FESTIVAL DAYS

Ack! It's the Darwin festival again - already! And for the third year in a row I've managed to arrange things so that it's during the month I'm feeling least inclined to do anything with my cash. The first year I was still looking for work, the second I was saving my pennies for a trip to the USA and this year I'm doing the same for an impending NZ departure...and all going well I won't be here for it next year. So, better take my chance to give a nod to Darwin's largest art and culture event.

PFJ UNPACKAGED

Not so earth loving, lovingearth

Well, that's the end of another Plastic Free July and a month of realising that if I want to actually do these things without ending up going periodically hungry then I really need to be a bit more diligent with my shopping routine (the road to plastic is paved with bad meal planning).

BOTANICAL WANDERINGS

I'm not sure how I've overlooked talking about Darwin's beautiful Botanic Gardens yet, but I guess the delay in getting around to it now means I can also throw in a mention about the recently opened cafe that sits within the grounds.

HIP HAPPENINGS

So, I don't know quite how this has happened, but Darwin seems to be getting a little trendy these days. There's raw/paleo cafes popping up, cold drip filtered coffee, wheatgrass shots, drinks in jars, hipster beards - and I even recently read about a local microbrewery starting up.
Ok, so we don't have cat cafes yet, nor have I spotted anyone reading Haruki Murakami under a 70's shade umbrella on the beach. There's also a distinct lack of the types of venues, clothing, eco-friendly, retro-vintage, paper goods, sign writing and book stores that are simply de rigeur if you want to make the trendy town cut...

But still...

DOWN THE TRACK

I don't come down here nearly often enough.

Litchfield National Park is about 100km south of the city, just past the small township of Batchelor. I've been coming here for about as long as I've had a car (and once even came close to a nasty accident during the freewheeling days of my youth when I decided my tiny tinny car and lack of driving experience could totally handle a bit of off-road adventuring). It's a prime spot for a little weekend getaway or daytrip.

30 MINUTES

I'm taking a look at one of my daily activities with a new lens (haha) and have put together a little photo essay on one of my most common dog walk routes  that I often do of an evening. Rapid Creek is a gorgeous little natural oasis in the middle of Darwin's northern suburbs an is an area that's certainly a semi-regular feature in my photographic pursuits. It still amazes me how much variety there is to see in 30 short minutes; suburbs, parklands, a river, horses, cattle, playgrounds...not to mention some of the regular dog walkers I stop and chat with on the way.