Matt Down Under

Wednesday we arrived in Darwin — after 8 days, 2.300 km, with visits to Nitmiluk, Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. Even though we only planned from day to day, I think we made the most of the short time, and it was an amazing week.

I saw plenty of great new wildlife such as jabirus, lots of crocodiles, other interesting birds like corellas or bee-eaters and heaps of kites and eagles. I went on a Yellow Water cruise and another one with an Aboriginal guide who took us over the East Alligator river to Arnhem Land.

Everything went well with the campervan and I really liked the vehicle. For mainstream camping it was excellent, for remote camping in the Northern Territory however there’s no way around a 4WD.

So now I’m in Darwin and don’t really know what to do. Every day I hope to get some kind of inspiration or direction. What I saw of Darwin so far didn’t really convince me from a lifestyle point of view — somehow I always imagined Darwin to be the tropical paradise with nice beaches and clear water. Sadly it’s not — beaches around the city aren’t particularly impressive, often with crocs or stingers. And the water isn’t very clear either. Maybe I should take the time to check out some suburbs and surrounding regions?

When walking around parks and shore areas I’m also surprised how much litter and rubbish there is. I heard a few opinions that it’s mostly the Aborigines who dump the rubbish, but even if that was true, it’s no reason not to remove it. I don’t even dare to walk barefoot at city beaches like Mindil Beach, having noticed broken glass there and elsewhere.

At the moment I’m simply trying to wait and see if I can find a good reason to stay in Darwin — a reason other than sunshine and bikini babes at my hostel pool. If I don’t find one, I need to travel on, and then the big question is: East or West?

Western Australia is a very progressive place, it seems there is a lot of work available (mostly mining though) and a lot of people recommended me to go there. Climate is mostly dry and hot. Drawbacks for me are: I would prefer humid climate; Perth is too far South for me and it gets cold there in Winter. I’m also not very happy with stuff like the gas project in the Kimberley region. My impression has always been that environmental protection is not top priority in Western Australia. Top priority is mining and profits, which is disappointing and not very clever. With enough unspoilt beaches and great weather however, I could maybe live with that.

The alternative would be Queensland. I met heaps of people who told me to come to Queensland and I really liked their relaxed and proud attitudes. There I might find the clear water and clean beaches I’m looking for. Climate in the North is humid and hot, just how I like it. However a lot of backpackers told me the East Coast is all about tourists and party, exactly not what I like. For IT jobs I would have to go to Brisbane, which is almost too far South again. I think a place like Townsville or Mackay would be cool, with access to the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. I even know someone in Townsville which could be an advantage.

I think I just always try to hang around bigger cities because of the impression of better job security compared to country towns. However I’m not even sure that I want to look for a job again. If I rely on my own business and extend it, I could work from any place in the world as long as there’s internet connectivity. I could work from a tropical island with coconut palms and white beaches. I just need to find one.