eNTering New Territory

We’ve entered new territory. Johnny slowed at the WA / NT border wondering what to do but the border patrol told him to ‘Put your foot down and keep on going’. Easy out! We’d heard the stories of the those trying to get into WA, the forms, the van raids for fruit and veg, the documentation check to ensure you were out of COVID hot spots for the required time, but getting out of WA, no one cared. Instead, a new sight, a 130 speed limit, so Johnny put his foot down, but with caravan in tow, we were happy sitting on 100 and the open road. I’ve got to admit, I felt a teeny, weeny bit anxious about going into the unknown, away from the safety of my own state, but that quickly passed and the anticipation of unexplored territory was exciting.

We spent a night outside Katherine at a farm stay where we took a ride on the back of a ute with grass pellets for cow food and had them chase us for it. It was such a funny sight and a great start to our NT stay, especially after our Bungle Blunder.

Bungle Blunder

Our last stay in WA was at the Bungle Bungles. We were so indecisive about visiting them as the drive to get there was way out of the way, but from all accounts, they were a sight to see and one we should tick off our list. So we drove, and drove and drove, and once we got there, we weren’t even there. From dropping off our caravan at the campsite, driving into the Purnululu National Park was an extra 56kms of not just dusty and horrendous corrugations, we’re used to those, but intensely twisty, turny, winding and heavily undulated track. We got car sick. It was too dark to venture into the gorges and we were unprepared to camp the night or pay over $1k to stay at the lodge so we drove back along that atrocious track, in the dark, in the wake of other cars kicking up even more dust - I just wanted to open the window to breathe, but that wasn’t an option. I thought it was ridiculous up until now how awesome everything on this trip was, we were due a bad day, and exactly two months into our trip, this was absolutely it. We were not going back in. The next morning Johnny and I took turns taking a helicopter flight out over the Bungle Bungles (we gave the kids the option of a half an hour helicopter flight or an hour at the skate park later and our well trained kids happily chose the correctly budgeted option). Whilst we were disappointed not to walk into the gorges and experience them from the ground, it was a great experience to see it from the air. Ticked off the list.

In case you were envious so far

First the Bloody Bungles, then, I was attacked. It was terrible. It still is. Silent predators, I didn’t even realise it was happening. We are staying at our friend’s Winnie’s house in Darwin. Geez, it’s so nice to cook dinner in a huge, gorgeous kitchen and sit on a giant sofa to watch big screen tv again. After dinner we were on their immense balcony overlooking the tropical jungle of their garden playing gin rummy, laughing and truly enjoying the great company until the outbreak of bumps all over my arms and legs and a horrific night of unbearable itching. The overly smiley, super sweet Dr Ebeneezer (that name actually means ‘stone of help’) told me straight up it was midges. Within seconds of meeting me he deducted I wasn’t from around here (and behind that polite face he was probably inwardly rolling his eyes that someone would see a doctor about itchy bumps and not realise they were midges). He said that they are everywhere here, you can’t escape them, but don’t worry, my body would soon become accustomed to them. No way in hell. I’d been in Darwin over 3 weeks and for this to suddenly happen, I’m now getting out of here! We’re off to Kakadu soon so until then I’ll seek itch relief in Winnie’s wonderful oasis pool and sleep with cold packs on. How annoying for this awful incident to happen tainting my Darwin experience after I loved it so much.

Whilst people say Darwin is awful for 6 months of the year being wet and humid, we were here at the precise gorgeous weather moment and I was so impressed with the plentiful and free tourist attractions. We did them all. I don’t think I can say that about my home city Perth and I honestly struggle to think of what to do with visiting tourists other than going to the beach. Perth – take note – you want to know how to ‘activate’ the city, put in the free water parks and pools that Darwin boasts. The Waterfront has a very fun and cheap Wave pool, then there isn’t one, but two, free water parks – we were in splash heaven! So ok, Territorians can’t freely go the beach like we can back home for fear of crocs, but still, free water parks – free I tell you! 

The full tourist experience

We’ve ticked off Trip Advisors top 10 list of things to do in and around Darwin:

1. Barramundi Adventures

2. Jumping Crocodiles Cruise

3. Litchfield National Park

4. Museum and Art Gallery

5. Aviation Museum

6. Royal Australian Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility

7. Berry Springs

8. Bay cruise

9. Aqua Scene fish feeding

10. Aqua Parks and Wave pool at the Waterfront

Barts vs Barra

For Johnny and Massimo their number one goal before we could leave the territory was to catch a barramundi. We specifically stayed at a place called ‘Barramundi Fishing Park’ but sitting out on the lake in the tinny provided no results, neither did chancing river fishing with the risk of croc encounters so they succumbed to paying to go fish at the Barra farm.

Rio caught the first barra for the Barts, thanks to one of the workers hooking the barra and then letting Rio reel it in. Massimo was next but caught and landed his barra by himself. Rio another, again courtesy of the worker, before I (who, along with Rio did not pay for this privilege) landed one on my own. Johnny stood by anxiously waiting to catch his first. Meanwhile Rio landed another and another. Rio’s total 8, me 2 (not really fishing, just being game day photographer), Massimo 4 and Johnny, finally got 2. Halleluiah. Once one hooked on, he let the drag go to toy with it and let it jump around before reeling it in. The wait was worth it. Our time in in the NT isn’t over, so who knows, he may catch one in the wild when we get to Kakadu.

Litchfield National Park

Kakadu is world famous, but the tourists call it Kakadon’t and prefer the ease and closeness (to Darwin) of Litchfield National Park. As if any gorges or waterfalls could compare to the spectacular ones we’d been to in WA, these were same, same, but more tourist-friendly different. For one, the car parks were right beside the most famous sights with natural rock built smooth pathways for easy access. Very different to the rugged hikes we’d endured. The other very welcome difference was the monsoon forest environment, no more dry, hot bush. Instead, lush, shady greenery, hanging vines, plentiful palms, beautiful breezes cooling our pits, butterflies leading the way down waterfall lined paths. You know when you go into animal exhibitions and they play you the jungle sound-effects, well this was it live in surround sound. Water streaming, thousands of bats hanging above your head squealing and so many different birds chirping, cooing and shrieking. From bush to jungle, it was very welcome and so beautiful. The final difference I have to say, was the quantity of people. It is still school holidays, so I am sure that plays it’s part, but all the natural pools were heavily populated with tourists on pool noodles, particularly at Berry Springs. There are so few places you can swim in the NT being so croc heavy, so the crowds rush in.

Jumping crocs!

The Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile Cruise was a family favourite. Darwin has so many crocodile parks and experiences but I knew this one would be the best, sitting in a small dingy, getting right up close and personal, the Adelaide River has thousands of crocs. I was so excited I rushed on to get a seat on the very edge and spotted the first one approaching our boat. The excitement quickly changed to fear as it swam right alongside me, eyeballing me specifically, that I backed away into the middle of the boat and pushing Rio as far out of the way as possible as I filmed it from afar jumping for the food dangled out by the guide. Two thirds of it’s body length out of the water. Incredible. By the second and third croc, I was no longer scared, practically hanging off the boat to get the best shot.

Darwin History

We’re very much the out-doorsy family but as people had raved about all the museums we excursioned to the war memorial, Darwin Museum and Art Gallery, the Aviation Heritage Centre and the Royal Australian Flying Doctor Service Tourist Facility to learn about the 1942 bombing of Darwin feeling the eruptions below our feet of the simulators and the virtual reality reenactments. It scared the kids but they fun came in seeing the B52 bomber and sitting in an F111 Fighter Jet - top speed 2055km/h at 66,000 feet. Home schooling history lesson = done.

Feeling at home

My mum flew in to Darwin to meet us. All along she was scared of COVID and lockdowns but NT never having a case and WA not having one for so long, we convinced her to come join us but the day after her arrival, we found out about a snap 72 hour lockdown an hour before it was in effect. Luckily we’d managed to get 3 hours of sightseeing in feeding the hundreds of fish at Aqua Scene and visiting Darwin’s very cool Waterfront and Esplanade before a mega shop up at Coles  - which unfortunately puts me in the category of panic buying but it was always my intention to do a mega shop to cook up a storm with my mum to refill our freezer with meatballs and snitzels, and yes, just in case you were worried we’d be starving, she bought along another half a dozen more bottles of her tomato sauce for us.

The combination of having my mum with us, her wonderful home cooked meals, staying put in the one place – a very luxurious caravan park where we could freely roam, still go in the pool, plug in and not be cautious of the amount of power and water we were consuming and the great bonus of having our great friends we’d made along the way with us, made me feel at home. The lockdown was an unexpected, but very welcome break we didn’t know we needed and truly appreciated after weeks of go-go-go. To our friends still in lockdown around the country, we are wishing you to stay safe, stay sane and for it to quickly pass – make that hurry up and pass, as we’re heading your way soon!