Darwin

Heading for Darwin, Glenno decided that Bruce, who is now christened and well equipped for offroad driving should venture along a corrugated road to knock off 60kms of travel time! Poor Nancy, our little campvan is not an offroader and was knocked about. Clearly peeved at not being consulted to be towed offroad her sweet revenge was later revealed when we stopped at Berry Springs for a quick dip. Mel opened the van door to collect something and saw Nancy’s fridge open with all of the contents spilled onto the floor! Mel (who is a clean freak) was secretly looking forward to opening the bottle of floor cleaner she stashed away for such an occasion as this. Berry Springs is another hot spring just out of Darwin and is a very popular spot with a little waterfall you can sneak into just fitting your body inside. Although keep your mouth closed as there are signs that little bugs can give you gastro (which we read after the swim!) Darwin to our suprise is a growing metropolis. Everywhere we drove there were people dressed in fluros, construction sites and road works underway. If you need a job then Darwin is the place to be. The city itself is large and the outer suburbs are stretch out wide and far. The city has many highrise buildings which are mostly hotels along the Esplanade although it is very clean, green with trees and parks and no smog or smell at all.  It’s definitely one of Australia’s best Cities. To fill the afternoon in we went shopping. Camo had a blowout on one of his thongs and Mel needed some retail therapy so we went to the Casuarina Shopping Complex to fix their problem/habit then laze by the Van Park splash park and four pools. We have decided to stay at an ensuite site since Glen’s dad Brian will be visiting us tomorrow. The ensuite has been awesome.

That is Mel under the bucket in the big 4 splash park

Darwin Harbour, the top of Australia!

The following day Grandad hit the ground running. After picking him up from the airport we drove straight over to Leanyer Water Park which has free waterslides, splash park, skate park, pool and a play park. We met our friends Matt and Kylee to help celebrate their son Will’s birthday and it was great. We enjoyed the free BBQ facilities and had a ball getting fit climbing the one hundred stairs for only five seconds of fun at a time. From there we trekked over to the Mindil Markets (only 5 min out of the CBD) and had about forty selections of food to choose from. A spectacularly glorious sunset to the west was shared by hundreds of people and is the place to be on a Thursday and Sunday night.

Leanyer Water Park

Mindil Markets Sunset

On Friday we did an 11am croc jumping tour on the Adelaide River. We would recommend the company ‘Adelaide River Croc Jumping’ to anyone who is heading this way and if possible do the croc jump at low tide as you see them resting on the bank. They are a smaller company but guarantee an awesome ride. Within five minutes we were watching our first croc swimming towards us and jumping for some tasty buffalo. This was only a 3 metre croc. There were bigger to come, in the name of Dominator and Brutus. Half an hour later we witnessed the enormous size of Dominator. He was extremely lazy and possibly full after the 9am tour. He bathed himself in the sun while we pulled up beside him only a metre away. We had a pleasant surprise watching a couple of Whistling Kite birds take meat off the side of the boat and they were just as impressive. Waiting for us in the middle of the river was Brutus, and he did not disappoint. The captain of the boat had him jumping out of the water right next to the boat. If we were stupid we could have literally patted him as he lunged up. The loud pop of his jaws closing was like a very loud hollow clap. It was an awesome cruise. After our buzz we drove over to the Fogg Dam wetlands and Window to the Wetlands. If we were into birds this would have been lovely. We did however learn that the Aboriginals used this area as their supermarket as it has an abundance of bush tucker. Our last trip was to Howard Springs but unfortunately we could not swim as there is a bacteria in the water. Instead Darwin council have built another wonderful free kids area with a little splash park and flying fox to allow people to cool down without getting in the hot springs. Mel felt like cooking again so made a roast, damper bread and chocolate cake. So glad she bought the cooker thingy!

"Ugly Croc" jumping for her lunch

Brutus

We woke up the following day ready for another big day of sightseeing. Glen got in the car and realised the switch which turns the Engel fridge on and off was broken. It was a case of Who Done It! Of course it was Camo or at least we all blamed him, so off to Supercheap we went. An hour later we were on the road, first stop was the Darwin museum. It was here that we met Sweetheart, the 5.1 metre, 780kg stuffed crocodile who back in the 80’s became famous for attacking boat motors and scaring the hell out of fisherman. Sweetheart (who is a male by the way) was caught and tranquilized and subsequently drowned due to the injection shutting down his breathing. He is a sight to see (dead not alive). We also saw the cyclone Tracy exhibition. The photos were truly moving and it is hard to believe that Darwin was flattended on Christmas Eve nearly forty years ago. From there we ate lunch at the lovely lagoon and Grandad and Mel visited the oil tunnels that were built nine months after WWII started. Four hundred 50 to 60 year old non-combatants, armed with picks and chisels dug out the tunnels to store crude oil for the boats. The humidity sorted out the boys from the men and this worthwhile self-guided tour was worth the money just to see the photos which tell a fabulous story in our history. After the tour Grandad and Mel caught up with Glen and the kids for a quick dip at the Lagoon Wave Pool across the road. Again this is a fabulous place for families to have some fun surfing some waves. As if we weren’t tired enough we decided to see the Military Museum. This museum is excellent even if you are not into history. We all learnt so much about when Darwin was bombed more than 60 times and was hit by twice as many bombs than Hawaii did ten weeks before. Mel even found a little family history on one of the interactive displays. Father John McGrath (a distant relative of Mel’s step-dad Jim) played a significant role during this time as he was the first person to raise the alarm that Japanese planes armed with bombs were on their way to Darwin Harbour. He was a missionary on Bathurst Island at the time and radioed through to the mainland giving them several minutes warning. He is logged in the military notes as playing a significant role. This museum has a short film re-enacting the day of the bombing which is eye-opening.

"Sweetheart" swallowing Cammo!

Darwin Wave Lagoon

Ready for another day full of crocodiles we decided to visit Crocodylus Park featuring more crocodiles of course, lions, tigers, monkeys, kangaroos, lizards and snakes. If you have already done a croc jump this might pale in comparison but good to see other animals! However the kids still enjoyed it and got to hold a very small crocodile. We also visited the Mindil Markets again since it was so good the first time. We watched a fire eater swing and juggle sticks alight with fire before eating it. The kids were in awe. We all tried something different to eat from Thursday night, except Taylah who ate hot chips again! We were lucky enough to meet up with one of Glenno’s mates Scott Sims who we haven’t seen in years.

Cammo doing a "Luke Skywalker" with his new buddy "Croccy", which he found at the splash park! 

Crocodilys Park

Finally, a lazy morning! Monday we just swam at the van park and visited yet another free water park at Palmerston this time. We did a Darren that evening and conveniently left our wallets in the car so Grandad paid for our buffet seafood dinner at ‘The Jetty’ at Stokes Hill Wharf. Awesome food, we would highly recommend it. We definitely made sure we ate our money’s worth. Mel told the kids there was no limitations to the amount of dinner and dessert they could eat. They were under instructions to Go for gold!

Cammo winning the race at Palmerston Water Park

Today we said Goodbye to Grandad who will be missed. We were absolutely spoilt and hope he had a great time in Darwin with us. We are off to Kakadu tomorrow and looking forward to moving on and seeing something different again. Darwin put on a great show with its weather and entertainment and is one of the best places we have been so far.

Saying Goodbye to Grandad

TIP: Don’t expect to stay in the heart of Darwin as there are no caravan parks. They are about 20 minutes out of town from the CBD. We are staying at the Howard Springs Big 4 which has a great kids splash park, two pools, two spas, a plunge pool and a kids park. 

Darwin has many fabulous facilities for families which are free and we recommend to use them all. 

Stock up on alcohol as you can’t take it into Kakadu.

An air conditioner or fan is great at night, not only does it keep you cool, it also drowns out Kenny Rogers, Leo Sayer, Rod Stewart, Roosters and any other Coughy McCoughcough who won't try a lozinger or a drink of water :/. Its not all about you dear Grey Nomad.

Litchfield National Park

Edith Falls

On the way to Litchfield National Park we stopped in for a quick dip at Edith Falls. This is a beautiful place where a small waterfall flows into a massive pool area for people to swim. The water was, let’s say verrrrry refreshing. Our next stop was Batchelor, known to locals only for winning the Tidiest Town award in 2000! This little town (and we mean little) is scattered with tropical trees amongst gum trees and deserves this accolade. It is very green and has an aura of belonging on the east coast of Australia and not inland. The van park we are staying at is the Batchelor Big 4. It is clean, has hot showers and has big camp sites that spread out everywhere amongst lots of shade in an organised chaos type of way. Good ol ‘Jim’ rides his bike around the van park escorting people to the site. Great customer service! From Batchelor we visited the Magnetic Termite Mounds. They were amazing to look at. They face North/South so that termites are able to move from one shady area within the mounds to the other when it gets too hot in the morning and afternoon. At first glance they look like very large grey headstones in a cemetery and we felt we were standing on a sacred site. Up close however they are as hard as stone and enormous. Our next stop was Buley Rock Pools and this was an awesome place to swim in the different waterfall levels. It would have been even better had Glenno not picked Camo up to walk over slippery rocks as they both fell onto them, Glenno taking the brunt of the fall and cracking open his left elbow. We had to stop the party at Buley rock to patch Glenno up. Mel who is Cert 2 first aid trained was excited to use her newly refreshed first aid skills, looked at the wound and decided it needed stitches, but not before a trip to Florence Falls where we bathed in the deep rock pool below the cascading water. Once back in Batchelor Mel dropped Glenno off at the little medical centre and laughed about Glenno having to wait for hours like in an actual City hospital ER! The laugh was on us as the nurses were out at an emergency and Glenno would not be seen for hours! Looks like a band aid will have to do the trick! Who would have known that Batchelor actually deals with ‘big’ emergencies! Mel is currently looking around the campsite searching for a nurse to stitch Glenno up based upon on her expert Cert 2 opinion!

TIP: Don’t slip on the wet rocks, they bite! Wear wet shoes and don’t leave them in the car like we did! Don’t assume you don’t have to wait at little Batchelor’s emergency unit! Also have a play around with your camera’s features before you go away, as it is heartbreaking finding out you have a ‘sunset’ and ‘underwater’ mode after the event!

We spent the last three days at Litchfield National Park at the spectacular and surreal Wangi Falls. They looked like a backdrop to a movie set. There were two sections where water cascaded down the rocks and you could swim out to both. Yes there are signs for fresh water crocs everywhere but with 80-100 people swimming we decided that it ‘should’ be OK and it was! We used our noodles and goggles to navigate our way through the water to the falls each day and even found a hidden rock pool to swim in. And yes, Glenno managed to fall on his already injured elbow again climbing up to the Wangi rock pool! Mel also went off at a silly Asian who thought he had enough room for a somersault, grazing his head on the rock. We also walked the one hour loop around the falls taking in the beautiful tall palm trees, rock faces and tropical shrubbery. We also did a bushwalk around Tolmer falls and Mel mistook a very large blue tongue lizard for a rock missing it by only an inch. It hissed and neither Mel or the lizard were happy. The kids have been awesome on the walks, now that we know how far we can push them, but they are now a bit over walking. We also saw The Lost City where weathered sandstone formations stand tall among the trees. This was the first time ‘Bruce’ (our trusty car) went truly offroad, Bruce performed well and the kids loved it. On our last day we spoke to some fellow campers, Matt and Kylie who told us to visit the Blyth homestead but we were concerned with the two croc infested river crossings. They kindly offered to travel there with us to ease our minds. Bruce did them with ease! Built in 1929, the Blyth Homestead is steeped in history. It was owned by the Sargent family and most of their fourteen children were sent from the main homestead along the Reynolds River to mine for Tin at the Blyth Homestead. The youngest was nine years old. They worked all day every day and one even died from a ‘work place injury’. No OHS back then! Our last night was a hoot. We had seen signs the Ranger was trying to capture a sneaky wild pig who has been walking around the campsite each night looking for food scraps. We had heard it trotting through the bush and had imagined a beast of a thing. After having a few beverages with Matt and Kylie, we heard ‘Grunter’ trotting towards us through the scrub. Matt and Kylie who are seasonal pig hunters had the urge to catch Grunter for the Ranger so, the four of us in thongs tried to corner him so that the Ranger could take poor Grunter away. After running around the campsite we saw he was big, but also sort of tame. Matt was crashing about in the bush for ages but no such luck for us. Grunter 1, the inebriated 0!  In hindsight we should have just lay food out for him as he was semi tame and only stood three metres away from us when not threatened. Unfortunately poor Grunters days are numbered. Pigging was definitely not what we thought we would be doing on our trip but we will tick that off our bucket list. The mid strength beers and Somersby Cider cans are going down a treat! But Glenno won’t be needing his belt anymore! Next stop is Darwin where Glen's dad will be flying over to stay with us. The camping lingo for this is called "Gramping" and we are all looking forward to seeing him.

TIP: Ensure you get there between 9am-10am during peak season as there are only 33 campsites and it is first in best dressed. You cannot book ahead. Again no phone or internet reception. Definitely bring noodles with you on a trip like this (this goes for the grey nomads as well!) Place lots of food out for a pig and wait for it to come to you.

Termite mound "Graveyard"

Buley Rockhole (before the mishap)

The lost City

Florence Falls

Wangi Falls

Blyth Homestead

Wangi Falls hidden rock pool

Grunter the pig

Nitmuluk (Katherine)

After packing up at Mataranka we drive over to Bitter Springs (2kms away) for a quick dip. This Spring is more natural than Mataranka or Rainbow Springs as the locals call it. As you can imagine it was clear and beautiful. We held onto noodles and let the current push us from one end of the Hot spring to the other. The drive from Mataranka to Katherine only took 1 hour (our quickest drive yet) and our accommodation at the Nitmuluk Camping ground was another 25 minutes out of town. Again the landscape is changing from red chunky mountains to a mountain range with grass and trees. We got a pleasant surprise we got when we arrived at our camp site. We had upgraded from red dust to gravel campsites and a gorgeous pool across from our site. It was like staying at a 4 star hotel after all the bush campsites we have been too in the last two weeks. We spent a good half day unwinding and swimming in the pool. Not that we are complaining but staying here was a huge bonus as we are at the gateway to the Katherine Gorge. We did the 8am Gorge cruise and it was spectacular. The sheer beauty in the massive cliffs rising out of the green Katherine River is a sight to be experienced and pictures can not do it any justice. We did happen to see a crocodile (only 3 metres long) and said we were glad we were not canoeing! We also did the loop walk up to the lookout and swam at the Katherine Hot springs. Not so hot and not as nice as Mataranka or Bitter Springs. Tomorrow we are off to Batchelor, the start of Litchfield National Park.

TIP: Buy wet shoes to swim in as they are great for the natural Hot springs. Definitely stay at the Nitmuluk Campground as the facilities are great especially the pool. Do the Gorge cruise early in the morning if you can as the water is still and tranquil at that time. If you loved Mataranka Springs you might be disappointed with Katherine Springs. There is not much in the Katherine township itself. It is very busy and takes a very long time to do your groceries as there is only one supermarket. The fuel here is quite cheap though, 10c cheaper than Alice Springs.

Bitter Springs

Katherine Gorge a spectacular sight

Aboriginal Paintings on the rocks at Katherine Gorge

The Hanging Garden at Katherine Gorge

View from the lookout near the Information Centre

Kids loving Katherine Springs

Mataranka

Another 4 1/2 hours North in the car and we arrived at hot Mataranka. Now we were told conflicting stories about Mataranka Homestead such as it being dusty and unclean but again we were pleasantly surprised by its rustic beauty. It is surrounded by tropical trees which provide a lot of space and shade for you to spread out your camp, there are peacocks and wallabies roaming around which eat out of your hand and the thermal pool is at the perfect temperature. We spent two days here and swam in the crystal clear water a lot. The weather is hot and we are now in shorts and t-shirts for the remainder of the trip, we hope. The springs have a historical story attached to it as they were made for the officers who fought in WWII as a place to rest and recuperate.

TIP: You cannot book ahead at Mataranka Homestead. It is first in best dressed but if you get here around 2pm during peak season you should be lucky to get in. A band plays music which can be heard all around the campsite but it usually finishes by 9pm. We paid $58 for two nights on a powered site and the food at the restaurant is said to be very good. A Barra Burger for $11 was the go here!

Beautiful Taylah at beautiful Mataranka

Soaking up the vibe

Taylah feeding the Peacock

Our feral animals

Banka Banka

Goodbye Alice Springs and hello Banka Banka. We drove 7 hours to the Banka Banka Homestead which was referred to us by a friend. Along the way we stopped at the famous Wycliffe Wells, known as Australia’s UFO capital! It was ummm interesting! We also stopped to have a look at Devil’s Marbles. These fabulous rock formations made for some fun photos. It’s a fabulous place to stay not just because it’s only $20 a night for the family but because it has the best spring water we have ever tasted and kids get a free icy-pole upon arrival. Although surrounded by friendly grey nomads it was a different experience for us. Country music played by the communal fire at night was a lovely way to wind down after a long day of driving. We finally had a good nights sleep here.

TIP: Banka Banka homestead is on the Stuart highway and has grassy unpowered sites, very clean facilities and hot showers. The owners are very friendly and we would recommend this place to anyone who likes bush camping with a few extra perks.Oh and maybe just stop for a few minutes to see Whycliffe if you believe in UFO's but Devil's Marbles are fabulous.

The very un-spooky Whycliffe Wells

How cool is Taylah saving Camo at Devil's Marbles

Rockin it with the Grey Nomads!

Alice Springs

We decided not to do the Mereenie loop as we had spoken to others who had just done it and said the road was very corrugated and had broken a couple of peoples van axels. It took us 5 hours to get back around to Alice Springs but we had peace of mind that the van would hold up for the next 13 weeks. Once in Alice (we spent 4 nights here) we were able to do day trip to some of the spectacular walks along the West MacDonnell ranges, the Ghost Gum Walk at Ormiston Gorge being one of them. It took us two and half hours, walking up many stairs to the lookout then down the rocky shale cliffs to the creek-bed. The soaring orange and red cliffs were a sight to see from down below, jutting out in staggering formations. We had to climb over boulders to get through the creek-bed which snaked around a couple of bends. Glen offered to piggy back the family across knee high water which of course we all willingly obliged! We then went to Glen Helen Gorge but didn’t think too much of that compared to what we had just seen. Other trips were to the Reptile Centre in town, The Alice Springs School of the Air which was sensational and the Desert Park which houses many birds, dingos, kangaroos and flora. Alice Springs was a great place to rest and stock up again.

The picture says it all!

The famous Gorge that sits in Alice Springs. The Todd River flows right through it.

TIP: If you don’t want to go along the Mereenie Loop you can easily visit the sites on day trips from Alice Springs. Stay at the MacDonnell Ranges Big 4 or G’Day Mate across the road as they are apparently the best in town. The Desert Park is expensive but to get your money’s worth go when the Birds of Prey and dingo presentation is on (unlike us). You will have phone/internet reception in Alice but ensure you charge up your batteries before heading out of Alice again.

Kings Canyon and Ormiston Gorge

Score Score Score!! No powered site at Kings Canyon but we got there early enough to score an awesome sight with a great view of the canyon, sneaky power source and (wait for it) a coaxial cable in the garden with fox footy, movies premiere and other stations! We luckily caught up with Mel's cousin Michael from England and his girlfriend Linzi who were just finishing their work here, so we were lucky enough again to score some lovely pizza and other food from Michael. 

It was a gorgeous, but long walk up and around the canyon. Cameron was again harnessed up and both kids were troopers, lasting the 6km (4 hours). There are 480 steps to climb first and the kids did it with ease. The Canyon is spectacular with its sheer cliffs. The reds, oranges and yellow colours on the walls were magnificent. In the middle it has a creek which runs into a place called the Garden of Eden. It’s a peaceful little pool with cliffs that overhang above it. The water ripples on the cliffs making a great photo.

Tip: Book in advance or grab our cool camp site! The only downfall is that it is outrageously expensive. $96 for an unpowered site for two nights! (We paid $10 at Uluru). There is no internet or phone service either.

The track on the way to the top

One side of the gorge

The Garden of Eden 

The one time Glen had to pick up Cameron

Wild Dingo strolling through the camp site

One of the nicest toilet views

Look who you run into!! Mel's Pommy Cousin Michael

A big cookup with the Zakic's, Michael and Linzi

Rather than travelling the 150km dirt Mereenie loop, we drove via the highway for 5 hours into Alice springs where we decided to stay for 4 nights. On the first day we took a drive out to Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen Gorge in the West McDonnell ranges. We decided against the 4 hour hike as it was already 11am and hot, opting for the 90 minute hike (The Ghost Gum Walk) up to a lookout, then down into the waterhole. This was a perfect distance for the kids, however we have heard lots of great things about the longer "Pound Walk". We had a quick look at Glen Helen Gorge (nice campsites but not much to see or do) and headed back into Alice to give Cam his new scooter!

Spiderman (Apparently)on the Ormiston Gorge walk

The waterhole Ormiston Gorge

The Game

Thought we would add a little fun to the blog and fill you all in on something that occurs every day at a Van park. For those of you who are not campers there is a little competition that goes on. The game is ‘who can pack up the fastest’. Obviously those like us with a camper van/trailers are no match for the spritely grey nomads (like my parents) who just roll their annex in and take off but for the rest of us, we are in a serious competition. Each morning it’s on like Donkey Kong to see who can pack up their crap the fastest, roll up their annex and bed ends, push in their beds, winch down the roof, lift the legs, hook it on to the car and check out. You don’t want to be the last! Our time was a slow 1 hour at Port Augusta (second last but not last) which was not good enough. Now we have our game faces on and are packing in 45 minutes!

We must also mention we are adding our travel tips into the blog for many friends who will be doing this trip too. 

Uluru

Lesson learnt the hard way. Always book ahead! Ended up being put out in the Overflow section with about 120 other vans and trailers. Had 3 nights without power but battery and solar panels doing the job just fine. had 2 big days at the rock. The highlight being the ride around the rim track, Cameron giving everyone a high five on the way past! Sunset was much more spectacular than sunrise. Olgas also very impressive. Off to kings canyon today (unpowered again) and will be without service for a few days. Next check in at Alice. These are a few photos from glens phone. Better ones from the camera to follow.

Tips: One thing to consider when coming here is the distance it is to drive from the resort to Uluru and the Olgas so maybe take extra Gerry cans filled with petrol or fill up at Uluru or Curtain Springs (we paid $2.24 at Curtin Springs). It takes between 20-50 min to drive to the two rocks but to compensate the rates to get into the national park are reasonable. Only $25 per adult for three days and kids under 16 are free. If you are staying in the overflow area you can bring a small cauldron to have a fire. Wish we had one of these. There is only 1 camp kitchen to cater for hundreds of people and cold showers by 5pm.

Rim track

Cams only photo with his eyes open!

Arriving

Olgas, Uluru and 200 Asians!