Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2011. The mighty River Murray, Australia's version of the Mississippi, is flowing freely
again after years of salination and habitat degradation. Riverland irrigators, lower-lakes
farmers and environmentalists remain locked in ongoing battles with the Murray-Darling
Basin Authority, state and federal governments over water allocations within SA and up-
stream, but it seems Adelaide's water supply is assured for the moment. So confident in
the revitalised Murray is the SA government that the $1.83 billion Adelaide Desalination
Plant south of the city, commissioned at the height of the drought and within sight of be-
ing fully functional, has been mothballed (for locals, it's a case of 'It's nice to know it's
there…').
Darwin on the Rise
International tourism has taken a downturn in Darwin of late (the GFC is still biting into
Top End tourism), but Darwin itself is revelling in real boom-town mood. The city's
breezy, multicultural vibe has long been a hit with locals (sunset drinks, markets, Asian
food, balmy weather - what's not to like?) but add the new Waterfront Precinct to the
mix (restaurants, bars, hotels and a wave pool!) and you've got a potent place to be. It
seems the locals are having too much fun to worry about tourism, as numerous new high-
rent apartment towers crape the sky behind them. The newly elected conservative Coun-
try Liberal Party territory government will be praying the current $34 billion Icthys ex-
port natural gas project continues long-term, firming up the city's economy and cement-
ing its economic ties with Asia.
Outback Indigenous Issues
Substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide and infant mortality rates in indigenous
communities - particularly in the Northern Territory which has such a high indigenous
population percentage - remain significantly higher than in the non-indigenous Australi-
an community. Furthermore, indigenous Australians can expect to live for around 10
years less than non-indigenous Australians. In the wake of the Howard government's
controversial 'intervention' policies of the mid-2000s, the NT government announced
measures to help stem juvenile crime in Alice Springs, including the creation of a youth
detention centre and 'safe houses' where young people can go. Indeed - and in spite of
booming desert arts commerce - Alice Springs is still a town that survives on the Abori-
ginal services industry. Even with all the social workers and government funding here,
Alice is feeling a little sad, with quite a few empty shopfronts along Todd St.
