2026 SINGAPORE TO SYDNEY

Day 18 Darwin

The weather in Darwin was not promising when we tied up as there was a low grey overcast sky. Fortunately, by around 11am, the rain had stopped so we ventured into town.

I have to note that we spent the three sea days getting here with a number of Australian Customs and Immigration officers on board. There were endless reminders about Australia’s strict bio security rules. Notices to this effect were everywhere around the ship, including notices on every dining table. Recorded messages were played hourly over the ship’s speakers, driving everyone nuts.

Then we got off the ship and walked into Australia through the arrival hall with not a solitary Customs or Immigration person in sight. Nobody! I could have driven a herd of mad cows thru and no-one would have known. Welcome to Aus, the home of mindless bureaucracy.

We walked down the covered walkway from the dock to land.

The shore front development with cafes and shops which was booming last time we were here had obviously hit hard times with a number of closed premises and lots of For Lease signs. The pub and one restaurant seemed to be doing ok but it was crickets everywhere else.

We headed into town. Being Sunday, the place was fairly quiet. We found a coffee shop that was open but I think had been slightly overrun by the unexpected cruise ship customers. They had run out of ham and sparkling water by the time we got there. It was a nice lunch though.

We walked on to Bicentennial Park. There were lots of plaques for Jeanette to read so she was happy . Me, I was reminded of an answer I got from one of our granddaughters whom I had picked up from school. She was in Prep at the time and I asked her what she had done at school that day. The answer “Nothing – we just had to sit still and be bored”.

Anyway at the end of Bicentennial Park, you could get a fabulous view of our ship.

We descended the stairs down the cliff to a small parkland and walked back to our ship.