Day 42: Tue 1 Jun - Darwin

21-33 degC, 98-58% humidity

End of our 6th week on the road; it doesn't seem that long ago that we left home

Greg was up well before light this morning to ride into the Convention Centre to help farewell a crazy cyclist, Rupert Guinness, cycling from Darwin to Hobart over the next 12-14 days; that's a crazy 350-400 km/day!!! Not even Greg would try that! Greg got to meet 'The Voice of Cycling in Australia' - Mike Tomalaris from SBS who is following Rupert with a film crew for SBS. If you watch the start, you might see Greg in the background. Greg really enjoyed the morning.

After our COVID-19 jabs yesterday, we were both feeling a tad picqued, but not sure if that is totally from the vaccine or a combination of the vaccine and the increase in humidity. Probably the latter, although Greg did have a bit of a temperature this afternoon.

Whilst Wendy did a couple of hours work, Greg took a walk up to Hardly Normal to buy a new electric razor as the one he bought in Batemans Bay 2017 decided it did not want to play anymore. After a light lunch (it is far too warm to eat anyting other than light), we both had an LLD which was interrupted by those pesky RAAF fast jets.

An afternoon of doing not much for Greg, but Wendy completed the washing cycle, and cleaned the van. She wanted to get rid of all the accumulated calcium and lime on all the metal bits of the van from the large varieties of water used over the past six weeks, and she actually succeeded.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a more energetic day.

Greg and Mike Tomalaris

Rupert Guinness

Early morning Darwin

An old petrol bowser at the van park

Where we are staying

One of those really fast, noisy RAAF fast jets, F-35A Lightning II, valued at approx $236M each, Australia will eventually have 72, we currently have about 22

Turn up the volume, you can hear them long after they have disappeared from view

Day 41: Mon 31 May - Mary River Wilderness Retreat to Darwin, 105 km; total towed: 4 805 km

21-33 degC, a little more humid in Darwin

One of our latest departures on this trip - 9am, only because we knew we had so little distance to travel. We stopped at Humpty Doo for mornos; bought a sticky bun and a quiche from the bakery but couldn't see a coffee shop so brewed up in the van. 

We were set up on site #469 at Hidden Valley Holiday Park about 11:30 am. We would have been set up a few minutes earlier had Wendy read the park map correctly; Greg did an awsome job of reversing into a really tight spot between a fire hydrant a a couple of trees, only to be told that our site was around the corner.  Not happy, Jan!

We then drove into to Palmerston for lunch and to restock the van with essentials. After restocking the van, we went back into Palmerston for our first COVID-19 jabs. The whole process was quite painless really, well, apart from the on-line booking process which was really time consuming. Wendy booked these appointments about 10 days ago. We then had to go to Bunnings, well just because. So, while we were there, we bought some more van essentials.  

Instead of going straight home, we took a drive into Darwin City to the Stokes Hill Wharf precinct. It still has a myriad eateries as well as numerous cruise options - fast boat, slow boat, swamp boat, surfski, just to name a few. A drive through Darwin's main entertainment street brought back some memories, took us to the road out of town back to the van park.

We just happen to be in Darwin right in the middle of the annual RAAF Exercise Arnhem Thunder 2021. The aircraft that are participating from Darwin are the F-35A Lightning II, (first live sighting of the JSF) F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, KC-30 Tanker Transport, and E-7A Wedgetail. This van park is right on the edge of the flight path, and the noise when they take-off is amazing. Yes, it is deafening, but it is also an awesome sound; imagine having the job of flying one of those aircraft; Wendy imagines the pilots saying "whooohooooo!!!!" as they take off. According to the internet, if the flying operations this week are the same as last week, we can expect to be awake until about 10:30 pm for the next week. We will try and video them sometime during the day so you too can experience that sound.

Sunrise at Mary River Wilderness Retreat - Greg counted about 40 wallabies out this morning

You know you're in cyclone territory when the phone and power poles are hollow

The Boxing Crocodile at Humpty Doo

Name on Google Map = Big Long Neck Dinosaur, but we think it is a Brontosaurus, outside Bunnging at Palmerston

Stokes Hill Wharf

A swamp boat

Two big tug boats and their massive exhausts

Bombing of Darwin memorials at Stokes Hill Wharf

Eatery area of the wharf

Mural depicting the bombing

Sunset at the van park

Day 40: Sun 30 May - Mary River Wilderness Retreat

18-33 degC

Greg was up well before the sun this morning, went for a short walk then came back to bed because it was cold and it's Sunday. After breakfast we went for a walk together and ended up doing 6 km, after choosing the 3 km track!! It was well and truly time for mormos by the time we got home.

Because it is Sunday, we had a bit of a lazy day doing stuff on our computers, reading books, and resting. By mid afternoon, Greg was going a tad crazy, so we rode to Bark Hut Inn, about 2.5 km East of here. Unless you need fuel and an urgent place to stay overnight, there is not much else to see and do there. We spent all of about two minutes there and rode home. Greg has had slow leak in his front tyre for sometime now, so got busy fixing that on our return.

What a difference not even 24 hours can make; this place is now the definition of 'serenity' - no screaming kids, no campfires, and no artificial noise. There was a burn off somewhere close by earlier today, however, there must have been no, or very little wind, as the smoke did not affect us at all. So nice to have the windows open, and fresh air in the van.

We're looking forward to getting to Darwin tomorrow after living there for three years, 21 years ago. 

There is a billabong through there

Lovely purple flowers on the billabong this morning

Bamboo walk

Undergrowth

Bark Hut Inn

An old bull catcher Jeep at Bark Hut Inn

Entrance to Mary River Wilderness Retreat complete with bouncing wallaby

Six wallabies; unusual to capture this many in one photo as they are very skittish. They are cleverer than their kangaroo cousins in that they jump away from the road when a car approaches. This is a good thing because they are very cute!

Day 39: Sat 29 May - Jabiru to Mary River Wilderness Retreat (Annaburroo), 142 km; total towed: 4 700 km

20-33 degC, another glorious day, a bit more humid though

After our walks, we packed up and were on the road a little after 8am. We knew we didn't have far to go, however, being a weekend, we thought the Mary River Wilderness Retreat might be a haven for the Darwinites, and we were spot on. Although we didn't book, we jagged a powered site, and are surrounded by families with LOTS of children and a few undisciplined dogs. Oh, and also pyromaniacs; it's 33 degC here and they are lighting fires, just because that is what you do when you go camping. They do have their gas BBQs though. Having had that whinge though, it is GREAT to see all the young families out here fishing, riding bikes, playing backyard cricket, etc and off their devices. 

We stopped at the Mamukala Wetlands on our way to MRWR just to use up some time and have a brew whilst viewing the wetlands from the viewing platform. We arrived at MRWR just after 10:30 am, set up and had another brew, then lunch, then an LLD, then a wander around the park to orient ourselves. Whilst we were walking past the dining room/shop area, two ice-creams leapt out at us so we just had to eat them.

Wendy put the drone up and had a quick look around the area but the pictures were just the tops of trees so not very enlightening.  

We had dinner in the Gecko Restaurant, and were treated to an amazing display of "how to piss as many of your fellow diners off as possible by letting your kids scream and kick plates off tables". However, both the barra and chicken parmy (the only meal appealing to Wendy) were gut-bustingly good. Wendy bought a bottle of wine appropriate to the trip - see photos.

This tree may have been ring-barked, or else the white ants are having a great feed

A swing-bridge at the MRWR; the OHS people would have a field day with this one!

Part of the no camping and no power/no water part of the park

The Reception/Restaurant and pool area

Us on site #13 at Mary River Wilderness Retreat

A bush shower - there are a few of these dotted around the park; who needs hot water up here anyway?

The walk way to the amenities block from our site

The river and some boats

We had table with a view tonight

Wendy's choice of wine tonight, quite apt really

You need to read the description of this wine

Where we all are in this amazing country of ours

Day 38: Fri 28 May - Jabiru (KNP)

21-32 degC

Unfortunately Wendy had to fit in a half-day's work today, so Greg took to his bike again.  This time he headed West to the Mamukala Wetlands, about 35 km from Jabiru. He spent about half an hour wandering around the wetlands, rode the 35 km back home into a monster head wind and arrived home just in time for lunch, and then an LLD.

It was then time to hit the shops at Jabiru for resupplies. First up was PUMA to top up the Cruiser for the trip tomorrow. We then shopped for groceries at Foodland which had a good variety of stuff.

Greg started writing his Army History story before we left home and every afternoon he does a bit more; so that's what he did this afternoon, whilst Wendy worked on a photobook.

Pizzas for dinner finished off another great day on the road. We are hoping to stop at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat tomorrow for two nights. We are booked in at Darwin for seven days from 31 May, so need to spend another two nights somewhere. If Mary River is no good, we'll only spend the one night and find somewhere else for the next night.

Jabiru communications tower with the moon setting in the West

Lots and lots of corellas catching the first rays of the sun as the moon sets

Mamukala Wetlands

All the different bird and animal life that may be found at the Wetlands

Walking track at the Wetlands that Greg rode around