July 2024 – great life – retired got nothing on

10. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Darwin Northern Territory

We’ve decided to separate in Darwin for a rest and to do all the touristy things in our own time. There is much to see and Lyn and I saw most of it last year and just have a few spots to add to tick off our list. We enquired about going over to Tiwi Islands and having a day of island culture and entertainment but at $490 per person, we shied away from that idea. Lee Point is a campground to the north of the city about 15-20 minutes drive. We have learned that the campground was constructed after cyclone Tracy. The builders and trades workmen lived here for two years while the massive rebuild took place.

Each site has an en suite for the ‘tenants’.

We benefit from a sea breeze for much of the day and evening. The breeze takes away that clammy, humidity feeling. Because one in our group is waiting for a medical procedure to be done at Darwin Hospital, we will be staying here for who knows how long.

Last year we chose a favorite restaurant; the Cool Spot at Fannie Bay. The reason? Fabulous rocky road ice cream. I guess you agree we have made an excellent choice. When in Darwin, don’t leave without trying one; you’ll be surprised. (I’m not getting paid to make this promotion)

While in Darwin last year, we had heard about the Darwin Waterfront and thought it was just the jetty where the Royal Flying Doctor Museum, and the bombing of Darwin exhibition is. One day this week, we ventured further and discovered a beach and water playground. Around the perimeter were many eating places, too many to choose from really. I guess the late evenings have seen numerous rowdy parties there. Above the restaurants are holiday accommodation units and motels.

Royal Air Flying Doctor Museum and Darwin Bombing memorial display

Lyn and I had visited this spot last year but it still impresses us to experience again. The bombing in 1942 was catastrophic as was the cyclone in 1974. The good work the Flying Doctor does, is worth another look and donation.

To represent the experience of the bombing of Darwin

There are a bunch of underground tunnels just under the city itself. You gain entry through a small opening near the Darwin waterfront buildings. These tunnels were built to house oil and other fuels as a storage facility instead of the large above ground tanks we see at oil refineries today. The walls of the tunnel we toured, tell of the history of the building and problems associated with having such a large storage facility that if penetrated during war, would destroy the port of Darwin. I’m not a person who always remember facts and figures associated with museums and exhibits, so I suggest you make the time to visit the tunnels when next in Darwin. Ex servicemen are treated with a discount on entry.

Hopefully, the next post will have more exciting locations to review, but we’ll wait and see.

9. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Yellow Water Cruise – Kakadu

To take this cruise, you need to buy tickets and check in at Cooinda Lodge where you are taken to the mooring site for your departure to an ever changing landscape of the Yellow Water billabong. If you’re in Kakadu National Park, it is a “must-do” evening cruise finishing off with another brilliant Northern Territory sunset. Yes, you can do a sunrise or “during the day” cruise, but the end of the day is the most popular one that you will enjoy. What are the guides looking for? Well, crocodiles would be the guides first “look for” on his list during our cruise; from the departure point, we headed straight across the billabong to a lazing crocodile taking in the afternoon sun; big and handsome, some would say.

The birdlife is exceptional with many whistling ducks and egrets wandering around the banks of the billabong, scattering as we make our way closer to their breeding grounds. One standout bird in this area is the Jabiru; skinny pinkish legs with long toes, he roams the “kingdom”, as if it were his.

The cruise wanders around the billabong and leaves the area where the brilliant sunset is best seen until last point of “take a look at this”; what brilliance the sky presents each and every evening in the Northern Territory!

Cahill Crossing – Kakadu

We had a previous notification that Cahill Crossing isn’t just for cars and trucks to cross the East Alligator River; salt water alligators also use the crossing to get upstream to catch fish for dinner lunch and tomorrows breakfast. The tide comes up stream and floods over the low concrete bridge enabling access for the alligators. This has become a popular tourist destination for tourists to view crocodiles in the wild as you can see from some of the videos. I was particularly taken in with the guy “surfing” up stream on the “tidal wave”. We stayed at a camp nearby for two nights which enabled us to see two episodes of the naturally occurring event. Add it to your bucket list; all included in the Kakadu NP pass.

Hey! Surfer Joe!

Corroboree Billabong Mary River National Park

Further towards Darwin and on the west side of the Kakadu National Park is the Mary River. This area is well known as a “wetlands” National Park with plenty of billabong birds and wildlife. It too has a large number of crocodiles to view their lifestyle and “activity” during the daylight. We took the evening 5pm – 6:30pm cruise, said to be the better cruise because it too includes vantage points for great sunset photos. There is also a sunrise cruise.

Yes, the first stop was to view a crocodile on the billabong bank waiting for something to consume. And the whistling ducks were close by. A prominent bird in this region is the Jabiru also. A nest high up in the trees revealed a Jabiru caring for its eggs, or young. There were many of these “kingly looking” creatures which make a fabulous display as they leap and fly into the sky for finding another searching pad for fresh fish and other water creatures. The video of three pelicans in synchronized movement was a surprise.

Our guide spotted a water buffalo in the distance bathing in the sludgy waters. On our appearance, the bull buffalo thought it a good spectacle to “get out of the bath” and head for greener pastures. Thanks Billy!

Darwin Black Night Air Display

For our time in Darwin, we have decided to take a rest from each other and do “our own thing”. Lyn and I have chosen a camp north of Darwin near the shore where we get a continual light breeze to keep the temperature at a bearable level.

However, on Thursday evenings the Mindil Market is a market all visitors to Darwin have to visit. So find our way to the market during the daylight was ok, but our return back would take a lot longer. We knew the crowd would be enormous as the 2024 RAAF Pitch Black exercise was to present a 90 minute flyover exercise over the Mindil Beach. This was made up of over 4,400 military personnel and over 140 aircraft from 20 participating nations. The exercise involves air, sea, and land contingents and is held each two years. Another for your bucket list in 2026. Really really good.

The beach was wall to wall people viewing military aircraft and “show-off” movements just close to the beach. The event was held up twice while people tried swimming and another sent up his drone. A definite no no at an event like this. Silly duffas.

8. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Mataranka – Bitter Springs

The town of Mataranka Springs is rather small and only has the basics in shopping and commercial activity. The “supermarket” only has bread available a few days a week. Eggs for a meal are a rare event. We stayed at Bitter Springs, just 3 or 4 km away.

You do not have to make a site booking here; it’s first arrival gets the next available site. So around 8:30am, campers start arriving at the reception to commence living a Bitter Springs lifestyle. Fortunately, we were able to site side-by-side, three across. The springs are an easy 1km stroll away. They are warm and you hop in the river and float down on a “floatie” to a “get out” point and take a short walk back to the starting point for another lap or two.

Unfortunately, I must have had some bad food or nasty water and was sidelined for two days with nothing going down and everything coming up. Even the charcoal tablets were not wanted. All good now but with a looser belt.

Katherine

Katherine is a very busy town, with the gorge close by to the east, and the highways heading north to Darwin and Kakadu, south to Adelaide and Queensland and west to the Kimberlys and Perth. The supermarket is full on flat out as it is the only one to feed the thousands of tourists that drive through each day in the busy season. Fuel stations are used by all tourists to top up the fuel, for you never know when the next road house will be supplying fuel.

Some friends we met again last year, were on a mission to catch us and spend a day with us before they headed out west to Broome. Their departure from Wollongong was a month after we moved on from the Gold Coast. They caught up just as we were departing Mataranka for Katherine.

Katherine Gorge Cruise

The gorge cruise is always a bright spot to visit on a clear blue sky day, and we did just that. It is a well known “bucket list” item in the Northern Territory and offers a number of relaxing cruises at various times of the day. The rock walls offer varying colors that at different times of the day. We chose the 10:00 am cruise.

The commentary used phrases like “5.3 billion years“. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could accurately say how old a rock is or when major things happened to the region’s geography. Nothing has been written down; in fact there were no pencils and books in those days.

Kakadu National Park

We have entered Kakadu from the south where the roads are much, much better than the roads in many country states to the south. We found a bush camp and stayed the night with millions of stars looking down on us, proving a spectacle one will always remember. In a short period of time, you can count 15-20 satellites orbiting the earth.

Next post, we’ll have completed the Yellow River cruise and then into Darwin.

7. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Outback night skies never disappoint.

Camooweal Billabong

I have tried to find detail of the regular residents of the Billabong but all I got was a “quack quack”. In other words, nothing. Not even a signboard to say what types or brands of water birds come here. Do any migrate to here or just pass through on to some other breeding region? Can’t tell you. Wikipedia didn’t enlighten my mind either.

So to do better than the “signboards” just come and experience the wonder of the activities of the birdlife in this out of the way billabong in outback western Queensland.

There is strong talk amongst the human grey nomads that this billabong is being closed. The decision to close the sites for camping is to protect cultural heritage and was made following discussions held between Mount Isa City Council and local landowners.

However, it is still open to short stay Grey Nomads. This lagoon is really owned by the many varieties of birds that inhabit the billabong and make it a busy natural place to live. They make the culture of Camooweal Billabong real and full of life. They are an exhibition of how we too should get along in the places we call home. Thank you birds and nature.

I said earlier that night skies in the outback never disappoint. I wrote that before I got out of bed for today’s sunrise. I guess we have to “endure” lots more of these stunning expanses of morning and evening colour, during our time in the outback.

The Northern Territory

Barkly and Frewena Rest area

The last we saw of Queensland is Police stopping traffic to do searches of the vehicles. Don’t know why, but they were very active around the vehicles they had stopped.

For those Hawkes supporters- Barkly Homestead.

No sign of any customers at three ways NT.

A sleep over takes on a new meaning when you’re driving hundreds of kilometers in a day.

Daly Waters is a well known town located around the goings on of an old country pub. Yes, everything is old and mostly broken, left to rust and never to be moved; aircraft, buses, trucks, cars windmills, and anything else that doesn’t need to be used again. The owner runs around on his quad bike making sure all is happening to his plan. He is a big guy and on the back of his quad bike, he has installed a sign “wide load”. He owns 3 or 4 other camps/pubs of similar value and “mission” in the Northern Territory. The meals provided are high quality. He has entertainment each afternoon and evening. The staff are the most helpful and courteous group of young people you could want to employ. They love what they do and so does the owner. If you are in the area, plan a two day stay to enable you to take in the “different” way people live in the NT. We stayed just a few hours including lunch, but I wish we could have stayed longer for that “Daly” experience. The restaurant and shop is very different to other roadhouses.