Samantha Brown's Places to Love

-I'm in a destination that is so stunningly wild, every experience feels completely new, a tucked-away location that combines a frontier hardiness with a quirky and playful style.

Whoo!

It's where one of the world's oldest cultures created a deep love for its unique earth and captivating animals -- animals you'll have no problem getting an introduction to.

And connecting all of this is an international city with an enviable outdoor way of life.

I'm in Darwin and the Top End of Australia.

I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... [ Birds chirping ] -Oceania Cruises is a proud sponsor of public TV and "Samantha Brown's Places to Love."

Sailing to more than 600 destinations around the globe, from Europe to Asia and Alaska to the South Pacific.

Oceania Cruises offers gourmet dining and curated travel experiences aboard boutique, hotel-style ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests.

Oceania Cruises.

Your world, your way.

[ Didgeridoo playing ] - Ohhhh Yeah We walk this land Our home Yeah, yeah Greetings and good morning.

My name is Liam Stansfield and I'm a proud Larrakia man of the Shepherd family.

My people, the Larrakia people, are the traditional custodians of the Darwin region and surrounding areas.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land and waterways around what has now been named Australia and pay respect to our ancestors, our elders who go before us, and those who stand with us today.

-I'm receiving a welcome to country from the Larrakia people, the traditional owners of this land.

The welcome is an invitation and a reminder that when you get to know them, you are understanding Australia not from the point where you arrived, but from a place far, far in the past.

That's a bread.

-Damper.

-Damper.

Do you slice it for people, or do we just kind of grab a piece when we're up there?

-Normally we break it.

-That's it.

No, no, that's how we should do it.

Ah.

Thank you.

Mmm!

-Thank you.

-Oh, perfect crusts.

How far back does your culture go?

-It's more than 70,000.

-More than 70,000.

-We got cave paintings to prove it.

-And when you have this evidence that actually proves to people, "We've been here," it must feel really wonderful.

-It is.

Especially the stories from the old peoples.

You know, learning the culture, storytelling and dancing.

[ Didgeridoo playing ] -So the men were stomping.

And that's the... -Wangga.

-Wangga.

And then the women do the... -Letting the ancestors know that we're here.

We're dancing for them and bringing them out so that they can dance with us.

-We as indigenous people are born of the spirit of this country.

We have sacred relationships with the birds and the animals of the land, which connects us to both the physical world and spiritual world.

It is a birthright that has been handed down through bloodlines from generation to generation.

-Now that I'm officially welcomed to the country, it's time to explore the city of Darwin.

Darwin is closer to Indonesia than it is to Melbourne and Sydney.

It's the capital of the Northern Territory and the gateway to Australia's Top End.

This city is so easygoing, its historical significance can really sneak up on you.

For instance, Darwin is where the telegraph line basically connected Australia to Indonesia, and that meant it connected to the rest of the world.

And with that, Darwin basically announced that Australia was here in this world, and it's never been isolated ever since.

Darwin also has an important World War II history.

On February 19, 1942, close to 200 planes from the Imperial Japanese Navy mounted a surprise attack on the city.

The same aircraft carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor were used here and dropped even more bombs than on Hawaii.

It was Darwin and its nearby airfields that bore the brunt of Japanese attacks on mainland Australia.

-In Darwin, the food scene is extremely vibrant, and the produce is unlike I've ever seen in Australia.

It's absolutely exceptional.

It reminds me of being in Asia without being in Asia.

I'm Minoli De Silva, and I was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Melbourne when I was 6 years old.

Lived there my whole life.

And something brought me to Darwin five years ago, and I've never left.

-Minoli, I have never even seen Sri Lankan food, let alone taste it.

So this is a brand-new experience for me, and I can already tell it's going to be unbelievable.

May I just start digging in?

Do you mind?

-Sure.

-It's so -- And this would be served with rice?

-Sri Lankan food is to be eaten however you would like to eat it, Sam.

-Okay.

You said this was eggplant?

-Yes.

In Darwin I have... edged back a little bit on the heat.

But there is this -- This is basically all chili.

-That is amazing.

Oh, my gosh.

-Do you like it?

-It's like porridge.

It's like baby food, right?

It just melts in your mouth.

This is beautiful.

So this is a goat curry?

-Yes.

-And what is it called?

-Jaggery goat.

So jaggery is the sugar that originates from Sri Lanka.

-Oh, wow.

Oh, wow.

That is beautiful.

-Is that a good "wow"?

Okay, good "wow."

-Oh, yeah.

And then this is the kiwi curry?

So I've gone from goat curry to kiwi curry?

In Sri Lanka, do you find kiwi curry, or is this your own kind of take on this?

-No, this is me and my mum playing around.

You know, everyone knows what a kiwi tastes like.

-Yeah, yeah.

-But when you're playing around with other ingredients, you've got coconut.

It's sweet, it's creamy.

Add a bit of salt.

It brings out the sweetness in the kiwis.

You add the mustard, the mustard seeds.

-Wow!

You've totally transformed this fruit.

It's beautiful.

-Yeah.

-I mean, it's unlike anything I've ever had before.

It's really a discovery.

That could be a dessert curry, if that even exists.

So Sri Lankan food, you're really playing with many flavors to create a balance.

Whether it's sour or sweet or a little bit of spice, it's always that balance.

-Exactly.

I want people to feel like this restaurant, Ella, gives the same sense of home that I grew up feeling for my whole life.

And this food will nourish you and comfort you in the way that I was with my parents.

-Twice a week during the dry season from April to November, there's a must-do in Darwin -- the Mindil Beach Sunset Market.

Darwin is a city that reminds you just how close the country of Australia is to Asia, and this market is where you really see that in full effect.

It's such a multicultural melting pot in the city, and so much great food to be had.

And, yeah, it's -- Ooh.

I'm gonna eat good tonight.

Even though we are close to Asia... we are definitely still in Australia.

Do you make these whips?

-Yeah, that's what I do for a living.

-You're Mick.

-Yeah.

-Nice.

And why would you need a whip?

-Well, whips are used for the humane management of livestock.

So you don't hit the animal.

You're making a sonic boom.

And that scares the animals into going wherever you want to go.

-Sure.

Oh, okay.

-Not only does it make a noise for a job, it also makes a noise for fun.

Yeah, we can even teach you if you want to.

It's not that difficult.

-I would love that.

There are some people I need to whip around.

First, we needed a step away from the crowds a bit so Mick could teach me the basics of using a whip to help create that sonic boom.

-One, two, three.

[ Whip cracks ] -Oh, my gosh.

Wow!

Hands on hip, helicopter, and bring the whip down.

No less than 700 miles per hour.

[ Soft thud ] I think that was about 35 miles per hour.

-Keep your chin up because it's not going to hit you.

-And then just bring it down like a gauntlet.

-Like -- Like you're marching along.

-That's the marching.

Okay.

-Correct.

-One, two... -One, two, three.

[ Whip cracks ] Hey!

That's cracking.

-I need 35 more years, and then I'll get it.

-You know, it's promoting the small but significant part of Australian culture that whips represent.

And people still use them on the stations to muster cattle and also have a bit of fun.

-Yeah.

Speaking of fun, Mick is the world record holder for the most snaps per second -- 127 cracks in 10 seconds.

That's over 12 cracks per second.

[ Whips crack ] Whoo!

[ Laughs ] I've grabbed a quick snack and headed out to the beach, because it's called the Sunset Market for a very good reason.

People gather for one of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.

But just because the sun is down doesn't mean the market is.

After dark, it really kicks into high gear, and I am still hungry.

Then I see one of my favorite soups -- laksa.

I don't get laksa at home, and I'm in the States, and I've only had it in Singapore.

-No.

It's beautiful.

-Yeah, it is a beautiful soup.

Yeah.

And how is the Thai style different from what you'd find, like, in Singapore?

-It's a very more richer type of laksa.

-Richer.

-Yeah.

-Thicker?

-Thicker and richer.

-Okay.

Alright.

-Yeah.

-And so your auntie taught you how to make laksa?

-Yeah.

It's a secret that I'm not going to tell you.

-[ Laughs ] -Nice try.

-I like your style.

I wouldn't trust me, either.

But I would trust me to eat this whole bowl.

Oh, my gosh, it's so good.

I'm just going to stand here in the middle and eat it.

And that's exactly what I did.

Located just a 90-minute drive from Darwin, Finniss River Lodge caters to just 12 guests at a time.

The contrast of having such a luxurious experience within the exceptional landscape that is the Northern Territory is what makes a stay here so unique and memorable.

I'll be planning my time at the pool a little later, though, because... the water I'm headed out on you don't want to swim in.

-I'm Chase Johnson.

I'm the general manager of Finniss River Lodge.

We are in the Top End of Australia, the outback, the bush.

Spring is an amazing time of the year to be here in the Territory.

Of course, it's some of our cooler months in the year up here, but with all the water starting to recede, our birdlife, our animals just makes it a fun place to be.

-A fun place to be, but this isn't child's play.

Whoa.

Gosh.

Making sure we get to see crocodiles up close and remain safe is Chase, as well as crocodile expert from the Land Down Under Rowdy Sutton, who is 6'4" and full of muscle.

-You never, ever leave them unguarded.

You never, ever get complacent with these animals.

-Rowdy, obviously, has had over 10 years of experience working with crocodiles, and you can start reading their body language, but it's never the crocodile you're looking at that you have to worry about, you know?

While we're focusing on this one, there could be another one coming in from behind.

So... -Thanks, Chase.

-Yeah, it's never the one you're looking at you have to worry about.

-Thanks.

-But if you look now, as you can see, she's got beautiful eyelashes.

So more than likely it's a female that we're looking at.

-Wow.

What -- [ Laughs ] They're fierce animals, but they are beautiful in their adaptability to survive.

They really haven't evolved, right?

-They're amazing.

They can feel that heartbeat in the water well over 800 meters.

-What?

-Yeah.

-What do you mean?

So when we were on this boat -- -Well, I'd say closer, because my heart would be beating so fast.

-Can you judge its size from what is exposed in the water, or you have no idea?

-See the back of that crown there?

-Yeah.

-To the front of the nose, with a crocodile, you take that length and you times it by seven.

And that'll give you a roundabout length of the complete crocodile.

-Times it by seven?

-Seven.

Yeah.

-Holy mackerel!

Wow.

The narrow waterways are where you'll find the smaller variety of crocs, but the really big guys are in the open water.

-Just no one lean over anywhere here in this deep water.

-The way the crocodile is designed is not to send a ripple or a movement.

It's not until that head breaks the surface of the water are we going to know exactly where he is.

Like up to 10 centimeters of water is all he needs to be completely concealed.

-So there are two large ones here.

They're around about the same size.

You got Forrest and Otis.

-Mm-hmm.

-Now, Otis has been the dominant male here at Sweets Lagoon for as long as I can remember.

And Forrest has moved in quite recently.

-Oh, my gosh.

By smacking his ear protectors, Rowdy is telling the crocs to come here.

-Oi, go on.

We've had this fella here running amuck.

This year, he's gotten quite violent.

-Alright, he's going under.

-Yeah, that's fine.

Just remember -- -Yeah.

He could be behind us.

-Yeah, and this is exactly what he's doing.

See this here?

-Yeah.

-See the bubbles?

-Bubbles.

-Wait.

He's over there now?

-Yeah.

-Yep, so he's moving over here.

-There he is, big boy.

-Patient under the water.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Oi!

He's a huge animal.

Go on.

-So how big do we think Forrest is, then?

-About 4.6, maybe, at a stretch.

-4.6 feet?

I'm sorry.

-Meters, meters, yeah.

-I'm going to need a bigger bladder.

That's 12 feet.

That's over 12 feet.

-Yep, yep.

And about 600, 700 kilos, this fella.

-That was all I needed to hear to remain seated, hands in lap.

-Over here.

-Wait.

Here he comes.

-There he is.

-There he is.

-Sam, stand up.

-Okay.

-See that head just there?

-Right under him.

Oh, my God!

[ Indistinct talking ] -Let's just say we couldn't use the real audio of this because it's a family program.

-So he knows exactly what's going on.

-Whoa.

-But Otis was done, and so was I.

This is more like it.

Back at the lodge, it felt good to calm my nerves with a large glass of Australian wine, enjoying spectacular views of the wetlands while getting to know some of the guests and the natives.

Dinner is being prepared open fire and even cooked within tree bark.

-Alrighty, guys, dinner tonight, we've got a lovely beef sirloin with smoked cabbage and then some coal-grilled cauliflower with brown butter, mandarins, hazelnut, and currants.

Enjoy.

-Thank you very much.

Wow.

An amazing meal after an action-packed day in a spectacular environment.

What luxury.

Just an hour outside of Darwin is Litchfield National Park, a stunning showcase of the diverse and extreme environments that make the Northern Territory an incredible place to visit.

Oh!

We're driving into a lake.

Wow!

Oh.

My guide is Jack Tanner, the owner of Cyaround Tours, who first helped me get a few things straight.

The outback, are we in it?

-It's a bit of a gray area.

-Okay.

-I don't consider this the outback, no.

-You don't?

Okay.

-No, but a lot of people do.

-Alright, so we may or may not be in the outback.

The bush?

-Yeah.

You're in the bush.

-Alright, we're in the bush.

Alright.

-You're in the bush.

-Wow.

Jack will be taking me to three spots to experience the uniqueness of the Northern Territory.

First up, a residential high-rise community of termites.

Wow!

-This is one of our smaller magnetic termite species.

-I'm approaching it, Jack, as if it's like a beehive or a hornet's nest.

How am I not going to die getting close to this?

-They're definitely not dangerous at all.

-That's basically what you have to do every time you're with me.

"That's not going to kill you.

That's not going to kill you.

Eh, mm, let's walk this way."

-Maybe.

-The magnetic termites are harmless and nocturnal, and how they make their home is pretty amazing.

-They eat bits of dirt.

They mix it with their saliva, and then they essentially spit it back out, and very slowly, they build these nests.

-So how did the magnetic termites get their name?

-It used to be believed that they had a magnetic force which allowed them to determine true north.

Reason being, all of these termite mounds are lined up on the same axis, and it's about three degrees out of true north to south.

So the reason being is they're working like a big solar panel, and they're trying to soak up as much of that daylight sun as possible.

So with the sun rising in the east, they've got their nice big flat faces facing the east.

When it runs over in the afternoon and sets in the west, they can absorb all of that afternoon sun, as well.

-Wow.

How old are these mounds?

The general rule is a meter for every 10 years, which makes this beauty about 30 years old.

So what is it like inside?

Do we know?

-It's just a labyrinth of little tunnels everywhere.

The termites have the ability to move all throughout the nest, as well as underground.

And that's actually how they regulate their temperature.

-From gargantuan termite skyscrapers to tiny tents made of leaves, it's fascinating to see Australia's insect homes, big and small.

-So this is a green ant nest.

These amazing little guys, they produce this little silt.

It's a bit like a spider web.

And they're able to pull the leaves in together, forming a nest, and they live inside.

The main principle is they're staying dry.

Most of our little bugs and insects up here have developed some sort of mechanism against our really good monsoonal rains, and this is what these guys do.

-Oh, my gosh.

The ants have little green sacs that, when eaten, have a strong citrus flavor.

The Indigenous Australians would use them as flavoring in their cooking.

I think this means I'm going to have to taste some ants.

-You can either eat the whole ant.

Make sure you bite it so he doesn't bite you in the neck.

-And here I was scared of crocodiles.

-You can just bite its green sac off its bum there.

Or you can even just lick your finger, touch its green bum, and lick your finger again, and you'll get the flavoring.

-Okay.

-Would you like to?

-Oh, why not, right?

-Go on, then.

You just grab it out my fingers.

-Okay.

Ohh!

Can I squeeze him and then -- kill him with my fingers and then throw him in?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Okay, alright.

-Yep.

Maybe don't crush the green bit first.

-Oh, yeah.

Bottoms up.

-Bottoms up.

-There was no flavor in that one.

-Yeah.

-I'm just going to be honest.

-That happens all the time.

-Okay.

Alright, bring him down.

-Yeah, go again.

-Sorry, guys.

-No, no.

-Okay.

-Got one?

-I think so.

Okay.

-Yeah.

Alright.

-Oh, my gosh, that's incredible.

Your entire mouth goes citrus.

-Yes.

-Our third stop is a hike with a spectacular ending, but the payoff begins immediately.

-So what we're looking at here, Sam, is called a bower.

Now, what a bower is, it's a ground nest of a bird.

So the bird that makes this is actually called a bowerbird.

The male constructs this whole thing in an attempt to attract a female bird, essentially.

-So it's a home.

-Yeah.

-So it's move-in -- move-in ready.

-And the northern bowerbird here in the Top End of the Northern Territory collects white and little green trinkets.

So -- -He's collected this?

-He's put all of this here.

-The green glass he's collected?

-Absolutely, yes.

-And it's like white and silver and green, and that's it.

-Yes, his favorite trinkets, specifically the predominantly silver stuff, he puts right on the inside.

-Oh, my goodness.

-And he's very particular about how it's all placed, as well.

If you were to, say, move this shell just to here, by the time we walk back to the car, he would land here and move the shell right back to where he had it.

-Oh, my gosh.

And for my final stop on today's adventure... Wow!

That's pretty amazing.

-That's pretty spectacular.

-This is what Litchfield National Park is known for and why it's called a gem -- natural swimming holes fed by waterfalls.

When people plan their travel, I always tell them to look for the delight.

Just go to where the locals go every single day and experience just a unique piece of their world.

And for me, Deckchair Cinema really embodies everything that makes Darwin such a unique city.

-I'm James Parker.

I'm the general manager of the Deckchair Cinema, and I'm also the festival manager for the Darwin International Film Festival.

Cinema's always been super important in Darwin.

It's always been a way for people to come together.

We're a member society with 1,500 members, but we're also open to the public.

We screen every night of the dry season from mid-April to mid-November, and we get about 50,000 people through the door each year.

So on the way in, you grab a cushion.

And you take it, you put it on your seat.

That reserves your seat for the night.

-That's it?

-Yeah, and then you can go off and you can get a nice snack or something from the caterers and have your dinner, and you'll go back and your seat will be safe.

Because we're not for profit, we've got a real strong ethos of supporting local.

So we don't sell food.

We get third-party caterers in.

So it's a different caterer each night of the week.

Local chocolates, local popcorn.

We don't have anything that's actually not from Australia or New Zealand, except for when we've got a French movie on, we get some French wine, and so you can enjoy a glass of French wine.

- So pack your bags... Take only time Make boxes for your memories Let your spirit shine -A traveler to Darwin will find a small, manageable city on the coast with thousands of kilometers of undeveloped coastline on either side.

You can be in the complete wilderness in 20 minutes, but in the city, you can enjoy all the comforts of any capital city.

There's this great, relaxed, laid-back lifestyle.

It's just a beautiful place to live and it's a beautiful place to visit.

-So here in Australia, it's such a big place if you're coming to explore, but the Top End is somewhere you just can't miss out.

Come and explore these wild outback places, and you're going to see things here that you can't see anywhere else in the world.

-The story and spirit of the First Nations people throughout Australia will always be written in the landscape.

Our relationship with the land is at the center of our lives.

Our country is our mother.

In a sense, our country is us.

-When a landscape allows you to dive right in, when meet and greets are common with the most captivating animals, when an ancient welcome shows us we have deeper responsibilities as a visitor, that is when we share a love of travel.

And that's why Darwin and the Top End of Australia are places to love.

-For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

"Samantha Brown's Places to Love" was made possible by... [ Birds chirping ] -Oceania Cruises is a proud sponsor of public TV and "Samantha Brown's Places to Love."

Sailing to more than 600 destinations around the globe, from Europe to Asia and Alaska to the South Pacific.

Oceania Cruises offers gourmet dining and curated travel experiences aboard boutique, hotel-style ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests.

Oceania Cruises.

Your world, your way.