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Archive for category Big Lap 2011

Day 60 – Darwin (Day 2)

Sep 6

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | Comments off

Not too much to say today. The park we’re in is great, and at $82 a night it would want to be! We haven’t got an ensuite site, but have got a shared bathroom with HUGE shower, washing machine, dryer, etc. 3 pools, but we’ve only found 1 so far. Really nice spot.

Today was spent catching up on a few chores.  I had an appointment in the city (how novel!), had mail to pick up, had to find a few replacement parts for the Jayco and Prado, organizing the Prado’s 20,000km service and generally sussing out a few things that just have to be done before we leave here on Friday.  All the running around took up most of my day.

Kel’s day was similar (so she says), but I suspect that it was primarily spent swanning around the pool sipping champagne … as you do.  She begs to differ, and proclaims that she did LOTS of washing … and then some swanning around the pool.

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Day 59 – Darwin

Sep 5

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We decided overnight that we’d move again today, gypsy style, not really sure where we’d end up.  Pack up and brekky was completed without fuss and we were outta Cooinda by 8am.

First port of call was a 1.6km walk up the side of a mountain to get to Mirrai Lookout.  This wasn’t far from Cooinda and as it was early in the morning I figured that we’d get away without taking anything but ourselves.  Wrong.  Water was already going to be a necessity and at the halfway mark everybody was struggling.

We all made it to the top though.  Although I think I may have nearly killed them all dragging them up here.

Poor tired souls

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Day 58 – Kakadu (Day 2)

Sep 4

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Happy Fathers Day … from Kakadu.

We survived the night, despite the efforts of the land and the residents.  We had some visitors to the campground in the wee hours that let off a few fireworks and then buggered off.  Nothing too serious, but its a bit far off the beaten track to be disturbed by twits…

Socks and Jocks day was to be something a bit different this year.  The kids had been a little bit limited in their opportunities for purchases, but managed to sneak off and get a couple of things.  They got me a fly net (for the hat) … I think Kellie really wants to use that.  They also got me a pack of logic puzzles … I think Hannah really wants to play with those.  I may swap her for her Nintendo.

After brekky in bed, of bacon and eggs cooked by the kids, we packed up to move a bit deeper into Kakadu.  The heat here is taking its toll.  It saps the life out of you and everything is ‘just too hard’.  In that spirit, we sought somewhere that we could setup for 2 nights and do day trips from.

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Day 57 – Kakadu

Sep 3

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Today we got up bright and early … well early for NT time.

We’ve swapped from 6am starts to 7:30am starts.

Not too far to go … but we’re not too sure where we’ll end up. I’d researched WA plenty, but not so much for NT.

Kakadu should occupy us for about 3 days, but where we were camping and what we were going to do was a bit of a mystery.

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Day 56 – Katherine

Sep 2

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Our day started in hot Katherine, bright and early. We had a big brekky and got stuck into the day.

First stop was the Katherine School of the Air.  NT schools get started at 9:00 and that’s when the first tour got underway.

We weren’t allowed to take any photos due to student privacy rules.

The school is run just like any other, really!  They get the same funding from the government as any other school, its what they do with it that makes the difference.

These days the 250 students, across the NT (and beyond), are hooked up by satellite.  This allows the teachers and students to utilize a 2 way video phone style hookup.  All the students can hear and see the teachers, via a few cameras, and also see and hear the focus student as well.  They do all the sorts of subjects that you’d expect and a few that are a bit tricky, like choir.

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Day 55 – Katherine

Sep 1

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | 1 Comment

One Thousand Six Hundred and Forty Three … Yep, that’s right 1643 I tell you !!!

We woke this morning at 5:30 … had a luxurious sleep in until 6 and then were on the road at 7:45.  Last day in WA and we never really adjusted to the time change.

Crossing over the border into the Northern Territory we had most of the car clocks change over time automatically, which caused a little confusion.  The GPS was telling us we’d be at Timber Creek at 12:00 and it was about 100 km away and only 9am on the car clock.  The brain took a little while to ‘go click’ and figure it all out.

Bye bye WA :(, Hello NT !!!!

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Day 54 – Kununurra

Aug 31

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | Comments off

A bit of a quiet day here today.  We went and had a look at the Mirima National Park, but since we’d left it until late in the day, like 9am, it was already too hot in there.  There’s just no shade and the wind whips through the hills.  Very pretty place, it’s kind of like a mini bungle bungles.

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Day 53 – Kununurra

Aug 30

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | Comments off

Today started when the alarm went off at 4am. That may well have only been 6am for you Eastern states folk, but let me tell you that it definitely felt like 4am over here.

We were booked on an Alligator Airways flight over the Bungle Bungles with brekky included too. The flight wasn’t until 6 and they pick you up at 5:15 … but 4am seemed like it might just give us enough time to wake the kids and get organised.

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Day 52 – Kununurra

Aug 29

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | Comments off


We reluctantly left El Questro today. Such an awesome location.
No photos as it just ended up being a busy day.

The drive back out on the Gibb River Road was mostly uneventful apart from a few inconsiderate twits going faster than they should’ve been and churning up all the rocks and dust. Also had a fool overtake us on a blind bend, straight into the path of another camper. All managed to dodge each other, but I hope he’s learnt his lesson.

Took a little while at the end of the Gibb to pump the tyres back up and grab a geocache. Then it was a fairly slow trip into Kununurra as I’d forgotten how to drive on bitumen. The sheer non-bumpiness of it was freaking me out.

Nevertheless, we got to Ivanhoe Caravan Park and setup. It was at this time Kel noticed a gas leak. Yep, our other gas bottle connection had also fractured. Hmmm … what day is it? Monday! … Cool … shops are open. Off to the local plumbing supplies I went to get some new hoses. Nice flexible, braided hoses … like what should have been fitted to the van in the first place. Why they would fit inflexible, copper pipes on an off-road vehicle is just ridiculous.
Other than that, the Gibb River shake up didn’t move too much stuff around. Hannah found a big screw that I can’t find a home for … but the van, really, is holding up pretty well.

Once that was out of the way I set about getting this blog updated! One beer (at least) per page made the job increasingly difficult … Got most of it done yesterday though.

Now we are all up to date! Apart from today, which will be done later over a few beers around the pool!

The kids are looking forward to some catching up with their mates tonight. It’s been ages since they’ve done an email or spoken to anybody.
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Day 51 – El Questro (Day 4)

Aug 28

Posted by Anthony in Big Lap 2011, Caravanning | Comments off

Last day at El Questro today.  We started out late and didn’t end up doing much.

Kel & I went up to the station to get some washing done … and that was about it.

The day was spent pottering around the van, lazing in the sun, floating down the river, catching up on the diaries.  Not much!  Until the afternoon, anyway…

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