The Northern Territory Medical Program is based in Darwin and the NT Remote Clinical School operates in several locations across the Northern Territory. The locations can be viewed by downloading NTCS-RCS Flyover and opening in Google Earth.
Darwin
Darwin's multicultural population of 100,000 people is made up of people from over 50 nationalities. The traditional Aboriginal landowners of the Darwin area are the Larrakia people.
Darwin enjoys warm weather all year round, with an average temperature of 32 degrees Celsius. The cooler dry season begins in May when swarms of dragonflies fill the air. The sky is clear blue & the sea is brilliant -and the stingers are gone (in theory anyway). The Build up is the transition between the Dry and the Wet and runs from late September to late November or December. During this period the Top End swelters with very high humidity and temperatures, which are challenging even for those of us who live here permanently. The Wet season runs from December through to March-April. Tremendous thunderstorms crash overhead, lightning jags across the sky, and the heavens open in a deafening torrent of rain. Don’t worry though, most buildings are airconditioned, including the student accommodation and the hospital.
Darwin has a fabulous array of multicultural markets. Most of the world's culinary styles are represented at the Mindil Beach markets which are held on Thursday and Sunday nights during the Dry Season. Other markets that operate year round include Parap on Saturday mornings and Nightcliff and Rapid Creek on Sunday mornings.
The City centre is the place to party - pubs abound in Mitchell St - a favourite for the weekend party crowd. Enjoy one of the outdoor concerts held during the Dry Season or a movie at the outdoor Deckchair Cinema. Darwin is famous far and wide for its spectacular sunsets. Take a friend and a drink to one of the vantage points along the water to enjoy one of life's simple pleasures.
A network of bicycle paths and walking tracks follow the city's coastline through mangroves, monsoon forests and beaches. Other popular sporting activities include dragon boat racing, beach volley ball, sailing, tennis, bushwalking, fishing, cricket and AFL. Kakadu, Litchfield and Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Parks are all within 3 hours drive of Darwin. Trips to these parks offer fantastic opportunities for Aboriginal cultural tours, bird watching, swimming, canoeing, sightseeing and bushwalking.
Although Darwin lacks the big department stores of the mainstream capital cities, you can buy almost anything here. Darwin City and Casuarina (close to the hospital) are the centres of the shopping action.
Links:
www.darwin.nt.gov.au
www.travelnt.com
Katherine
Katherine is located on the Katherine River, 300km to the south of Darwin. With a population of 8000 it is the third largest town in the Northern Territory. Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) National Park is a short 30 minute drive away and offers activities like fishing, canoeing, bushwalking, birdwatching, camping and four-wheel driving. Southern Kakadu, the Roper and Victoria River regions are easily accessible from Katherine. Katherine itself offers a wide range of services to outlying communities. It has a modern air-conditioned shopping centre, hospital, golf course, sportsgrounds and swimming pool. There are a large number of Commonwealth and Territory Government services. 29% of the Katherine Region’s population identify as Indigenous.
Links:
www.katherine.nt.gov.au
www.travelnt.com
www.krol.com.au
