A walk around Darwin

[tomdinning]

I don't know how much you guys know about the place so I thought it might be a good way to get to know my way around here. It took me a while to figure out how the camera works.


_DSC0215 by tom.dinning, on Flickr

Once I got the hang of it and got out the front door I managed to find a few things that might be of interest to someone. I tried a few different settings on the camera to see how arty farty I could get. I might make a calendar out of them.
This is the local walk I do each day.


_DSC0155 by tom.dinning, on Flickr


_DSC0067 by tom.dinning, on Flickr


_DSC0076 by tom.dinning, on Flickr


P1000155 by tom.dinning, on Flickr

I'll try and get further afield tomorrow. This camera is real cute.

[Donald]

What I'm still trying to figure out is how you've got the writing the right way round. If this was a reflection in a mirror, the writing would be reversed.

I'm sure there's a very simple explanation that a naive little soul like me just isn't seeing.

[Shadowman]

Nice images, looks like you've figured out how the camera works.

[dje]

Hi Tom

The fourth one with the bike in it stands out for me. I can't explain why really but it just looks interesting. The third one with the trees could work too but I think the front tree is in too dominant a position. Maybe a different angle would have been better.

Dave

[pnodrog]

What I'm still trying to figure out is how you've got the writing the right way round. If this was a reflection in a mirror, the writing would be reversed.

I'm sure there's a very simple explanation that a naive little soul like me just isn't seeing.

On the other side of the world mirrors must work differently or it is taken with another camera or he has horizontally flipped the photo. Looking at the photo a second camera would be my guess as the wall/mirror alignment would be a bit unusual otherwise.
I always thought Darwin would be a dusty arid place but I am used to being wrong.

[tomdinning]

Well, done, L. Sounds like NZers aren't as dumb as I thought. I wasn't sure how many people could read NIKON backwards. My 10 year old grandson showed my how to do that. Don't you hate it when. 10 year old knows more than you do?

[tomdinning]

That bike has been there for weeks. If you hurry you might get your own shot.

[tomdinning]

Hi Tom

The fourth one with the bike in it stands out for me. I can't explain why really but it just looks interesting. The third one with the trees could work too but I think the front tree is in too dominant a position. Maybe a different angle would have been better.

Dave

It was the tree I was aiming at. It's such a nice tree. Is there a rule that says a nice tree shouldn't be dominant in a picture? I'll go back this week and take some more shots and see what you think.

[tomdinning]

Continuing on the Cook's Tour of Darwin, I took the camera further afield. I don't get out much so it was a bit of a surprise to find the place has changed a bit in the last 25 years. You see, I only ever go where Chrisitne wants to go and thats usually to the shops.Can you take pictures in shops?'

I live a bit out of Darwin city in a satellite city called Palmerston. Its really middle class slums with big homes and even bigger mortgages. There are some areas which would be considered Working Class but I'm not allowed to go there. Something about overweight, hairy-faced people with rough manners, tattooed bodies, mean dogs, even meaner children who drink a great deal and attend strange rituals such as football matches and mud racing. And that's just the women!


Some of my neighbours don't mow their lawns all that often.



Its too hot most of the year to go outside to the government passed some anti-smoking laws to get people out into the sunlight for their daily dose of vitamin D



We are surrounded by water on 3 sides so there is a bit of activity in the afternoon down by the shore. No-one swims in the water. Its full of strange and mysterious things including box jellyfish, crocs and tourist who don't know better. Our coastline manages to kill off at least a dozen or so tourists each year, Some go in volunterily, some by accident and the rest, well, who knows. Most of them are Irish. What can I say?



Just to make sure everyone has a chance to get eaten or stung the local council has constructed a tourist attraction of sorts along the waterfront called. strangely and imaginatively enough 'The Waterfront'. This allows tourists to be eaten or stung collectively, saving the council transport costs tothe local hospital or morgue. You can even live there and each evening look over the scene from your balcony as the council workers drag sunburnt bodies from the water.

[just me]

Continuing on the Cook's Tour of Darwin, I took the camera further afield. I don't get out much so it was a bit of a surprise to find the place has changed a bit in the last 25 years. You see, I only ever go where Chrisitne wants to go and thats usually to the shops.Can you take pictures in shops?'

I live a bit out of Darwin city in a satellite city called Palmerston. Its really middle class slums with big homes and even bigger mortgages. There are some areas which would be considered Working Class but I'm not allowed to go there. Something about overweight, hairy-faced people with rough manners, tattooed bodies, mean dogs, even meaner children who drink a great deal and attend strange rituals such as football matches and mud racing. And that's just the women!


Some of my neighbours don't mow their lawns all that often.



Its too hot most of the year to go outside to the government passed some anti-smoking laws to get people out into the sunlight for their daily dose of vitamin D



We are surrounded by water on 3 sides so there is a bit of activity in the afternoon down by the shore. No-one swims in the water. Its full of strange and mysterious things including box jellyfish, crocs and tourist who don't know better. Our coastline manages to kill off at least a dozen or so tourists each year, Some go in volunterily, some by accident and the rest, well, who knows. Most of them are Irish. What can I say?



Just to make sure everyone has a chance to get eaten or stung the local council has constructed a tourist attraction of sorts along the waterfront called. strangely and imaginatively enough 'The Waterfront'. This allows tourists to be eaten or stung collectively, saving the council transport costs tothe local hospital or morgue. You can even live there and each evening look over the scene from your balcony as the council workers drag sunburnt bodies from the water.

I like some of your photos, but would like to say:
I live in Adelaide, but have been to Darwin several times, and I also know Palmerston, although mostly because of the shopping centre there, but apart from anything else, I find your remarks about the " working class " areas not very fair, because one find in all areas " overweight, hairy people, also with not the best of manners, and not well behaved children, and not only in Darwin / Palmerston, but all over the world.......

I also think your description about Darwin, and Life up there is quite over the top, and is not the Darwin at all which I have come to love......

Griddi......

[pnodrog]

--- There are some areas which would be considered Working Class but I'm not allowed to go there. Something about overweight, hairy-faced people with rough manners, tattooed bodies, mean dogs, even meaner children who drink a great deal and attend strange rituals such as football matches and mud racing. And that's just the women!

I am enjoying the tour but I must ask what is it that the children drink?

P.S. Overweight hairy-faced has someone sent you my photo.

[just me]

Paul,

the description of Darwin is IMO born out from a very depressed point of view, or perhaps to appear funny, but it is for sure not the real Darwin and their people, and as I said in my earlier post, it is way over the the top........

Griddi........

[dje]

Is there a rule that says a nice tree shouldn't be dominant in a picture?

Of course not, it's just that you can only see part of the trunk and it wasn't obvious to me that it was the main subject of the photo. I was thinking in terms of the foreground tree trunks framing the scene in the back ground.

[pnodrog]

Griddi I have not been to Darwin but I have no doubt that people would be as delightful and welcoming as I have found them in the places in Australia that I have visited. Tasmania and Adelaide are at the top of my list for my next visit.

[just me]

Griddi I have not been to Darwin but I have no doubt that people would be as delightful and welcoming as I have found them in the places in Australia that I have visited. Tasmania and Adelaide are at the top of my list for my next visit.

Hi Paul,

I have not been to Tasmania, but it must be very beautiful, and of course you will find that the Adelaider are very friendly, and welcoming.......

As I wrote in my earlier post I have been up to Darwin several times, and I just love Darwin, it is humid from about September to April / May, but then the weather is pleasant, and after all, this is Australia, and we have here everwhere overall hot weather, 2 weeks ago, we had here in Adelaide 43C, but still the people where outside, as they are also outside in Darwin, which is a beautiful place, one must only have an open mind to see beauty........

Griddi.......

[tomdinning]

Paul,

the description of Darwin is IMO born out from a very depressed point of view, or perhaps to appear funny, but it is for sure not the real Darwin and their people, and as I said in my earlier post, it is way over the the top........

Griddi........

You're absolutely right, Griddy, it is born out of depression. I inadvertently forgot to take my medication this morning. The next series of photos of my beloved home have been taken with a rose coloured filter.

When the weather is right, its always a pleasure to venture down to the large expanses of beach that are never far from anyone here. There is the chance, of course, that you will be set upon by an overenthusiastic dog whose owner believes everyone on the planet is a dog lover (of which I am not, by the way).



Chances are, once on the beach there will be little for you to see, especially if the tide is out. Even the wildlife look a bit bemused, wondering where the hell the water went.



There are days when stepping out of the car is an issue. The rain falls mostly between Dec and May; all 2500mm of it, all on my house, so it seems. With so much water about you wonder why we have the highest alcohol consumption rate in the country, or is that to do with us all being depressives. I wonder.


I got this one in between showers. There's a bit of blur and camera shake as a result of the wind and my inadequate efforts to keep dry.



The next shot I inadvertently took as I was blown backwards gives some indication of the dangers of beach life in Darwin.

[Karm Redland]

Tom, really nice picture.

Karm

[charzes44]

Great pictures Tom. And I love the commentary, keep it all coming!

Charles

[tomdinning]

Great pictures Tom. And I love the commentary, keep it all coming!

Charles

G'day Charles. I was wondering if there was anyone from Cambridge left. Seems like there are a lot of NZers out there. I thought they'd all moved to Bondi. And Canadians as well. They are such a nice bunch, almost apologetic for not being quite as American as those from the US. There doesn't seem to be many Aussies about, except a housewife from Adelaide who took offense at something I said. I'm used to that. I'm always offending someone.
I'll just continue chatting along here until someone shuts me up. Glad you could drop in.

[tomdinning]

Tom, really nice picture.

Karm

Hi Karn. Appreciate that. I got a bit wet that day. I checked out your profile but not much there. I'm gathering you are maybe from Ohio or thereabouts. Have some friends in Chagrin Falls. Not that you would know them. I'd guess by your photos you are about 35, female and well educated, with a young family. Don't tell me what you are really like. I can live with that image.