Monday, October 01, 2012

Darwin you stole my heart


On the road to Litchfield in the Suby; swimming at the top of the falls at Greenant Creek; a classic NT moment, road trains and 130 speed signs; a territory full of unique native flora

Today is my birthday, but I'm not 100% into it. Yesterday Dave and I returned to Melbourne from a brief five day trip to Darwin and I'm pretty sure I left a big chunk of my heart there.

There's something truly magical about a place that is so connected with nature; nature that is everywhere, rambling and pervasive. Darwin is a place where the boundary between indoors and outdoors is blurred, where walls are filled floor to ceiling with louvred windows and geckos on the ceiling are the norm, where footwear is optional and fashion is a carefree mishmash of colour and pattern.

And the pace. The slowness. Darwin was a welcome break from the relentless pressure to be always doing / creating / pursuing more, more, more. I loved that. I needed a break from that so much.


An evening at Deckchair Cinema, so awesome; my most wonderful travelling companion looking like a hipster; our Darwin abode courtesy of the lovely Ange who hosted us; a little bit of NT (woven on Elcho island) brought home with me

I love Melbourne, you know I do. But Darwin you stole my heart... and I'll be back one day to get it.

xx

7 comments:

Naturally Carol said...

At least you were able to forget about higher rents and slow months and all of the pressures of business up there. I think I could live that kind of Darwin lifestyle for a while too!

Frankie and Ray said...

Happy birthday, Lara! We had a wonderful week in Darwin a few years ago - it's a city like no other in Australia.

Polly Rowan said...

Oh wow I didn't know anything about Darwin but now I want to go! It looks beautiful. And I'm glad you had a good birthday! x

sooz said...

Yes, it's a whole other world. I love the proximity of nature, but also the racial and ethnic mix, the outdoor life and slight wild west vibe. And of course the weather! Still so disappointed our stint in 2009 wasn't in Darwin as we'd planned. Have you been to Alice? I think you'd really love that too.

Unknown said...

Ooh, haven't been over here for a while... like the new look blog :) Happy (belated) Birthday! and yes, for all the reasons you say, Darwin is pretty spectacular! Like Sooz says, Alice is worth a look but it was the Red Centre that stole my heart!

Jesse said...

Happy birthday! Glad you found some time to slow down.

katie said...

I am a lover of textiles too and I think your blog is lovely :)

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