Darwin Darwin Darwin

YESssss.we made it to Darwin ....settled in at the big 4 in howard springs ..caught up with our good friends  Chris and Christine who live in palmerston and whom we met on a tasmanian variety bash they are both well so we set up a plan to go to the markets on thursday night with deckchairs and a bottle of wine  in the meantime a bit of shopping and a trip to the doctor for me ..had a thai massage as well to sort the shoulder out...sore for a few days got a bike ride in with Ian ....
first thing was to have a game of golf with the White Ant social club they play every tuesday at 3:30
then we were catching up with  great friends Geoff and Selma Hart  who were up for the footy ( I watched the bombers get flogged by geelong ....and last night by the hawks. the only difference was the numbers are getting bigger ...but if you  ain't got the cattle your not in the race at the moment but that's life !! ...the golf ..wasn't flash but we got around.. Ian , chris , and myself with chris winning the day home town advantage ! girls went to the casino for latte's and met us after .... very tight little course in the middle of darwin ...and barramundi(fish) in the dam ! no crocs! ..had a great night with geoff and selma...they really are the best ..great laughs and great company..........
a lovery night at the market ( Mindal ) forgot the camera but anne got a few snaps closing now as the blog is nearly up to date ....and a snake on the cover of the nt news ..what more could you ask for !!!!

sun going down over mindal

great atmosphere !

change of plans...................

Well  our time at pussy cat flats was coming to an end and our intentions was to go into kakadu ..but after a little discussion we decided to head to litchfield national park as we had been to kakadu but not litchfield and after talking to people nearby who had been there it was an early start to hopefully get a camp spot......into pine creek and topped up ...we had walked in the previous day lot of history there and a shame that the heritage railway is not up and running but apparently the council do not want visitors....can you believe that !!..... but first the dump ............

na we're going right

the old stamping mill

most likely the oldest steam train in australia

restored but not allowed to run !!!!

couple of old boilers ...don't know if their female !!

pine creek  pretty enough !

OFF to litchfield national park ....and Wangi Falls ..to get a spot ...it was good advice to get there early out timing was right and we got our spots after we had set up the vans started to come in  more and more ...camper trailers backpackers you name it .............as this is what they came for

1st the spot

loverly place for a swim

water was a bit murky not like the yarra Eh....

Ian and Anne at the top of the falls very pretty

just pristine up the top of the falls

bower birds nest  was just one of the many animals we saw very shy birds lucky enough to get some photos ..the way they collect shells and bright objects" it was special" as bruce would say !

The Bower bird

We had a few more visitors..........

Ian and I went for a bike ride while at wangi falls  up to the litchfield cafe ...and the safari camp

safari camp pretty basic reception , store , pool ....

well after a few days it was time to head to darwin so on the way out we went past the termite mounds .......very unusual

like a graveyard

could be the head mound

very eery !

Off to Darwin we go .....................................................................

Daly Waters to Darwin ..........

Well we set off for Daly Waters after free camping for the night .....just a beautiful sunset

The girls CHILLIN !!!!!!!!

the next morning we stopped up the highway for morning tea ...wouldn,t like to change these tyres !!

   just a trip up the highway we have previously been there outback pub with a campground good meals and a bit of entertainment ....made it in and set up camp ...kel and I went back up the road to help a couple who had broken down while the girls  organised a beef and barra meal for us all on our return .... met colin and pat from wa and towed them in van and all with Ian's ute....happy to help them  said our goodbyes and headed back to daly waters for tea.........we were entertained by a couple of guys ..the headliner being chilli( ex rodeo rider ,bronkbuster  who was in El questro when we met Buddy Tyson  last time round who unfortunately passed  away in october ....chilli gave it to all and sundry sang some songs sold some cd's and made us all laugh ...good food ...good night !!!

front of the pub at daly waters

outside entertainment area

Bra shop

if it sticks leave it there !!

across the road  chilli's workshop

love shack no 5 i think ?????

might sign off  and do some more to morrow ...off to Bitter springs for a swim and then Edith falls or pussy cat flats near pine creek

Welllllllllllllll onwards great swim at bitter springs crystal clear warm water easy to kick back make sure you have a noodle when you go to these places ...missed out on a mataranka pie all sold out

fuel and shopping in katherine .....quite warm

Off we went into edith falls north of katherine but no spots school holidays nevermind headed for pine creek gateway to kakadu thought we might get a spot at pussycat flats no problems $12.50 per person powered site ..it is a racecourse ..2 days turned into 3 .....

sunrise at pussy cat flats

cobber Pedy and beyond

Another full day of driving although we stoppped and had a cuppa break and fuel at Spuds roadhouse diesel  $1.92 a litre full of police as the roxby downs  Uranium mining protest was due to start the coming weekend  a good place not to be !! .....so it was  onwards as it is 3,602 klms to Alice Springs  next stop Cobber Pedy  we arrived there mid morning it's like a lunar landscape coming in  another world indeed with the majority of housing underground or built into walls, motels underground we had a walk around  checking out some of the opal shops  but it has changed a fair bit it has a very big mix of races all chasing opal  got  fuel for the vehicles  and headed off for our next free camp along the way got some firewood and settled back got the guitars out as well had a great meal roast lamb on the webber .........that's our van in the background..and kel on guitar ...enjoyed it

Alice springs here we come  managed to get into the big 4  thought the site was ordinary but in hindsight it was fine  ( school holidays )we  set up  and set off into Alice ...it hasn't changed all that much ...as we were to find out later that night when we decided to go to the todd street mall for tea...it previously had a reputation during the night for volience and drunks ..when we went for tea we were greeted with a heap of drunks no voilence  but we managed to get into a thai place and had a nice meal ....people up here with disabilities are concerned they cannot get a taxi after 2pm  as the bottle shops open and it it is more profitable to do grog ( beer & wine  runs  it is sad but that's life up here nice and warm but minus 1 at night ....  3 days in alice went out ot the truck hall of fame ..we rode the bikes went past it rode to the airport about 5 klms and kel got a puncture so we fixed it but it kept going down after a klm or so we made it back ..and then drove to the hall of fame  wanted to see tootsies truck  famous driver from the cape...a tough and gutsy lady but it was on tour through queensland ..I read her book and there is a special on u tube you can watch .......... some great history tom kruse the mailman from the birdsville track ..lindsay fox is in their as well ...jesus it must have been tough in the early years !!........the gang at the border.. Kel pumping the tyre up..line into alice ...campsite at alice ...

Monday 16th July .......Leaving Alice springs for Katherine  via Aileron ...Barrow Creek..Wauchope...Tennant Creek   Daly Waters

Aileron  was the first stop small place where local artists display their work ..statues were built to attract  tourists  it seems to work ...quiet trip up fuel at Barrow Creek ...13.2 klms up the road where the english backpacker disappeared and his girlfriend escaped must have been a shocking experience as there is no where to run to although it was dark her only savior....

A note from john flynn  outside the gallery ..............sign at Barrow creek !! and a tanker that has seen better days !!

Devils marbles was the next stop ....dingo there to greet us ...had one just wander through  close to our camp in Alice ...reading the nt news there have been 3 dingo attacks at jabiru in recent times ...we have seen a few on the road

and now some of the marbles you can camp there but  there was quite a few there....

We opted for a free camp further down the track on the otherside of Tennant creek where we had some lunch  at renner springs roadhouse ..the great moscow circus was on the road to Alice from Darwin... a lot of woman driving their rigs !!