HELLO, MY NAME IS TOM AND MY GIRLFRIENDS NAME IS GEMMA. GEMMA GETS ANGRY WHEN TOM DOESN’T WRITE HIS BLOG. BUT ENOUGH OF THAT STORY, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE TIME WE SPENT IN DARWIN…
We made our way into the Northern Territory after our month and a half in WA. Our first pit stop was Katherine, a reasonably big town roughly 3 hours south of Darwin. Keen to reconnect with the world and stock up on some additional supplies we headed to Woolies to do our weekly shop and sort after something to do to kill some time before it started to get dark.
We headed out to Katherine Hot Springs which gave us our first taste of the numerous natural waterholes there are in the NT. The water was warm, crystal clear and it was so nice to chill out for a couple of hours in the heat and admire the scenery. It turned out that the other waterfalls and natural springs we were going to visit made this one look like a pond.
The following day we headed north towards Edith falls, having read how popular it can get, we decided to get up early to get a camp spot so we could spend some time exploring the area and do some more swimming. Luckily for us, we got a camp spot, we heard a few days later from another traveler that they rocked up on the same morning but were turned away. We made our way up to the top falls which was part of a 3km circular walk. The views from here were amazing and the waterholes were spectacular.
Despite seeing the “Very Low Risk” crocodile signs, we still felt nervous about jumping in, but nonetheless seeing that other people were swimming around we thought nothing of it. We made our way down to the bottom of the falls where there was another huge lagoon we could swim in. We swam out towards the waterfall which was about a 1km return swim, being the only ones in the lagoon this time made it a little bit more nerve-racking if there was something lurking beneath the surface. Not that you could tell from our faces here…
Litchfield National Park was our next destination. Again, another place renowned for its swimming holes and waterfalls. Unfortunately, we were a little late to the party that day and ended up having to fork out $28 for a sub-standard caravan park. Had we arrived a little earlier, we could have stayed close to one of the falls at the national park for just $3.30 each! Nonetheless, we were both keen to make the most of the following day where we explored Wangi and Florence Falls – again two spectacular waterfalls, one of which had a natural jacuzzi hole at the base of it that we had to ourselves before the busload of tourists arrived.
At this point, we were ready to head to Darwin. Our first stop – Mindil Sunset Markets. What better introduction to Darwin than a huge beachfront market with food stalls as far as the eye could see and a sunset to remember. With Sushi burger in hand and a ginger beer in the other, we headed onto the beach to get a spot to watch the sun come down. Perfect.
We felt so fortunate to have Jess and Paul take us in for our stay in Darwin. Straight away we were made to feel at home. It was almost like being back in Adelaide and we felt so privileged that they had invited us into their house. Over the past two weeks, we truly felt we had slipped right into the Darwin lifestyle. I don’t think I’ve felt that relaxed on this trip so far. Maybe it was the hot weather, or maybe it was the fact we’d missed certain home comforts, but it was nice to be back into some kind of building with a roof over our head and a fan over our bed.
Luckily for us, Jess was still on maternity leave and she naturally became our tour guide for our stay. Our first stop, Crocosaurus Cove. Situated in the centre of Darwin, Crocosaurus Cove is a small croc park where we got to learn about the different types and species of Crocodiles and also species of fish (we saw some huge rays being fed). We also managed to feed some of the smaller crocs with a simple line and pole which was also good fun, Gemma’s face was a picture!
Our next tourist destination was Berry Springs, more waterholes that we could actually swim between. The water was so warm it felt like a bath not that me and Gemma needed now that we had 24/7 access to showers.
What I haven’t mentioned yet, the best part about being able to have a base in Darwin is that we get to watch the World Cup. Not only do I have a football fan in Paul (despite being a Liverpool supporter), we have a TV to watch it on. Luckily for us, the girls headed out for a drink one night and left us in peace to watch it. On Gemma’s return at 3:30 am I was awoken to her in a state that I hadn’t seen her in for a very long time. Safe to say that Gemma and Jess were not feeling too bright the following day. I had however woken up to the news that we’d been waiting almost 5 months for. Our visa’s had been granted! We had finally been rewarded for 88 days of hellish farm work. I woke Gemma with the news and she thought I was fibbing, maybe she was still under the effects of the previous night and thought it was part of a dream. Needless to say, I had a few beers that night and Gemma was unfortunately off the wine for at least the next few days.
We spent that weekend exploring a number of Darwins local markets Nighcliffe, Malak and Rapid Creek were all winners, great food, music and quirky craft stalls. Good vibes all round! Special mention to the Mexican crepe that I had for brunch that morning, homemade salsa, guacamole and cheese. Winner!
By the second week, and in-between me working, we managed to get the van serviced at Darwin’s central Toyota dealership. The morning we dropped it off, we got offered a coffee and a lift into the CBD from them. Easily the best customer service we’d received in Australia by far. The simple things in life can sometimes make your day. Needless to say, we were overjoyed when we got the final bill back which was almost $100 cheaper than we were quoted, and the van didn’t need any major work doing to it. Result!
In-between games of Shrek 2 UNO, which we got pretty addicted too and watching the World Cup we offered to look after Isabella and the two dogs Axel and Maverick so that Jess and Paul could head out for dinner with some Friends. Gemma did a sterling job getting Isabella off to bed whilst I made sure the dogs were well behaved.
Before we knew it our time in Darwin was coming to an end. It’s felt like the quickest part of our trip even though we were here for two weeks, the longest amount of time we’ve spent in any one single place. We said our goodbyes and hope to see them again back in Adelaide over Christmas.
On our way out we visited Darwin’s old Gaol (Jail) which was a step back in time and was really interesting to learn about Australia’s approach to crime and punishment. We also headed out towards Kakadu National Park, unfortunately, most of the sights are only accessible with a 4×4 but we wanted to get to one of the croc tours out that way. It was amazing seeing such beasts in their natural habitat along the aptly named Adelaide River. Watching these creatures swim their way over to the boat and “jump” out of the water was amazing to see and one of those things I’ll probably never see again.
Further south we made our way over to Katherine Gorge, most of which we discovered was only accessible via boat. We climbed up one of the trails to get a better view of the gorge but had we spent more time in that location we probably would have taken a trip down the river to explore more of the area.
We headed towards the Daly Waters Pub, a recommendation from Ann-Marie and Michael, our friends from Adelaide, a campsite with a quirky pub in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, we rocked up a little later than expected and the site was full to the brim. We stopped to have a look and a cheeky pint. This place was special and had an atmosphere like no other. Football shirts, caps, bank notes, postcards, number plates, road signs, you name it, they collected it. Glad we stopped to have a look but would have been cool to appreciate it fully had we stayed there overnight.
We pushed on and reached a free camp for the night before we made our journey East towards the Queensland border. Bring on the Sunshine State!
Tom.