Big Kids

Hoping he turns into a prince........

Ah, the joys of being a kid again. Driven around town, shouted lunch and dinner and taken to a crocodile park. Dave and I got to enjoy all that and more, when his folks joined us for a week in Darwin.
The week in Darwin felt like a ‘real holiday’. Palm trees lining the beach, endless sunny days and visiting all the tourist hot spots has put us in a real holiday mood. We checked our camper into the caravan ‘resort’, while Don & Brenda checked into Fawlty Towers. In actual fact their cabin was very nice, however a few glitches did provide an entertaining Fawlty Towers episode. The new Manager could not get the stove working either, but never fear, a portable cooker was brought to the room. Perhaps one of the resident frogs had tampered with it. Don was forever removing a frog from the ‘white house’, however a new one always seemed to be on hand to take up residency.

Hiding in the Botanic Gardens


When in a big city we quite often enjoy a saunter in the Botanical Gardens, and the Darwin display did not disappoint. Being one of the rare Botanic Gardens in a tropical region, it gives an insight into tropical vegetation, including a rainforest, wetland and the dreaded mangroves. I’m not a fan of mangroves, as they bring the bitey, itchy, scratchy midges which delight in biting every inch of available skin.

Don, Brenda, Leisa watching the sunset, Mindil Beach


The famous Mindil Beach Markets, whilst not stocking a great range of wares, certainly was a highlight. With over 50 different food stalls on offer, you are sure of finding something to suit your taste buds. With food in hand it is then time to hit the warm sand of Mindil Beach to watch the setting sun. We have all seen plenty of sun sets in our lifetimes, but this is without a doubt one of the best. It is not often in Australia that you get to see the sun setting over the ocean. But, here the sun descends to the horizon over the Timor Sea, creating a golden shimmer across the water. Listening to the ambient music from the markets, we sat and watched the sun set on another tropical day, the red sky slowly fading to black.
The Timor Sea is mesmerising, even without the beauty of a setting sun. What better way to enjoy her serenity than a seafood lunch on her shore. Thank you to Don & Brenda who spoilt us with one such lunch. As we dined palms danced in the breeze, the sun flitted across the water and a goanna came to check us out.

Our lunch guest

Such a relaxed lunch is a far cry from the stress we have both experienced whilst working in Sydney. However, it also lets us really enjoy how stress free we now are.
The weather forecast is the same every day up here- cloudless blue sky and sunny. However, we did experience a cold snap. The temperature plummeted to 28 degrees for a couple of days, but we are back over 30 now. Warm enough for me to go swimming again.

So close..... so big....


Lucky our visit to Crocosaurus Cove was warm enough to swim, otherwise we may have missed out on a swim with the crocs! (You swim in a pool next to the croc enclosure). It was a great day out with the awesome Northern Territory saltwater crocodiles. Some of the largest in captivity were on display, but the cutest were the 200 baby crocodiles in the nursery. If only they stayed that cute.

Baby crocs, Crocosaurus Cove


Sweetheart would certainly not be described as cute. Accidently killed while being removed in 1979, this cantankerous croc is HUGE. He is now stuffed and on display at the Museum. It is really mind boggling how big these creatures can get. We just hope to not encounter one in the wild too close!

Dave croc wrestling, Darwin Museum

The Museum is well worth a visit with an aboriginal art collection, animal displays over time and a feature exhibit to Cyclone Tracy. The exhibition lets you experience the devastation with photos, displays and an actual sound recording from the night. The wind made even more menacing by the sound of corrugated iron, ripped from its foundations, scraping against all in its path.


Don, WWII Oil Storage Tunnel

Our history lesson continued with a tour through the WWII Oil Storage Tunnels. These relics are a network of steel lined concrete tunnels built to store oil after the Japanese bombed Darwin’s above ground stores. However, completed after the war, they were never used. Today they are a subterranean gallery exhibiting wartime photos.