DARWIN’S MARKETS
The Mindil Beach Markets had just opened for the Dry when we arrived, so of course we went there. This is a food market, with all sorts of things to buy to eat there and then. Add in some drink stalls, and some craft and other stalls and that is Mindil Markets.
The markets are on the strip behind the sand dunes and beach. They start about 4pm and go till late, and the sun sets while you are there. Masses exited to the beach for the sunset, which is hard to see with the crowds, but not impossible.
Parap Village Market
Put Parap Village Market on your must visit list. It is a wonderful market, and open on Saturday mornings. It spreads around some streets and open space in Parap and has some extraordinary stalls. We had a fabulous coffee, ate some of the best dumplings ever–my favourite were the chicken and lemon grass with soya and ginger dressing. It had a really lovely feel to it, not big, but a huge range of places to eat, fruit and veg stalls (the locals were busy buying their weekly produce) and some general stalls.
I had discovered that sandflies loved me, but my skin hated them. We came to a stall selling Blue Cypress essential oil, and she gave me some to put on a selection of new bites to see how they went. But we wouldn’t be there for the next Saturday! What to do if her essential oil did the trick? Yes, go to another market.
Nightcliff Markets
The Nightcliff Markets are another local community market, by the time we got there it was almost over, but what we saw was enough to make us wish we had got there sooner. Luckily the second stall we saw was Blue Cypress essential oil. It has helped me no end so I stocked up. We were fascinated by the stall where everything was made with recycled inner tubes. The wrist bands were both elegant and rubber! When we come back again we will make sure that we head here on Sunday mornings.