such as Kakadu, Arnhem land, Litchfield National Park, Katherine Gorge and the Tiwi Islands. Many people use it as a jumping off point to Asia.

Love it!