blog.sickdovel.net

A journal of our adventures

Posts Tagged Darwin

Day 73 – Mataranka

Sep 19

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


So great to be on the road again!  Being back in the van and also back touring feels almost like being home.  We’re all getting very used to this travelling the countryside gig.

A couple of little errands before we left Darwin.  I finally managed to find another porta potti.  I also picked up a fridge fan to give the fridge a helping hand.  Since arriving back in Darwin the van fridge has rarely been below 10 degrees.  As I write this, its 18 🙁  The fridge is working as hard as it can, but it relies on airflow to cool it down and there is just no breeze, or its coming from the wrong way.  A fan will help provide that breeze when its needed.

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Day 72 – Darwin (Day 2 again)

Sep 18

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

Definitely our last day in Darwin today.  We decided to take this last day and do one of the main things we wanted to do here but just hadn’t been able to, for one reason or another.  That thing was Litchfield National Park.  It can be mostly done in a day, but its a big day … so we had a big day!

Up at 6 and on the road by 7.  First stop was the Magnetic Termite mounds.


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Day 71 – Darwin (Day 1 again)

Sep 17

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


No photos today … we just didn’t get much time to think about cameras.

The flight back from Bali was a quick 2 and a half hour event.  All very efficient and we all even managed to get a little nap, except Blake.  He got a huge nap … nearly from takeoff until landing.

Immigration and customs wasn’t too bad.  We had a bit of stuff to declare, but it was quickly sorted out.  Lots of people getting pinged for BB guns and laser pointers.
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Day 62 – Darwin (Day 4)

Sep 8

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


Had the Prado in for its 20,000km service today, so we’ve been stuck at the park.

I decided to spend a bit of captive time doing some repairs on the van and catching up with the blog.  I have given up all hope of rewiring the rear view camera on the van correctly.  The camera doesn’t seem to be sending a signal, it seems to have power, but I can’t tell for sure.  Car wiring also looks OK, but the screen also refuses to power up.  All those bumps took their toll on the cheapy ebay stuff.

Kel’s caught up with all the washing and had fun making a shopping list.  The kids have spent the day going from pool to jumping pillow.  Riding on their bikes and generally nothing useful.  Blake continues to put a downpayment on his flight back home.  I’m starting to see that this is their holiday and Kel & I are just their servants.
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Day 61 – Darwin (Day 3)

Sep 7

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


Today looks like our only chance to do touristy stuff in Darwin, so that’s what we did.

We went and took a look at the Museum and Art Gallery … all free entry.

Hannah posing in front of the Terima Kasih

Heaps to see in the museum, but not many of the exhibits allowed photography for one reason or another.  This is well worth seeing if you’re ever in Darwin and the entry price can’t be beat.
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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

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


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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