For our first full day in Darwin, we split up to explore our various interests. David headed off to hire a bike, but with the temperature already heading for the hotter side of 30º, and humidity so high I felt I was walking through a bowl of soup, I was definitely not in any shape to handle such strenuous excesses. While John chose the powered option and hired a 50cc buggy, I decided to check out the Aviation museum.

Darwin has quite a history when it comes to aviation. It was bombed and virtually destroyed by the Japanese during the second world war, and is still home to a very sizable RAAF base. During my time here, the Australian armed forces were conducting a major exercise called PITCH BLACK, which suffered something of a public relations disaster when an RAAF fighter accidentally dropped a missile used for training over Darwin, and it completely destroyed a Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4 belonging to a local resident. Oops.

After taking about an hour to figure out the bus system (the bus stops in Darwin are very ‘economical’, only about a metre high) I found the depot, from where it was a relatively simple matter to find the No. 8 bus, which goes to the museum via the Stuart highway which circles the airport before going all the way to Alice Springs.

The museum was rather good, having in addition to a collection of vintage aircraft, a number of excellent displays, and towering over everything else in the museum, a B52 bomber – one of only two on display outside the United States. My attention was particularly caught by the story of an American pilot by the name of Amelia Earhart, who vanished from the face of the Earth whilst attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe by air. There have been many theories about the fate of the plane, pilot, and her navigator, including that they had run off together to live in seclusion out of the public eye, that they were involved in a top secret spying operation for the US government, and even that they were ‘abducted by aliens’.

Another exhibit commemorated the first, and by far the most devastating attack on Darwin by the Japanese. The Australians were caught by surprise and the city was virtually defenceless.

Back at the hostel, I took a dip in the pool, then we went to dinner at ‘Sizzlers’ in Mitchell St.