Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
drivetime form of yoga, lying quietly in this ancient landscape. However, the reason I'm not good at yoga is I can't stay in a Zen-like trance for long, and before I know it I'm wondering just how many freshwater crocs I might be sharing the watery depths with. I know, I know, they don't bite (so they say), but that doesn't stop me swimming like a madwoman to the bank and pulling myself out of the water as though Jaws is hot on my heels. Clubbing by the seaside Left, and above right: Top End sunset as seen from Darwin Sailing Club; Hanuman's money bags. Back in Darwin, I decide it's time to "get hydrated", as the locals say. I'm not good with directions and I tend to get lost quite easily, so I'm not surprised to find myself alone at Darwin Sailing Club, sitting by the seaside, the beautifully rugged cliffs reaching down to the ocean in front of me. People are walking their dogs and stopping for long chats as the sun shines its last rays on the fishing boats coming in or heading out for a long night on the high seas. Relaxing on a white plastic seat with the evening breeze cooling me down while I wait for my friends – they're all half an hour late – it occurs to me that I might be in the wrong place. I check my phone and, sure enough, I'm supposed to be at Darwin Ski Club. I stand up and ask a woman sitting with her friends at the next table if she knows the local taxi number. She waves her hand for me to sit down while she fishes around in her bag for her mobile. "Sit down, finish your drink. They're not going anywhere. It's only down the road." She dials a number. "What's your name?" she asks. "Michelle," I say. She speaks into her phone: "Can I please have a taxi for Michelle to the Ski Club from the Sailing Club? Yes, just for one. Thank you, yes, ready now-ish." She laughs into her phone, puts it back into her bag and then smiles at me as she picks up her own drink. "Just wait out the front – he'll only be a couple of minutes." Smiling, I thank her. "No worries, Michelle," she says, turning back to her friends. It might seem like a small gesture, but I can't imagine someone from Sydney taking time out from their own social gathering to call a cab for a stranger. As the driver pulls up at the Ski Cub, I can see my friends sitting on white plastic seats by the ocean, the sun about to dip below the horizon. Palm trees and people are silhouetted against the brilliant orange-pink sky and the ocean is lapping the shore, slowly and rhythmically. My friends motion for me to join them and I head towards the last rays of light. It's magical. Round-up STAY Vibe Hotel Darwin 7 Kitchener Drive, Darwin City Waterfront 08 8982 9998, www.vibehotels.com.au EAT & DRINK Darwin Sailing Club Atkins Drive, Fannie Bay 08 8981 1700, www.dwnsail.com.au Darwin Ski Club 20 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay 08 8981 6630, www.darwinskiclub.com.au Hanuman Enjoy innovative, delicious Asian dishes by chef Jimmy Shu. Holiday Inn Esplanade, 93 Mitchell Street, Darwin 08 8941 3500, www.hanuman.com.au Hot Tamale The hot new Mexican joint in town for cocktails and great food. 19 Kitchener Drive, Darwin 08 8981 5471, www.hottamale.net.au EXPLORE Airborne Solutions 'Darwin Cyclone' helicopter tour 13 Muramats Road, East Arm 08 8972 2345, www.airbornesolutions.com.au Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay 08 8999 8264, www.magnt.nt.gov.au Litchfield National Park 08 8976 0282, www.litchfieldnationalpark.com MORE INFO www.darwin.nt.gov.au 27