How inviting the warm water looked: The sky was a glorious shade of blue, it was hot and humid, but Mindel beach was strangely deserted. Then we saw the large sign and realized that perhaps a refreshing dip in the ocean wasn´t really advisable!

We had stopped off in Darwin for two days on our way from Broome to Cairns, because there are no direct flights. Most travelers see Darwin as a gateway to the stunning Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks, but the tropical city itself is unusual and definitely worth a visit.

We took a walk through the beautiful Botanic Gardens and later spent the afternoon in the Northern Territory Museum and Art Gallery, which has fantastic displays of Aboriginal art. There is also a really interesting exhibition about Cyclone Tracey, which practically destroyed most of Darwin in 1974. If you´re thinking of going and want to avoid any natural disasters, May til October is the dry season!

However, it would seem that there is no safe swimming season. Being informed that the waters are literally infested with box jelly fish is enough to put most people off. Even though it was June, so our chances of getting stung and almost certainly dying were lower than in other months, I wasn´t all the keen on taking the risk. There are also salt water crocodiles lurking in inlets and near the beaches, if the jellyfish aren´t enough to scare you away.

I gingerly dipped my toe in the water, as I wanted to say I had risked my life and narrowly avoided death by jellyfish and then I hastily ran back to the safety of the sand and sat down to enjoy the stunning sunset.