Day 26, 27/7/2009, Darwin

Left Katherine for a short, 300 or so km. drive to Darwin. We're staying in a caravan park in Palmeriston, about 20 km. from the centre of Darwin.

We set up camp and I left Pam to work on her presentation for her job interview scheduled for Thursday.

I trecked into town to find the main post office where our mail had caught up with us. (Many thanks, Cheryl.)

I had visited Darwin in September 1974, but of course, after Cyclone Tracy in December 1974, there's nothing left of the original town. We'll explore the new town tomorrow. After retrieving the mail from the central PO, I decided to buy essentials in Palmerston. Struck the first traffic jam since leaving home. A road train prime mover had hit a Toyota something or other. (It was a bit hard to tell the model, the Toyota being flattened like that.) Nobody was hurt surprisingly. The car owner appeared a bit aggitated and the road train driver appeared disappointed that he hadn't tried harder.

Found the shopping centre and immediately noticed the much lower prices for everything. Bought some beer at the bottle shop and when I produced my license (mandatory everywhere else in the NT) the attendant smiled and said "That's only for down the track... We behave ourselves up here."

I should explain. Elsewhere in the Territory when you buy takeaway beer or wine, they scan your driver's license. This goes into a central database. If later in the day, you try to buy more, it checks first. Each person is limited to around $100 per day. This clever use of technology has not had the slightest impact on alcohol abuse, apparently, but it sounds really good.

It also sounds like and IT consultant's dream-come-true. I'm hoping Latrobe Council doesn't get wind of the scheme however. It could lead to whole new concepts in parking fines. I feel a letter to the Express coming on.