Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Onwards and upwards

If you happened to have lived in Darwin about 10 years ago you would probably have been familiar with some fairly common Icons of Darwin. Places that gave it that little bit of special character.
Places like the Darwin Hotel with it's wide open lounge and tropical fans. Uncle Tom's Cabin, that strange collection of railway carriages and shacks that was once an interesting little restaurant and bar. The old Melbourne trams converted into take-away restaurant down near the wharf and a heap of other less noticeable buildings and places all gave Darwin a special atmosphere it had when I arrived here just ten years ago.

Those places are all gone now! Darwin is in the midst of a construction boom and all those places I used to think were kind of special have all been demolished. This town is being transformed into a "Modern", "International" City! I think we need a photo repository of all the special places that still exist before Darwin is totally transformed into something unrecognizable.

Construction on Darwin Harbor
Wharf precinct construction site



Construction on Darwin Harbor
One of many cranes employed to construct a new Darwin


Now construction of our new wharf precinct is under way the waterfront will take on a whole new atmosphere. It's looking like every empty space will be filled in soon and any patch of sky will soon be blocked. Looming apartment blocks spring up one after the other each blocking the sea view of those built before it. In Nightcliff they have built them all the way down to the mangroves! What space will be spared?

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