David Black, from Palmerston, just south of Darwin, was in Europe visiting relatives when he attended the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester with his 12-year-old daughter, Peta.
The pair were sitting at the back of the stadium when they heard the bomb go off and didn’t think anything of it until they got outside.
Speaking to Darwin radio station Mix104.9, Mr Black said at first he thought it was just one of the large balloons that dropped from the ceiling popping.
But when he saw people start to panic he told his daughter to stay in her seat.
“I just thought there was going to be a crushing scene going on,” he said.
When the pair eventually made their way to the exits, Mr Black said he could smell smoke and that’s when he realised something more serious must have happened.
“At that time I didn't really realise what was happening…we were the very last lot of the crowd to leave,” he said.
He said if they hadn’t taken their time, their exit would have lead them straight to the spot where the bomb detonated.
“We were very lucky - lucky it's the old Darwin way where we weren't in a rush to leave,” Mr Black said.
Peta and her father before the concert in Manchester. Source: Instagram
“We are very lucky because we would have been into that exit where the station was so we would have been in that exact spot where the bomb went off.
“It's only now, when we look back on it…if we had left another 10 minutes earlier…”
