We were eager to see how the van would travel and thought that 40km of dirt road was enough for the first test. The road was quite corrugated in places and it felt like I was having a back massage.When we got to the end of the dirt Todd pulled over because he wanted to check inside the caravan to make sure everything was alright. After inspecting the caravan he came back to the car and said " Yes we do need to clean up". The rest of us got out of the car to have a look. A screw in the fridge door came loose and the door was lying on the floor. Some of the contents of the fridge was scattered across the floor.The glass cover for the cook top came loose and jiggled around 90 deg. from where it should be. We lost part of the sink plug, but the only thing that was broken was one egg. Everything else was just a matter of putting them back together again.
It didn't take Todd long to fix the fridge door and for me to clean up. We were back on the tar and continued our journey. We decided to stay at Howard Springs for a week which is approx 20mins from Darwin CBD.
We arrived at the caravan park and Robbie one of the staff members took us to a site on his quad bike.
He said that Darwin had no water restrictions and he encouraged us to wash our car and caravan.
The weather is beautiful. 30c days and warm nights.
On Saturday we drove into Darwin to visit the tourist information centre and to have a look around the shops.( Todd brought some duct tape so he could tape things down the next time we went over a dirt road.) As we drove along we noticed that the council was watering everywhere.
At the tourist Info Centre Council Staff were pressure cleaning the paths and watering the grass in the parks. Darwin is a nice city but we keep getting lost or we drive around in circles.( I had told Todd the previous day how good we were at getting around places but then we joked that the places that we were good at getting around have been small towns with few roads.)
Sunday we went to Crocosaurus Cove and Mindil Beach Sunset Markets.
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| Careena holding a baby crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove |
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| Family shot with a Blue Tounge Lizzard ( Bred to be White) |
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| Luke with a Bearded Dragon on his head. |
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| Alanna getting ready to feed the Juvenile Crocs |
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| Juvenile crocs waiting for food. |
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| Juvenile crocs |
On Monday we tested out the wave Lagoon in Darwin and it was heaps of fun. We got there when it opened at 10am and stayed to 2pm. There are 7 different wave patterns. Each set runs for 20 mins with a 10 min break in between. Boogie Boards and inflatable rings were supplied for everyone to use.
We parked in a Multi level carpark which had lots of car spaces left.( Not like Sydney where the parking stations are full all the time) It cost $ 17 for the day.( Quite cheap compared to Sydney.Todd said it has cost him $50 for 2 hours) After our swim we went for a walk around Darwin and passed a council worker cleaning out the inside of a parking meter. When we got back to the car at the end of the day there was a street sweeper sweeping the floors of the carpark.
Darwin is a very tidy City.
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| Todd and kids |
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| Todd,Alanna & Luke |
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| Girls and I having fun |
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| Wave Lagoon |
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| Girls and I having fun |
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| Luke loved jumping the waves |
On Tuesday we went on a jumping crocodile cruise up the Adelaide River. As we got on the boat we were told that the best seats were on the bottom deck near the open windows. Most of the people ahead of us went upstairs to the top deck. It was quite good because there was only one other family on the lower deck with us.There was plenty of room and we all hada good view of the crocodiles.
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| Croc Sunbaking on the banks of the Aelaide River. |
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| Croc approching the boat |
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| Croc approching the boat |
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| Getting ready to take the meat. |
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| Look at those teeth! |
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| Jumping for his lunch |
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| Big croc we fed on the way back. |
We were told to keep our arms and head inside the boat because the quickest movement a crocodile can make is turning it's head to the side.
We saw plenty of crocs and they wern't afraid of the boat. It was quite amazing.
Tuesday night at the caravan Park they had a Didgeridoo Presentation with Kelly and Clint (Father and son) Kelly grew up in Katherine in the national park then moved into Katherine to finish his schooling. He became a carpenter and then later in live became interested in Didgeridoo making. Clint was born and raised in Katherine and they moved to Darwin a couple of years back to give Clint and his 2 sisters more educational opportunities.
They collect branches and trees that have been hollowed out by termites from properties in the Douglas Daly Region. ( Authentic Didgeridoos come from the top end of Australia where Termites are found). The branches and trees are then cut into suitable lengths, taken home and soaked in a tub of water. This softens the bark and kills the termites that are still in the logs. (As Kelly was explaining the process Clint was making a Didgeridoo.) A long metal rod is slid up and down inside the didgeridoo to remove the termite nests. Before they proceed any further they test them to see if they make a good sound. (As Kelly put it a didgeridoo or a didgeridon't ) If the sound is good they remove the bark from the outside by gently banging it with the blunt end of an axe. ( While it is still wet.)
The top is shaped and the sides are smoothed with a rasp. Bees wax is then added to the top for the mouthpiece.
Some of the Aboriginals that they grew up with in Katherine paint the designs on the Didgeridoos. They are paid $20 for a small and $50 for a large didgeridoo.
Clint sells his Didgeridoos between $70 and $150. He was selling them to galleries and shops at this price and then they in turn would sell them for $400 or more. ( Since learning this he has ceased this method and now sells them through caravan parks and the museum in Katherine. He didn't think it was ethical that the galleries make so much profit.
The question was asked if women could play the didgeridoo. Clint said that in some Aboriginal tribes women weren't allowed to play it but they don't mind if non-aboriginal men and women play.
We bought a Didgeridoo for $80 and it sounded pretty good.( When Clint played it.)
Wednesday we went to the museum and the wwII oil storage Tunnels. Construction on the tunnels commenced in 1943, however they were not completed before the end of the war. It took 400 men and 2 years to build them.
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| Inside the WWII Oil Storage Tunnel |
Thursday the kids and I stayed at the caravan park while Todd took the car to Mitsubishi for a service. He left at 7.30 in the morning and came back about 1pm. He was not very happy because they hadn’t even looked at the car when he got back to Mitsubishi at 11.30 after spending the morning walking around Darwin. (He had the car booked in at 1pm at Bridgestone to get new tyres put on the back so he couldn’t wait for Mitsubishi any longer.)
Friday we packed up and headed for Kakadu National Park.
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