Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, and enjoys a relaxed, tropical lifestyle. Darwin is an ideal base for visits to spectacular World Heritage listed areas, surrounding National Parks and attractions including Kakadu National Park. Darwin has grown from an early and remote outpost to a thriving modern capital city. It is Australia’s only tropical capital city and has a population of 72,000 with about 26,000 more in the combined satellite city of Palmerston and the surrounding rural area. Approximately half the Northern Territory population of 198,000 live within a 50km radius of Darwin. The city itself and the population on average are younger than the rest of Australia. Darwin has a relaxed lifestyle, with a tropical feel and smell. A good spot.
Dinner with Scott (Terlich) and Gail (Mitchell) who have made Darwin their home now for a whileKath and Pete joined us too. Pete works for the Crocodile Gold Mining Company and Kath flew up from Ballina to catch up with us here. A long way to come but certainly appreciated by us.Music at Mindil Marketsa stunning Darwin sunsetSome of the crowd at the Mindil Night Markets. Great food from so many cultures which we took down to the beach to eat. I loved this photo of the small boy talking to the young girl. Two cultures getting along.It wasn’t hard to get a good photoWe caught up with Wendy and Pete, friends from Canberra, while in DarwinAnother Darwin croc with me as bait !It was so good catching up with Scott and Gail. Scott (Terlich) used to be my brother-in-law. As he is only 7 years older than my son Michael, he was like another son. He spent a great deal of time with me while he was growing up. He didn’t drink bourbon in those days !!! Scott had a jumper on and decided to use our heater…. he has certainly acclimatized.
Crocodylus Park is a great spot to come face to face with the largest reptiles on the planet! Built upon 30 years of experience in crocodile research and conservation, Crocodylus Park plays host to over a thousand crocodiles from 30 cm long hatchlings to massive adults measuring over 4.8 m and weighing more than half a ton! Their diverse array of other wildlife, including big cats, primates, birds and other reptiles, ensured the crocodiles didn’t steal all the limelight.
A huge SaltyA very cute fresh water crocodileLoved the colours of this cassoway
Very sleepyLeft click to see his tongue hanging out
There is so much to see out here. Daly Waters was another interesting spot. The pub is a welcome destination. The pub offered great service, hospitality, good food and cold,cold beer. Memorabilia adorns the walls from Irish football jerseys to bras. Wherever you look there is something interesting to read or ponder its origin.
The “boss” of the Daly Waters campground, GerryGood music at the pubMaureen and Bob, friends we have met a few times along the way at some of our campsitesThere was lots of dancing that night. The dress was very casual. I loved Jenny with her red gum boots. It was certainly one way of copeing with the dust.
Unfortunately thanks to Telstra I will be sending the last couple of weeks posts all off today. Hope you enjoy them.
The hot springs at Mataranka were wonderful. We enjoyed swimming in them so much we stayed an extra day.Mal in the 34 degree hot springs. The water was so clear and the bottom looked so close but I could not reach it !!!! Very deep.a localNear the creek at MatarankaA statue in the town gardens…Mataranka township is predominately an aboriginal community. We were lulled to sleep each night by a huge group of very intoxicated aboriginals. A bit of a problem unfortunately.The buffalo inside the Adelaide River Pub…famous in Crocodile DundeeMal feeding the peacock at our campsite at Mount Bundy Station Adelaide RiverHe was very handsome and cheekyKids riding at Mount Bundy Station…. the dust is thick out hereFeeding “Norman” the duck at MatarankaYES… this sign was right near our caravan campsite on the banks of the Adelaide River
It has been a while since my last post……Bloody Telstra. It is too long a story to tell.
Have continued to have a wonderful trip. There is so much to see. We enjoyed Territory Day on our last day in Alice before heading further north.
The fireworks were stunningThe aboriginal children are beautifulOn Territory Day fireworks are easy to buyNo sleep that night… the fireworks went right through the night !!!All decoratedWycliffe Well… the town with the most UFO sightings in AustraliaDevils Marbles….and a road train
