5 ways you know it's the dry season

5 ways you know it's the dry season
How many seasons does Darwin have? I always reply with the wet and the dry, so I guess there's two.
Anyone who's local understands why we stick it out through the wet; it's because we know how awesome the dry season really is.
Sure the grass turns brown and there's a faint smell of fire always lingering in the air, but there's something really appealing about Darwin in the dry.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Darwin's erratic weather pattern - listen up.
The wet season usually runs from October till May. This means no swimming, mango season and epic thunder storms. From May till October, Darwin transforms into this pleasant city bursting with vibrancy and culture.
I know when the dry season is approaching. There's hints everywhere. We get teased with cooler mornings and drier nights- you may even see dragonflies hovering around, but suddenly it hits you and we all become nicer people.
But I wanted to know how you, the reader, knew the dry was on its way.....so I put the question out and got a massive response from people.
Some comments I must mention but didn't make into the top five for this post:
Tourism season kicks off. New faces, new adventures.
         Night markets
         We can wear jumpers and jeans. True Darwinites wear jumpers          and complain about being cold at 26 degrees. Tourists roll around          with no shirts on soaking up the 'winter' weather.
         Darwin festival
         Summer sessions
         Bass in the Grass
         It's cool enough to drink red wine at room temperature
         Darwin Cup
         Fire cracker night...I mean Territory Day.


There were so many suggestions that I had to pick the top five, or the blog would go forever.

Here are the 5 ways you know it’s the dry season:

5: It feels drier! Pretty obvious right?
If you're local then yes it's obvious. But that's because we're used to sweating so much that even a degree cooler means the dry is on its way. Ceiling fans replace air conditioners in bedrooms, and blankets can stay on the bed! Also, isn't nice to get out of the car without your sunglasses fogging up?

4: You can swim....well, at the waterfalls finally
I know this is arguable because you can swim at the waterfalls anytime, but it's not recommended because of the crocodiles. However, tourists will still take a chance.

I don't swim at the waterfalls during the wet, I don't want to become a statistic, or end up on the front of the NT news.
But the waterfalls open in April because our wonderful park rangers have fished out the crocodiles.
There's Litchfield National Park, Kakadu, Katherine Gorge and our gorgeous coast line. Plus a bunch of camping spots with swimming options.

3: Outdoor activities are actually fun
Ever tried camping during the wet season? If you answer yes, then you know how shit it is.
But in the dry, camping is one of the top activities in the NT. Every long weekend we get out of Darwin. The camping spots are full to the brim with people enjoying the 'great out doors'.

2: Dragonflies, dragonflies, dragonflies
Although dragonflies are around all year, we only seem to notice them more in the dry. It's like they're our omen to gives us the sign that the weather is getting nicer.

They swarm around in masses and usually come out dawn and dusk.
If you see them, try and catch one with hat. But be gentle and let them go again.

1: Bushfires
Yes I did choose this to be number one. Fires are a part of our dry season. It sucks, but our fire management services need to back burn to avoid bigger natural disasters. Although fire isn't the most pleasant introduction to our nicer weather, it's a part of us.

If you have any more suggestions about the dry season, drop me a line.