Darwin Travel Forum

Hi guys, I will be working at the Royal Darwin Hospital for 3 months from August to October, and am really keen to find out on some local spots to buy and catch mud crabs, go fishing for and eat barramundi, and listen to some good live music. Also, I'll be living near the hospital; is it silly to think I can communte on a bicycle down the cycle tracks I have seen on the maps - in terms of distance and heat? Looking forward to flying up tomorrow!

Hey there.
Cycling isnt too bad, especially if you life close. If its a long way, just give yourself time to take it easy, and carry a bottle of water with you. It should be fine tho.
To eat barramundi, try the fishermans wharf eatery, it's a little bit out of the way from stokes hill wharf, where most people go, but their stuff is great, really fresh and yum....the wharf precinct (at stokes hill wharf) is also great to eat at. I always get the barra from the fish & chip place that is the first shop on the right hand side of the first entrance (you'll know what I mean when you get there). They put some really yummy herbs & spices on it, and its not usually oily like some places.
As for live music, if youre comint up about now, you're just in time for the darwin festival, and the fringe festival. Check out www.darwinfestival.org.au for a list of events. Depending on what type of music you like, Brown's mart often has some good gigs on (check www.brownsmart.com.au), and most of the bars & pubs have live music a few nights a week. The Pub Bar on mitchell street has some good musos on a thursday night. There's always lots of hippy, indigenous, and cultural music at the markets, especially Mindil Beach on a Thursday night.
I'm not sure about mud crabs, and I pretty much hate fishing, so I cant help you there! Enjoy your time up here, I'm sure you'll love it! Hope this all helps a bit!

Hi mate, how are you going since you've been here? Have you made some friends? Can be difficult depending on how many new people start at the hospital at the same time. Where are you working? If you want to do some 'bush tucker'tuff they do that through the hospital dietetics people - Pat Gaykamangu is her name I think. Biking around the local area is easy, if you have had any problems or havent found anyone to 'hang out' with send me an email.

Erika

Thanks for the reply, moved into nightcliff apartment, like the rest of the hospital staff! loving the lifestyle up here and after watching the sunset from the water in nightcliff beach, can see why people seem to stay for longer than they intended.

Also, if you are going to eat at the wharf, make sure you throw some chips or bread into the water for the "milk fish". I don't know if they're really called "milk fish" but that's what my friend called them, presumably because they're milk-coloured. It's pretty amazing watching them swarm for the food. They're huge and there's hundreds of them.

There's also a place (I can't remember where it is but I can find out for you, not far from the CBD) where you stand in the water and handfeed thousands of fish who swim up all around you. Watch out for the stingrays though, who come in real close and will swim right over the top of your foot.

On the way to Litchfield Park, there's a park you can stop in and handfeed the barramundi. They're massive. When I was there, I saw a goanna and a dingo.

Also, if you go to Litchfield, remember to take some salt with you. Leeches live in the still water ponds which litter the walkways. There are stops that are supposed to contain salt but it's always used up and once you're out in the middle of nowhere, there's no going back. I just avoided the ponds but I was still pretty wary. I think you're supposed to apply the salt to the leech if they latch onto you. Ew!