Darwin Memorial Visit

[jmps]

Hello,

I live in Chicago and want to visit a memorial that is outside of Darwin. It is a memorial to an bomber lost in WWII. My Dad was a gunner on this plane prior to it being lost. He was based at an Austrialina Air Force field outside of Darwin with a contingent of US bombers very early in the war. I have never been to Australia but my Dad loved the people he met during the war.

I would like to plan a trip with my wife and am looking for routing/trip suggestions. I have frequent flier miles with AA (Ruby) and know Qantas is a partner. I am thinking of heading to Darwin first. I also scuba dive and would like to visit the Great Barrier Reef and then on to Sydney I guess. Any thoughts or tips to share?

Thanks so much.

 

[Deleted member]

Well Darwin is as good as any where to start I suppose. Having said that its damn hot in summer. I lived there for a while, so I have no need to ever go back.

NQ is great , it depends on how much time you have and what things you like doing.
The Barrier Reef attracts a huge number of international visitors and is pretty amazing.
There are great resort islands in the whitsunday islands. All quite close to Shute harbour. And there's an airport close by.
But from cook town to Brisbane while there is a lot to see , there are big chunks of nothing in between ( I have driven it enough times to prefer flying) mind you one of the great drives is the inland route from charters towers down to Brisbane via some of the small towns on the way. Amazing wide vistas and colours that have to be seen rather than described. But if driving isn't your thing. Not such a great idea. It will take you 2 days.
Sydney is my favourite Australian city, it has one of , if not the most beautiful city harbour anywhere. Great restaurants , plenty to see and do, a real " grown up city" Australia is really big. So planning is a good idea,

 

[markis10]

Have a look at travel with QF to BNE from DFW that connects with a flight to DRW, then after your time in DRW grab a QF flight to CNS, then back to SYD for the journey home. QF have a good visit Australia pass that is worthwhile, travel to DRW and DRW to CNS is expensive, usually $200-300 per sector.

 

[Major]

If you have time drive South to the Adelaide River War Cemetery, it's also interesting to see the WW2 airstrips on the side of the Stuart Highway

[h=3]World War 2 Heritage down the Track (Stuart Highway)[/h] Take a tour or self drive trip from Darwin down the Stuart Highway and see the Top End's wartime history.Highlights include:
WW2 Airstrips – Airstrips were constructed next to the Stuart highway to accommodate the influx of allies bombers and fighter planes. While travelling down the Stuart Highway you can't miss the signs that indicate the WW2 Airstrips.
Adelaide River – A small rural community around an hours drive south of Darwin. The Adelaide river war cemetery is the final resting-place for 434 service personnel from Australia, UK, USA and Canada who died in the Top End during WW2. There is also a museum housed in the old railway station.

 

[Major]

Both Darwin and Cairns are in the tropics and subject to the Monsoon

Also known as the Indo-Australian Monsoon. The rainy season occurs from September to February and it is a major source of energy for the Hadley circulation during boreal winter. The Maritime Continent Monsoon and the Australian Monsoon may be considered to be the same system, the Indo-Australian Monsoon.
It is associated with the development of the Siberian High and the movement of the heating maxima from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. North-easterly winds flow down Southeast Asia, are turned north-westerly/westerly by Borneo topography towards Australia. This forms a cyclonic circulation vortex over Borneo, which together with descending cold surges of winter air from higher latitudes, cause significant weather phenomena in the region. Examples are the formation of a rare low-latitude tropical storm in 2001, Tropical Storm Vamei, and the devastating flood of Jakarta in 2007.
The onset of the monsoon over the Maritime Continent tends to follow the heating maxima down Vietnam and the Malay Peninsula (September), to Sumatra, Borneo and the Philippines (October), to Java, Sulawesi (November), Irian Jaya and Northern Australia (December, January). However, the monsoon is not a simple response to heating but a more complex interaction topography, wind and sea, as demonstrated by its abrupt rather than gradual withdrawal from the region. The Australian monsoon or rainy season occurs in the austral summer when the monsoon trough develops over Northern Australia. Over three-quarters of annual rainfall in Northern Australia fall during this time

The best time to visit these areas is between May and and about September/October

 

[markis10]

Best time to visit is just outside the best time to visit, weather is good and much cheaper.

 

[jmps]

Thanks everyone so much for all you thoughts! This is exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Thanks Major for the info on the airstrips. I know my Dad flew from one of these strips and I plan to visit it as well. Thanks markis10 for the DFW flight info.

It looks like we will be planning this for Sept/Oct of next year.

 

[Taezar]

Diving wise you can't beat MikeBall.com out of Cairns. Outstanding boat, crew and diving.

 

[puppysparkes]

Given you dad's service, you may want to visit the Darwin Military Museum and East Point Military Reserve. Also highly recommended are the Mary River house boats in the corroborree billabong. It's a far better way of seeing crocs and other wildlife up close. They operate from mid April to mid November. If you don't want the hassle of a house boat, definetely do the jumping croc tours. Try and do that from midday onwards for the best chance to see crocs in action. They usually sun themselves in the morning and get mobile once they've warmed up. Be sure to book online the tour online to avoid disappointment of turning up only to find out they are fully booked. Accommodation wise I usually stay at Vibe hotel on the waterfront or Argus self contained apartments if you prefer to prep your own meals (yes the have excellent a/c lol). Unless your a strict vegan you should be able to get a decent meal around the waterfront and along mitchell street. As for the best time to visit, avoid the wet season, chortle. The only clothes you need in the NT is a pair of shorts, loose fitting shirts and thongs if you want to look like a local.

Also, depending on how far you intend on driving down the Stuart highway, it's best to carry around 15L of water per person and grab yourself a Telstra prepaid mobile. You never know how far away help is so it's best to be safe than in hospital or worse. We saw some tourists who were waiting over six hours for road side assistance when we came across them, they were sufficiently prepared.

Hope that helps.

 

[jmps]

Thanks for this info. One person took this trip a few years ago and posted the info on my Dad's Bomb Group Association site. This post has some info on the strips but not the plane memorial nor this museum.

Given you dad's service, you may want to visit the Darwin Military Museum and East Point Military Reserve. Also highly recommended are the Mary River house boats in the corroborree billabong. It's a far better way of seeing crocs and other wildlife up close. They operate from mid April to mid November. If you don't want the hassle of a house boat, definetely do the jumping croc tours. Try and do that from midday onwards for the best chance to see crocs in action. They usually sun themselves in the morning and get mobile once they've warmed up. Be sure to book online the tour online to avoid disappointment of turning up only to find out they are fully booked. Accommodation wise I usually stay at Vibe hotel on the waterfront or Argus self contained apartments if you prefer to prep your own meals (yes the have excellent a/c lol). Unless your a strict vegan you should be able to get a decent meal around the waterfront and along mitchell street. As for the best time to visit, avoid the wet season, chortle. The only clothes you need in the NT is a pair of shorts, loose fitting shirts and thongs if you want to look like a local.

Also, depending on how far you intend on driving down the Stuart highway, it's best to carry around 15L of water per person and grab yourself a Telstra prepaid mobile. You never know how far away help is so it's best to be safe than in hospital or worse. We saw some tourists who were waiting over six hours for road side assistance when we came across them, they were sufficiently prepared.

Hope that helps.