Latest news with #Darwin
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Falling palm tree kills seven-year-old girl in Darwin suburb of Tiwi
A falling palm tree has struck and killed a seven-year-old girl playing in a backyard in the Darwin suburb of Tiwi. In a statement, NT Police said emergency services were called to the yard about 1:55pm on Saturday afternoon. They tried to take the girl to a nearby hospital for treatment, but she could not be saved. "Police and St John Ambulance attended the scene, and the victim was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital; however, she was pronounced deceased prior to arrival," the statement said. The tree also struck an 11-year-old boy, but police said his injuries were "non-life-threatening". NT Police said its investigations were "ongoing", but they did not believe the incident to be suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Young girl, 7, is struck and killed by falling palm tree while playing in her yard at Tiwi
A seven-year-old girl has died after a group of children were hit by a falling palm tree. The girl was playing in the yard of a property in Tiwi, north Darwin, when she was hit by the tree about 1.55pm on Saturday. She died in an ambulance while on the way to Royal Darwin Hospital. An 11-year-old boy was also injured by the fallen tree. He did not suffer life-threatening injuries. NT Police are investigating and believe the incident is not suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Welcome to the Family Madri … whoops, welcome to the Top End
A home that looks like it is straight out of Disney's 'Encanto' has hit the Darwin property market, listed for the first time in nearly 40 years. Architecturally designed by Steven Ehrlich and built by Tommy Valentine, the home sits on a 1740 sqm double block at 216 Casuarina Drive, Nightcliff, with 48.14m of coastal frontage. The property has its own 'ruins' in the garden, a joyfully bright colour scheme throughout the home, timber accents, a pool and easy flow between the big indoor and outdoor spaces. It is also being sold with furniture included. Selling agent Jacob McKenna of Real Estate Central said the home was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity in the Darwin market. 'It's such a rarity for a home like this to become available,' he said. 'This is the first time it has been listed for sale and it has been owned by the one family since its inception 40 years ago.' Mr McKenna said not only was the property unique, it was also on a double block in one of Darwin's most iconic locations along the Nightcliff foreshore. 'The history of the home alone makes it a stand out,' he said. In a recent interview, architect Steven Ehrlich said he was approached by the owners in 1987 to build a tropical home on a huge waterfront block. 'I think the original site actually had a hotel on it and the cyclone blew the hotel away,' he said. 'What I recall was there was just a great big slab on site that was the remnants of the hotel.' Mr Ehrlich said the owners wanted a tropical home but, because of its foreshore location, they wanted it built out of blockwork. 'So that was the challenge in designing a tropical home, but not using traditional tropical building materials,' he said. 'Instead of being lightweight, all the walls are reinforced concrete and, to take advantage of the site and the breezes and being blockwork walls, we decided we would put a big veranda around the house to shade the walls and keep the sun off the walls. 'And then essentially, what we've done is ventilate the roof space, which you can see through the timber louvres in the walls and the ridge vent. 'The eaves are actually open and when the sun heats up the air between the ceiling and the roof space, hot air rises, and so it rises through the central roof vent and draws in cool air.' Mr Ehrlich said in line with passive tropical design, the home was built on an east-west axis with an almost U-shaped design. 'Basically, the brief to me was to arrive at the house, enter through a formal portal and (have) it open up into this lovely big living, dining space,' he said. Today, statement double doors welcome visitors into the formal entryway, which sits in a cathedral-style living space the runs the length of the home and has exposed rafters, roof vent and timber louvres high up on the walls. Running off one end of this space there is a family-size kitchen, laundry, bathroom and dining room. At the other end of the home there are three bedrooms with built-in robes and a master suite with ensuite. Above the bedrooms, a mezzanine level with full-height bookcases opens to a big balcony and views over the pool and the Nightcliff foreshore. The home has expansive verandas, landscaped tropical gardens, mature trees and plenty of lawn space. Mr Ehrlich said the home won the Burnett Award at the NT chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects Awards in 1988 and went on to receive a highly commended in the Robin Boyd Award at the national Australian Institute of Architects Awards. The home also won the Housing Industry Association of the NT House of the Year Award. The property
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The curious animals of Amsterdam's Art Zoo
Jaap Sinke, one of the artists of Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren, with a replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil at the Art Zoo in Amsterdam in June. AMSTERDAM – Ms Eva Krook stood inside a canal mansion in Amsterdam in 2024, nervously awaiting news about a lost Tyrannosaurus rex. She had received a phone call from Italy informing her that there had been a mix-up with four crates, in which the giant fossil replica had been packed for shipping to her new museum. The massive tail, rib cage, pelvic bone and limbs had all arrived. But when she opened up the fourth crate, it was empty, save for a few scattered wood shavings. The T. rex's skull was missing. This was one of the hiccups in setting up the Art Zoo, an ambitious new museum that opened to the public in the centre of Amsterdam in June . Situated in a 17th-century mansion in the city's canal district, the museum brings together natural history and contemporary taxidermy created by two Dutch artists who call themselves Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. Ms Krook, the museum's director, said the T. rex was not her only logistical problem. She also had to figure out how to get a giant gorilla, made of more than 70m of denim, through the building's long and narrow front doors. 'This is a landmark building, so it's not like we can just break a door to fit it in,' she said. 'I joked that I felt like I was visiting the gynaecologist because we're always trying to figure out how to get the baby out – or in this case, in.' The T. rex and denim gorilla are just two of more than 200 extraordinary objects now on show at the Art Zoo. The museum was created by Ferry van Tongeren and Jaap Sinke, a Haarlem, Netherlands-based artistic duo behind Darwin, Sinke & van Tongeren. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore No train service across entire Bukit Panjang LRT line due to power fault Asia Autogate glitch causes chaos at KLIA and Johor checkpoints, foreign passport holders affected Singapore S'pore sees no baby boom in Year of the Dragon despite slight rise in births in 2024 Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died Singapore New auto pet wash service in Buona Vista draws flak, but firm stands by its safety Life Don't call me a motivational speaker: Why Adam Khoo has moved on to options trading Sport Lionesses forward Danelle Tan ready for new challenge in Japan Van Tongeren and Sinke trained as artists, but went into advertising after graduation. In 2005 Van Tongeren sold his agency, planning to retire, but instead teamed up with Sinke to follow a dream. The two became what they call 'fine taxidermy' artists and set up a company that they named after themselves, as well as evolutionary English theorist Charles Darwin, a major source of inspiration. A 4.8m crocodile hangs from the ceiling in the entry hall of the Art Zoo in Amsterdam. PHOTO: ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYTIMES For the Art Zoo, they brought together some of their existing taxidermy works, along with hundreds of new ones they made especially for the museum. They also collected fossils, shells, cages and display cases, and assembled other curious objects to complement the animals. In the entry hall, a 4.8m crocodile hangs from the ceiling, bound in red ropes. In the foyer, tropical birds with bright blue and green wings cling to dozens of antique birdcages. On one wall of the living room hangs a wreath made of entangled lethal snakes: cobras, pythons and a black mamba. A leopard crouches in an antique furnace, and spotted ostrich chicks make a nest in a conch shell. The leg of a mammoth stands like a pillar nearby. Tropical birds clinging to dozens of antique birdcages in the foyer of the Art Zoo. PHOTO: ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYTIMES This eclectic museum came together over about two years. Mr Peter van Duinen, director of the Vrije Academie, an educational institution that leases the building, had used two floors for temporary art exhibitions, but he wanted something more permanent. He worked with Ms Krook, his wife, to find the right people for the job. The mansion is known as the Cromhouthuizen, after its original owner, Jacob Cromhout, a merchant and regent, or member of the city's governing class. It has been preserved for centuries in near-perfect condition, with its original marble floors and Baroque ceiling frescos, and was previously home to the Bible Museum. Sinke and van Tongeren take inspiration for their taxidermy work from 17th-century Dutch and Flemish still-life paintings, which often included exotic animals depicted in dramatic postures. 'It's all about poses,' van Tongeren said in an interview, adding that he likes to reference early anatomical drawings by artists such as Andreas Vesalius and Leonardo da Vinci that presented their flayed subjects as if they were alive, moving and sometimes even dancing. He and Sinke also borrowed from the concept of the cabinet of curiosities: artful collections of exotic objects, fossils, shells and dead animals that were popular among artists and scientists of Enlightenment-era Europe and were the predecessors of modern museums. Animals crawling out of bottles in a former kitchen at the Art Zoo. It took about two years for the museum to come together. PHOTO: ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYTIMES In a former kitchen downstairs, van Tongeren and Sinke have transformed the room into a place called 'Darwin's Workshop'. Surrounding a 19th-century papier-mache reproduction of a gorilla's muscles are various objects such as giant crabs, speckled shells and lizards emerging from glass beakers. It appears to be a scientific laboratory, filled with anatomical drawings and plaster busts of Darwin's head. 'They focus on the idea of the 'Gesamtkunstwerk',' a concept in which everything in the space, including the furniture and the artworks, 'adds up to one tableau vivant', said Ms Krook said. 'Each room has a dialogue between the architecture and the art, so that the whole is greater than its parts.' Flowers on display. PHOTO: ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYTIMES Sinke said that none of the animals in the Art Zoo were killed for the purposes of taxidermy. As a sign in the entryway explains: 'All died of natural causes, under the care of zoos and breeders.' Even the extremely rare species on show – a giant anteater, a Brazilian pygmy owl and a Persian leopard – were all acquired as road kill or corpses, Sinke added. The giraffe skeleton in the atrium is real, as is the mammoth leg in the living room, Mr van Duinen said, but the T. rex replica was made from an original 66-million-year-old fossil found in the Black Hills of South Dakota and that was exhibited for some time in the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands, where it was named Stan. Ms Eva Krook, the director of the Art Zoo, with a cheetah at the museum. PHOTO: ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYTIMES It took Ms Krook three months to locate the missing replica of Stan's skull last winter, but after several phone calls, she located it in a storage facility in the south of Holland. Van Tongeren drove down to retrieve it, and brought the remaining piece of the T. rex to Amsterdam in his van. NYTIMES
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
What's on: Barramundi sushi, Colombia festival, tactile art market and more in Darwin
WHAT'S ON THIS WEEKEND Hopefully you all got up this morning and danced for your coffee – the popular Laneway Coffee party returned at 6.45am this morning. It's also Derby Day at the Darwin Turf Club if you've got a black and white dress in the wardrobe begging to be worn – or for something different, head down to Viva Colombia Fest 2025 at the Darwin Waterfront from 4pm today. Think traditional folklore shows, high-energy Latin beats, Afro-Colombian fusions, and dance workshops. For more free fun, the Arafura Wind Ensemble will be playing at the Town Hall Ruins for 'Tropical Arafura Rhythms' a Darwin Fringe show of Latin-inspired tunes from 6pm. If you're looking for some late-night live music, check out local band Camp Dog at Flora's Temper, a local collective of great bands with 'TANG and Friends' at the Rails, or the Closing Night Party of the Darwin Fringe at Browns Mart, tickets online for $5 or on the door for $10. On Sunday, check out the Tactile Arts Makers Market, from 9am to 3pm on the MAGNT Lawns – this market is always a great showcase of handmade goods by local artists and makers. For me, it's also a great place to take all those Dry season visitors to get real, locally made souvenirs – and enjoy a fun-filled day of crafts and entertainment. If you love music and want to try your own voice out, pop by Brown's Mart on Sunday afternoon at 4pm to check out the Darwin Beach Choir for a one-hour sing-along — no experience or registration needed. SOMEWHERE YOU NEED TO EAT One of my favourite things is finding the hidden gems in the suburbs – and if you know about Big Bites, you know what I mean. It's probably my favourite banh mi in town – crispy roast pork, full-flavoured pâté, and the perfect crisp yet soft bread roll. Big Bites is a hidden culinary delight – you'll find it in the Sabine Road Shops in Millner, and it offers a great variety of authentic Vietnamese food – but my favourite part is probably the smiles that you get every time you walk in. Bahn Mi: Perfect. Customer service rating: exceptional. LOCAL'S TIP Speaking of delicious food, let's talk about sushi. Woolworths Sushi Izu has been known to save the day for me on many occasions where I need something for lunch after 2pm. If you're a regular reader, yes there is a theme here: I need to eat lunch earlier. If, like me, you've never tried Barramundi sushi though, now is your time. Local family-owned Top End business Humpty Doo Barramundi is again making waves nationally – and you can now get NT Barramundi in Australia's largest sushi chain! Huge. Whether you're looking for some grab and go Barramundi Ceviche, Aburi Barra & Salmon Nigiri or a classic crispy Barra Roll - Barramundi are delivered fresh from Humpty Doo Barramundi to Sushi Izu, the Sushi chain in Woolworths Stores around the country - so the freshest of fresh will be right here in Darwin! Shout out to Humpty Doo Barramundi for putting the NT on the map!
