Have you been ticking things off the checklist yet? 

The Dry season (or Damibila as the Larrakia call the start of the Dry) – is finally here, and after a quiet 2020 thanks to Covid, my calendar is already overflowing with plans!  

The Nightcliff Seabreeze Festival is just around the corner, Garrmalang (the Larrakia name for the Darwin CBD) Festival is on at the end of May, and my favourite markets – the Malak Marketplace Organic Markets are back – meaning I don’t have to cook dinner on a Saturday night for the next six months! 

The grandparents are all busting to get up here to enjoy the weather (and the grandchild!) – and my hot tip for you heading into this crazy market/ festival/ camping season – is to get out the calendar and do some serious logistical planning, or you might not be able to fit it all in. 

Click here to listen to my full yarn with a Larrakia woman Lorraine Williams about seven distinct seasons in the Gulumoerrgin seasonal calendar.

Have fun this Dry and enjoy the best that Territory has to offer! 
 

 Liz Trevaskis, Drive presenter, ABC Radio Darwin

Several hidden swimming spots and dozens of new camping sites will open this dry season in Litchfield National Park, one of the Northern Territory's top tourist destinations.

The Central Valley sites will open to the public during the dry season. It has never before been open to the public.

Home and business insurance premiums will become cheaper for people living in flood and cyclone-prone areas of northern Australia from July next year, the federal government says.

The program will be available for Australians living north of the Tropic of Capricorn (all of the Northern Territory, and parts of Queensland and Western Australia).

The Northern Territory government has announced significant improvements in its debt and deficit levels, largely off the back of a re-energised national economy.

Despite the improvements, the Budget books are still stained in red, with no surpluses forecast for at least the next decade.

Cassie Story has been fortunate to receive a lifesaving liver transplant, but COVID-19 has meant organ donations are few and far between.

The baby from Humpty Doo, a rural area of Darwin, became mysteriously sick when she was a few weeks old and her condition deteriorated rapidly.

If you've ever had to fast, perhaps for a blood test, or a surgical procedure, you know it's not easy. For those who practise the Islamic faith, a month-long fast is part of the deal.
Lina Breik, Accredited Practicing Dietitian is also Muslim, she spoke to the ABC's Jo Laverty and explained what Ramadan is as well some of the rules around fasting.

Indigenous Australian cultures embraced using insects for consumption many years ago. Witchetty grub historically has been a staple in the diet for many Aboriginal Australians.

But is now the time for the rest of us to catch up? Bryan Lessard is an entomologist at the CSIRO, and he started by telling ABC's Jo Laverty which insects he's eaten.

Joanna Minkiewicz was only seven years old when she escaped with her parents and brother from communist Poland. At that time, anyone who left Poland was seen as a defector and the punishment was significant jail time.

Now, Joanna lives with her husband and son in Darwin and has spent 30 years working in the education sector. Joanna Minkiewicz told her story to the ABC's Miranda Tetlow on Late Lunch.

Feeling inspired by the local food markets? Why not try to recreate this delicious Asian specialty in your kitchen? It can be served spicy or mild and topped with sesame seeds and fresh coriander.