You know by now that there is nothing I like better when arriving in a new city than to explore its attractions first by boarding, where available - a Big Bus Hop-on Hop-Off Tour. The Big Bus stop was only 100 metres from my hotel so I was soon underway or I thought I was underway when we turned a corner and arrived at the Darwin Cruise Terminal to find the Cunard Queen Anne - the newest ship of the fleet - on her maiden world voyage forced to bypass Brisbane by Cyclone Alfred.
The driver had warned us that he would have to wait 10 minutes for guests to join from the ship and they did at a rather slow and laconic pace but it was hot even this early in the morning and with 95% humidity moving fast is very unpleasant.
I spent a delightful couple of hours wandering around listening to the tropical birds and enjoying the many displays. Not many blooms to see, it is after all entering the wet season - you will recall that there are only two seasons in Darwin 'Dry Heat and Wet Heat'.
The gardens, however, have a impressive collection of Boab trees native of Australia, Africa and Madagascar and also feature a large, 9-metre (30-foot) steel sculpture of a Saltwater Crocodile, created by local artist Techy Masero, and donated by the Friends of the Darwin Botanic Gardens. The sculpture, is named "George the Big Crocodile" and is part of a long-term project by the Friends of the Gardens to feature such works.
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