If you follow me on Instagram you’re probably already aware that we have recently returned to Melbourne after spending a glorious week throwing off our winter warmers and soaking up the tropical sunshine in Darwin. While we have made our home in the southern states, I’ll always be a Darwin girl at heart and with our new arrival having arrived we knew we had to make a family trip to the Northern Territory to introduce Oscar to everything I loved about the place, and of course the many people I’m lucky (or unlucky) enough to call my relatives. Flying with a baby is no joke, but once we extracted ourselves from the incredibly cramped plane and stepped out into the muggy, humid air in Darwin’s version of the winter (i.e. Dry Season), I knew that the distance travelled would be worth while.
Waking up to sunshine beaming through the window and the hint of a sea breeze across the horizon, I felt like I was shaking off the shivers of the winter season and stepping out into the summer, and I intended to make the most of every moment. From morning markets to spectacular sunrises and so much tropical goodness in between, Darwin welcomed me back in a warm, and very sweaty, hug. It was a week of slurping fruit smoothies, swimming in pools, walking along beaches, savouring bush sunrises, and catching up with family too long separated.
It’s strange to be back somewhere that you thought would be so familiar, only to find it more different than you expected. In so many ways Darwin moves at a glacial pace compared to Melbourne, but even in the year since I had been there things looked and felt different. I can’t help thinking it was actually a difference in myself. The last time I visited Darwin I was 20 weeks pregnant, dreaming of the little person that might be growing in my belly. This time I held that firecracker boy in my arms and showed him the many wonderful things to see in the place I had once called home.
A little part of me always thought I would return to Darwin to raise my children, the slow and simple life that I myself had enjoyed there. I couldn’t have imagined living in a big city, but I also couldn’t have imagined the amazing life I have now, with a fantastic partner and our beautiful little boy. Life doesn’t always go how you think it will, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to plan. So now we are back home to Melbourne, and yes it’s cold outside, but summer is on the way and for the moment I remember well enough the warmth of the tropics on my skin.
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