Friday 17 August 2012

FLYING OUT OF DARWIN

Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities. It is the smallest and most northerly of the Australian capital cities, and acts as the "Top End's" regional centre.

Darwin has grown from a pioneer outpost and small port into one of Australia's most modern and multicultural cities. Its proximity to Asia makes it an important Australian gateway to countries such as Indonesia and East Timor. The city itself is built on a low bluff overlooking the harbour. Its suburbs spread out over some area, beginning at Lee Point in the north and stretching to Berrimah in the east—past Berrimah, the Stuart Highway goes on to Darwin's satellite city, Palmerston, and its suburbs.

The region, like the rest of the Top End, has a tropical climate, with a Wet and a Dry Season. The city is noted for its consistently warm to hot climate, all throughout the year. It receives heavy rainfall during the Wet Season, and is well known for its spectacular lightning.

The original inhabitants of the greater Darwin area are the Larrakia people. On 9 September 1839, HMS Beagle sailed into Darwin harbour during its surveying of the area. John Clements Wickham named the region "Port Darwin" in honour of their former shipmate Charles Darwin, who had sailed with them on the ship's previous voyage which had ended

in October 1836. The settlement there became the town of Palmerston in 1869, and was renamed Darwin in 1911. Having been almost entirely rebuilt twice, once due to Japanese air raids during World War II, and again after being devastated by Tropical Cyclone Tracy in 1974, the city is one of Australia's most modern capitals.

I took these photos flying out of Darwin in 2002 on my way to Alice Springs and then on to Melbourne. Flying over the continent of Australia is an amazing experience so one should always try to get a window seat and have a camera handy!

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.







9 comments:

  1. Okay, every one I saw, I thought, this is the best one yet...and then I saw the next one! That last one is positively stunning! But, I loved the "cotton-ball" clouds over the plane too. These are gorgeous!

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  2. Cool shots from the plane. The view looks beautiful. Thanks for sharing, happy skywatching!

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  3. Amazing view :D The last shot is something.

    Wollreflections

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  4. What fabulous photos you took from the plane.

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  5. Linda is right, Nick, each shot just gets better and better! Incredible skies and views! Awesome! Sorry to be so late -- too hot to sit at the desk for very long! Hope you have a lovely weekend! Enjoy!

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  6. I never have much luck taking photos out of plane windows. These are awesome!!

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  7. Beautiful scenes and beautiful colours in these pics. My airplane photos never turn out so well ;-)

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  8. The last picture is very strange, and it is probably the reason why I find it amazing !

    Thanks this lovely sharing of your trip !

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I love to hear from you, so please comment. I appreciate constructive criticism as it improves my skills as an amateur photographer.