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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67166799
When Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets US President Joe Biden in Washington this week, deterring an assertive China will be on the agenda. At home, Darwin - a city key to the US-led defence alliance in the Pacific - will be watching.
War first came to Australia's shores on a Thursday morning in 1942, when 188 Japanese aircraft appeared over the centre of Darwin.
Bombs rained down on the coast, spraying red dirt and shrouding the turquoise harbour in smoke and fire. The two air raids nearly flattened the town, killing at least 230 people.
That day - 19 February - was a precursor to some 200 raids across northern Australia, but it remains the deadliest attack on the country.
Eighty years on, Darwin is a laid-back holiday spot that bears few visible scars of war. But there are simmering fears that this city may find itself in the crosshairs of a global conflict again.
Home to several key military bases which could prove crucial in any clash with China, Darwin is at the heart of deepening ties between Canberra and Washington, and the focus of massive investment from both governments.
But while American interest is reassuring for those who are wary of Beijing's power, there is alarm for some who worry it makes their home a target.
"You're inviting conflict," says local Billee McGinley, part of the Top End Peace Alliance, a local activist group. On a recent October afternoon, the group took turns sharing their concerns in the shadow of the city's war memorial Cenotaph.
"We feel like a sacrifice," she says.
(LONG ARTICLE)
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Though there's differing opinions on the likelihood of a conflict with China, they're worried the build-up won't deter Beijing, but rather escalate tensions. They fear the US presence in Darwin could pressure Australia into a war it simply shouldn't be involved in, and make their city a target.
"If you position yourself as neutral and peaceful, it would be a war crime to come here," Ms McGinley says.
She's so terrified about Darwin's future she's considering her family's place in it: "It's definitely a consideration, with a young daughter, whether I stay here or not."
There are more immediate concerns too. In recent months, a US marine has been charged with rape and an American Osprey helicopter crashed and exploded near a school. And there's the impact these expanding bases - and any potential attack - could have on the Aboriginal cultural heritage and natural beauty the NT is known for.
Because so few people live in the NT, it is treated as "expendable", says Diana Rickard, who runs the Top End Peace Alliance.
"This has always been considered the wasteland… it still is," she adds.
"The risks and impacts and threats are externalised onto people that live here. But any kind of perceived benefit... is for people elsewhere," Naish Gawen, another local, says.
---
Thoughts from our Australian friends?
Is this hyperbole or a legitimate prospect?
When Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets US President Joe Biden in Washington this week, deterring an assertive China will be on the agenda. At home, Darwin - a city key to the US-led defence alliance in the Pacific - will be watching.
War first came to Australia's shores on a Thursday morning in 1942, when 188 Japanese aircraft appeared over the centre of Darwin.
Bombs rained down on the coast, spraying red dirt and shrouding the turquoise harbour in smoke and fire. The two air raids nearly flattened the town, killing at least 230 people.
That day - 19 February - was a precursor to some 200 raids across northern Australia, but it remains the deadliest attack on the country.
Eighty years on, Darwin is a laid-back holiday spot that bears few visible scars of war. But there are simmering fears that this city may find itself in the crosshairs of a global conflict again.
Home to several key military bases which could prove crucial in any clash with China, Darwin is at the heart of deepening ties between Canberra and Washington, and the focus of massive investment from both governments.
But while American interest is reassuring for those who are wary of Beijing's power, there is alarm for some who worry it makes their home a target.
"You're inviting conflict," says local Billee McGinley, part of the Top End Peace Alliance, a local activist group. On a recent October afternoon, the group took turns sharing their concerns in the shadow of the city's war memorial Cenotaph.
"We feel like a sacrifice," she says.
(LONG ARTICLE)
---
---
Though there's differing opinions on the likelihood of a conflict with China, they're worried the build-up won't deter Beijing, but rather escalate tensions. They fear the US presence in Darwin could pressure Australia into a war it simply shouldn't be involved in, and make their city a target.
"If you position yourself as neutral and peaceful, it would be a war crime to come here," Ms McGinley says.
She's so terrified about Darwin's future she's considering her family's place in it: "It's definitely a consideration, with a young daughter, whether I stay here or not."
There are more immediate concerns too. In recent months, a US marine has been charged with rape and an American Osprey helicopter crashed and exploded near a school. And there's the impact these expanding bases - and any potential attack - could have on the Aboriginal cultural heritage and natural beauty the NT is known for.
Because so few people live in the NT, it is treated as "expendable", says Diana Rickard, who runs the Top End Peace Alliance.
"This has always been considered the wasteland… it still is," she adds.
"The risks and impacts and threats are externalised onto people that live here. But any kind of perceived benefit... is for people elsewhere," Naish Gawen, another local, says.
---
Thoughts from our Australian friends?
Is this hyperbole or a legitimate prospect?
