THURSDAY 25TH AUGUST 2011. HOWARD SPRINGS DARWIN

Well, we have made it to Darwin, sorry everyone down South but it is very hot here, its been between 31-34 deg since arrivng here last Thursday, yes... I know what it been like down there...cold cold cold, Carol told me everytime I spoke to her. She & Sandra made it back here safely last Sat morning early.at 1.40am, I was wearing a singlet top & they were in track suits!!  So this is what has been happening since last time....... We finished up our time in Dundee, worse luck, we all had the best time of our lives, we didn't stop doing and seeing things that we usually just dream about. Our two hosts/tour guides are the best, so to Paul & Sharon Smedley, many many thanks. TUESDAY....  We just hung around the camp, watched another beautiful sunset.

 The Smedleys came over for a baked dinner, it was blooody beautiful, well done Di & John. It turned out to be a big nite especially for Rans who woke up a bit seedy!! (must of had a few quiet drinks while Carol was away !!)  WEDNESDAY.....  Rans went for a early morning walk along the beach, with the sand north of Dundee being very soft and it was hard walking, the water looked so inviting but you just can't risk it!!! I got back in time to see the Smedley's off as they were heading into Darwin to do some shopping and picking up a friend from the airport, early next morning. We just slowly packed up, cleaning a little, today was a bit easier and we hit the sack early. THURSDAY... We packed up, John & I doing a pretty good job by ourselves and were ready before 9am. The drive back to the Hwy was no where near as rough with them grading the road during the week, but there were some roos/wallabies, one of whom I just missed, thank god he didn't turn back on me, We arrived at our Darwin desitination which is for 2 weeks, a caravan park 20 min from centre of town called the Oasis at Howard Springs, it is a nice park with nice hosts, Rose & Gary. They do cramp them in but all the parks are like it up here, mostly elderly people from Sth of the boarder who stay 2-3mths. At least we do have some shade. After setting up, again the boys did a good job !!, I washed the van down. Later that arvo we drove into Darwin to do some shopping at our favourite store....Woolies, we went down to the waterfront, which is a nice area, we had a drive & bit of a  look around but we will be coming back again at a later date. We drove over to the Mindil markets, we got there earlier today and was not so many people as before, we had a walk around & met a couple we had met in Dundee, we then had dinner, so many places to pick from, then went to watch the sunset, had another walk around before heading home. I just relaxed watching some Tv, for the first time in 2weeks. FRIDAY.... I woke up early and started my day of cleaning (Carol back early 2moz) by doing 4 loads of washing, then went down and booked the car in for a service & washed the car, off to woolies again, return and start cleaning the inside of the van !!! I should be called Sadie, but its all done for when Caz returns later tonite. I watched 2 games of footy. John & I headed in to the airport around 1am and we see a couple of dingos wandering near the airport. The girls are ahead of time which is good, they were the first ones out, they looked very tired. We got back to the park and hit the sack. SATURDAY... Carol slept till 8am, had some breakie, then caught up with  Di & Tezza. The Butlers had already been to the local markets, then the Bewells & them went grocery shoppping (again!) In the meantime I put up our shade cloth awning to prevent the sun beaming down on the side of the van. The cloth had been stored in the roof car carrier, which I had locked back down...... so I thought!!! anyway Carol & I decide to go for a drive to the Howard Springs Nature Reserve and we drove out onto the Hwy with heaps of Saturday morning traffic...... and at the 1st set of lights, we turn right and we continue for 300m when Carol sees something out of the corner of her eye in the revision mirror... she turns her head to see our pop up shower land & roll on the road, with 2 cars behind us swerving to miss it. The carrier pod had opened & stuff was flying out... with us losing a flipper, the shower & pop up water bucket....HOW EMBARRASSING!! Well... I pull into a side street, Caz jumps out runs back along the road to grab the stuff,  a family had pulled over and as Carol gets closer, a young aboriginal girl has picked up the stuff and handed it to Carol (along with a dirty old sloppy joe that was not ours.. god love her !) the parents in the car also offered to drive Carol back to me, but she said she was alright (what a lovely family) anyway it could have been much worse... could have happened back on the Hwy!!!! We continued on with Carol trying to to keep her head out the window to see if it was staying shut, but it did thank god or I would have been in trouble.. again !!. We stopped at the reserve and had a walk around, it's not much,  you couldn't swim and the grounds were very ordinary. We then drove over to Palmerston which is the new Satellite city for Darwin & is only 3min drive from the van park. We then came back had some lunch, Carol had a 15min nap, we had a swim in the pool and we all had barra, prawns & salad for dinner, again it was bloody beautiful. Let me say the midges up here are having a feast on me (Rans) (he is looking at getting a pair of cheesecloth hippiepants to wear!! OH MY.)..... SUNDAY. We head off into the Rapid Creek Markets which are the oldest markets in Darwin, and they mostly sell, fruit & veg and most of this is Asian, some of the products none of us have heard of or even seen before, but it was OK, we got some nice salad veges. We then drove into town & down to Fishermans Wharf , boy there was a huge jetcat, set out as a trawler, it was so big, we couldn't believe the size of it.

We then went to Stokes Hill Wharf and both cars got a park close by, how lucky, it's a wharf where you sit by the waters edge & have your lunch and throw your scraps into the water and see some big fish take those scraps. Food was OK, nothing to rave over. We then drove up to the Bicentanial Park where we got a free park and we walked down past the Gov't House/Supreme Crt to the water recreational park.

Well this is a great spot, grassed area, trees for shade, swimming area nettted off & a wave pool. It was so clean and a great spot for families plus teenagers & us.  We bought an ice cream had a bit of a look around at the scenery (especially the ones in bikinis!!)  and then slowly made our way back along the waters edge passing the Deckchair cinema. We then made our way back home for some arvo happy hour. We had a nice tea...mustard chicken  yummie.  MONDAY.... Carol & I left early going to Casurina Shop Centre,a bit of retail therapy, we needed a new phone ( rans's died!), clothes (not enough cool clothing !!).We then went for a drive along the water and found a nudist beach, Carol wanted to go see, but I of course said NO (ha ha). We then headed into the local court for some paperwork to be signed then had a nice lunch in the SMITH st Mall, We then went to the Botanic Gardens for a nice walk through.

The rainforest area was about 10 deg cooler. Of course Carol loved all the tropical plants & flowers. We then went for a drive around Fannie Bay, Cullen Bay stopped here for a beer, its a beautiful area with a Marina & huge homes on the canal. We then made our way home to where John & Sand had been out for the day whilst the Butlers had paperwork to follow up on and organise tyres. TUESDAY.... We head off to the NT Museum & Art Gallery, It is well set out especially with the section on Cyclone Tracey, admission is free and it is well worth the visit. We then had to return to Casuarina Shops as the new phone we got wasn't working, (dont you just love Telstra !) we then made our way back for lunch and a resting arvo.WEDNESDAY....... We all headed off back to Cullen Bay (the mariner, canal & the huge homes are on  a lock water system, so  to get their boats/cruisers etc into & out of the harbour) From Cullen Bay we caught the ferry across to Mandorah.

It only takes 15min but you are looking out into the Timor Sea or back to Darwin Harbour & skyline with light blue water it was AMAZING. On arriving at the wharf at Mandorah, where the locals fish, we had a 5min walk along the shoreline to the Pub, the only building in sight. It has a good size swimming pool, which we used immediately, we then sat at the pub for lunch, with 270deg views of the water. The meals are reasonable in price but its a NO CHIP PUB (so no fries today Rans !!) it also took 1hr20min for lunch to arrive but with a couple of drinks, the views and company it went quickly.

 We then had another swim in the pool and Rans then went for a walk to one of the points/headland via a dirt track, it was an awesome outlook directly out to sea but the rubbish left by the locals was incredible. We then made our way back to the wharf where a local was half, maybe fully pissed !!... started to sing to Carol ( "I wont forget you , babe!!") and even worse he put his arm around John....yuk !!( he absolutely stunk !) Sandy had to disinfect John. We then made our way back on the ferry & home to the park. Di stopped off and bought a case of mangos...yes they are starting up here. THURSDAY......Rans put his car in for a service at the K Mart Auto at Palmerston, not far from the van park. At lunchtime we get a phone call from them to tell us that a truck has ran into our car....Bugger!!  Rans & John go down there, the driver who had delivered tyres to the store has tried to fit through a car space between our car and another car and he has taken out the rear offside of the car, he, according to the staff has then tried to take off but they have chased him. Anyway he is gone by the time rans gets there but they had his details, and after a couple of phone calls, rans got to speak with him & his boss, It just the inconvenience, as it will need repairing which means days off the road. Anyway later that day after they have finished the service etc, Carol & Rans go into town to the Mindil Markets & Sunset.

We first go to the Star City casino to have a look around with magnificent views over the water. We put $10 in a machine and after a few turns this feature lights up, we had no idea what to do, so a girl tells us to hit these buttons on the screen and after so many minutes, with a couple of people gathering around, as no one had seen it happen before, we won $175.00!! We then went and saw a beautiful sunset, Carol had a delicious lamb shank for tea, so the day ended better than it started. FRIDAY..... Upearly &  started making inquiries re-repairing the car, we then met the others in at Crocosaurus Cove in the city. We attended a reptile show where we had the chance to handle a Blue Tongue, a lizard & a snake, .......Carol was the "brave one "she held a Olive Python !!

 take a look at her face in the photos!! think she enjoyed it !! we then saw fish feeding, including barra, whip rays, sword fish  & angle fish, we then saw one of the crocs being fed, but he was not real hungry. Rans & Tezza also feed the small crocs with a fish line, these croc jump out 2-3ft into the air. There was also a cage of death, where a you can go down in the cage under water to be near the crocs, we saw a girl do it, then a couple of blokes have turns, it wasn't worth the money, it costs $140, and the crocs didn't moove or even go near and some even stayed on land, not taking any notice ( but the girl did have big boobs so the boys were ok with that !). The crocs are huge, with one that has no front feet ( he lost them thru fights !)

We then headed off down to the waterfront precient, where we set up under the shade which had tables/chairs. We had lunch there and contemplated going for a swim but it was so nice with a light breeze, we just sat/layed around. We all then headed off to the Territories Government House, which had an open day. It is on the point overlooking the harbour with beautiful gardens, and we toured thru the magnificent rooms in the house.

The "Administrator" (not Governor in the Territory) said hello, and we decided it must be the best job in the territory. We then left there to get more quotes. We then returned to the van park & had spanish mackerel for tea which was blooody beautiful..( Carol reckons she has eaten so much fish she is starting to grow gills!!)

SATURDAY..... We first drove out along Arnhem Hwy to the Window on the Wetlands, which was very informative and has great views over the wetlands, which would be just great to see during the Wet Season. We then made our way back into town to the Parap Markets, then went into town and had some lunch in the Smith St Mall, then we drove out to fishermans wharf then followed the shoreline around past the expensive area of Bayview, with nice huge homes on the canals with Marinas. We then went to the Charles Darwin Nat Park, where you have views back over the city.

It was also where they stored ammunition during the 2nd WW and there are 10 bunkers around the park. One of them was open and had some great info on the war along with photos & items of interest. We then drove out to the East Arm Industrial area, where there is great size boat ramps, along with shipping wharfs and the train terminal for the Ghan. We then made our way back home having an early nite. SUNDAY.... We all headed into town to a recreational reserve near the ocean, called Lake Alexander, which is a man made salt water lake &  with picnic areas surrounding it. You can swim in this lake but not the ocean due to the box jelly fish and the large lizards!! ( crocs) We had a nice lunch of prawns & salad and with a cool breeze, it made a nice relaxing arvo. Rans then went to the casino to see the Sea Eagles v dogs, whilst we had a walk around the lake, a few of the locals started to become vocal, so we decided it was time to leave. We then headed back to the van park as we had to start tea..roast pork...it was bloody beautiful (again) MONDAY..... Rans went and made some more inquiries re the car & then we went to the movies & saw Harry Potter, we then had a drive out to Lee Point, which was devestated by Cyclone Tracey.We then went to Palmerston & had some lunch returning back to the van and doing paperwork. It is another warm day @ 33deg, usually at this time of the year the humidity is up @ 70 % but its been only @ 17% so its been so comfortable.We have been so blessed with all the weather we've had on this trip. We received a USB stick from our great friends Marg & Jeff and all the crew from Batemans, as we usually go there every June, we had such a laugh with the photos and the picutres of us & comments made, great stuff.

Yes its me in the photo not Sharon!!!!!!
An easy tea tonight ,some happy hour drinks & bikkies.TUESDAY.... Well you've got to have one of those days..first the car wouldn't open with the remote (it would with the key but the alarm would go off for a while) & even when we finally got it open, it wouldn't start, so contacted AAMI, as we thought it might be related to the accident, that took forever, then I tried 4 auto electricians & one locksmith as well as Hyundai,( most of them could"nt see us for a month !!) we ended getting the road side service out and he got it working within 10sec, after both of us doing the exact same thing for 3hrs!! Anyway he said it was the battery in the remote, so after going to 7 outlets we get the batteries, put them in but it still doesn't work. Also had to replace the reversing light and I bought a LED, which broke in my hand as I was trying to put it in, so back to the store again. We both had a laugh when laying in bed later that evening.( Rans the handy man !!) It looks like we mighten get the smash repairs done till at least Geraldton/Perth, as we can't get in around here till next week and AAMI has no assessors here in Darwin & we have heard it is mostly dodgy bros bet Darwin & Geraldton, as the mines have all the skilled workers. WEDNESDAY.... Well we thought today had to be better, it couldn't get any worse......or could it !! We went to Hyundai and they said they were booked out till next week, but after talking to the bloke and with him coming from Bateau Bay, we got the car in for tomorrow morning.We then rang (mobile) AAMI again & this took 45min just to speak to someone from Adelaide, who finally gave me authority to wait till Perth for repairs, we then went for a drive along the waterfront of Nightcliff,

which has a wharf and the views of the coastline was  amazing, the water was so blue, we could see Mandorah, Darwin city & Mindil beach. We then drove to East Point, which also has a very pretty coastline, it's also where they have the rocksitters club (to watch the sunset) & you can see why.... its also where the Military Museum is, which is well worth the visit, with so much info on the bombing of Darwin, including on site bunkers, photos, videos, armoury etc. 

When we went to pay our entry fee our credit card was declined so after leaving the museum we pulled over on the waterse edge, under a shady tree and as we had our laptop I checked our accounts...well it was a bit of a shock when our credit card account wasn't on our banking details, so we went straight to the bank at Casurina, it turns out they had blocked the account, as our card had been skimmed, reproduced and tried to be used yesterday in America.( can the day get worse !!) Luckily they knocked it back, we are not sure if they had got any money etc out before, but its all been handed over to the cops. We have had these cards only since leaving home, so its somewhere between home & Darwin. We ordered 2 new cards but they won't be ready for a while and we will have to collect them on our travels. After sorting out that mess we went and had a late lunch in the Casurina Centre and we ran into Smeds & Shaz ( from Dundee Bch) it was good to see them, they had some visitors with them and where picking up others at the airport later on..I think they should have set up a hostel or B&B at their place.( they would make a fortune !) We then headed back to Palmerston & did our shopping hoping, we can travel tomorrow with the others. We didn't get back till approx 6pm, unpacked groceries & re packed into van/freezer etc had a late tea. THURSDAY.....We are up early as Rans needs to go down to TRY & get the car fixed and if all goes well we will head off today with the others to Mary River near Kakadu. Darwin has been such a great place to see, would recommend to all to visit, its a lovely clean, tidy city, the traffic is easy, with lots to see & do, only problem is there is no swimming in the ocean..too many bities !! Rans got back ...we will have to stay another nite cause of the car, the others have mooved on, we will catch up with them tomorrow, so we took a drive down to Adelaide River to see the War Memorial,

 a beautiful tribute to all those who lost their lives(242 known) during the bombing of Darwin. We then headed to the Manton Dam and also to the dam wall and pumps/turbines which was completed in 1942 and supplied Darwin its water until the completion of Darwin Dam in the 70's. The diesel turbines which pump the water hadn't been used for some years and immediately after Cyclone Tracey hit, these turbines started first time so as to supply the hospitals etc with water.

We then made our way back for a late lunch.... a nice day.... We got a call that the tail light was in so Rans headed back in again for the last time.On his return we washed the car/van and had happy hour by ourselves.    So will close here, hope to find you all well & the weather is warming up for you all, Miss you all heaps , take care, love Rans & Carol xxxx

TUESDAY 9th AUGUST 2011. DUNDEE BEACH N.T.

Well hi to all, we are currently at Dundee Beach N.T.  It is Sth West of Darwin and approx 60km by boat. It is a fishing community with a small van park, but we are right on the water with a 1min walk to the waters edge, but we don't go that close.... due to sharks & crocodiles!! We sit on the grass area under a big tree, look out to the beautiful ocean, with a drink in hand... & think of you all !!!  its so beautiful.

                      So what have we been up to so far.......TUESDAY 2/8  We head off towards Dundee with expectations of dirt road for a while but most of the road it now sealed with them doing further roadworks. The worse part was the last 3km, we arrived at the boat ramp and we are met by Paul Smedley from Booker Bay &  his wife Sharon. After intro's we went for a drive along the coastline & found a free camp spot but it had no shade whatsoever and let me tell you...you need shade up here,  we then went back to Smeds place, which is a great set up on about 50 acres of  bushland...... We then returned to the boat ramp, which also has a van park behind it, along with a kiosk/bar/beer garden. We decide to stay at the park due to the shade available. After setting up, we all made our way down to the waters edge under the tree with drinks & nibbles. After about 3hrs we watch the sun set across the water, it's so beautiful, the colours were just amazing, We had such a gooooood arternoon. WEDNESDAY.... We got up early, as the 3 boys were  going out to sea with Smeds, they headed  to a reef about 27km off shore, Rans got a fish almost to the boat ( the ol' story of THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!!) John brings in a good size spanish makerel (enough to feed 8 of us that night) We saw a few turtles, a sea snake, flying fish whilst there, but it was a bit windy & bumpy and took us a while to return to ramp, but we had great time.

The girls in the meantime went out with Sharon to do some exploring ..... We headed out to what they call The Graveyard which is hundreds & hundreds of Magnetic Termite Mounds in a area near Dundee, they were like looking at very large headstones ( for giants) all in rows..incredible, then we drove to the mouth of Boat Creek, where along the beach there are just millions of shells..if you had a shovel you could just scoop them up. (but the boys pre-warned us about NOT collecting any more souveniers to go in the vans !!) Also when your picking them up you need to keep one eye out for crocs !!!  After there we headed along a beach for about 5 klms to the mouth of The Finniss River, it was once again..beautiful. We returned back to the boat ramp just as the boys arrived back. After cleaning & filleting the Spanish Mackeral, Smeds decides to put some crab traps in (10), so Rans and John went with him down to a creek behind the park, well its just wide enough to get a tinny down but when we arrived its nearly all mud, so a beer later, we drop the boat, turn it around in the mud, wait a few minutes for the tide to start coming in ( another beer), we finally can start the engine (but only just) and we travel through these small creeks, which then enlarges to a bigger creek and then into a huge river, we then travel across the river and go and set the traps in the mangroves

.This is croc country, oh boy...... John is hanging over the edge of the boat setting the traps... while I hang on to his legs...just incase !!!! we get back to camp about 7.45pm, yes darkness. ( rather eerie  ) the girls had nice salads  made to go with then nice feed of makerel.

THURSDAY...... Up early to go and check the traps, John, Rans & Smeds head off and we get 8 nice size mud crabs, we also re-set the traps for tomorrow. We get back and go to Smeds place to prepare and cook the crabs, we start a  fire, put some sea water in some kegs and boil up the crabs, in the meantime, Smeds gets a call to go on a charter boat down towards the WA border, for 4 days, so he packs up quickly ( beer, sleeping bag & what he's wearing !!) and leaves.

 After cooking the crabs we return to the tree near the water and hoe into the crabs, bloody beautiful, so nice. We then tidy up and the Bewells & Ransleys head into Darwin leaving apprx 4.25pm & arriving at the Mindil Market by 6.50pm. These markets are so packed but a good atmosphere, food... so many food outlets and it tasted nice too. We then leave there and as most people know we headed for the Airport where we dropped off 2 girls, who waited around for 6hrs for the 2.20am red eye to Sydney, yes they have gone home to see their kids & surprise her friends !!.The boys arrived back at Dundee at 11pm.  FRIDAY..... Up early and all the boys and Sharon head out looking for the traps which we had set with Smeds, its a huge area but we do well, especially on the 4th one we picked up.... there's a  6' croc about 7ft away from where we are picking up the trap, it just had it head above the water, with its eyes open looking at us, it didn't go under or move but we were ready to drop the trap, we only got 4 crabs but this turned out just right,

 We got back and cooked them up and then drove down to a creek, which opens onto the beach ,we just stand in the water, which is only ankle deep and eat mud crabs....how good is this !!! Later that arvo we went and picked up one of Smeds tinnies, & return to the park, then headed down to the tree for sunset which again is so red and nice. A bit of noise during night as some fishos have come into town, also fireworks around 1am. SATURDAY..... The 3 blokes put the boat in the creek and go out for a fish, its a bit windy and you can get lost in these creeks easy, plus the tide can drop very quick so you have to keep and eye out. Rans catches a stick (legal size but threw it back!!) and a small cod, whilst Tezza caught a good size Trevally approx 6kg, it took him 10-15min to bring in, he was exhausted by the end ( Terry not the fish !!) at one stage we weren't sure who was going to win, but he did well. We only stayed out for 2 & 1/2 hrs but it was good fun, we will try again tomozz, we did see a few barra hit the water. We filleted the fish into cocktail pieces so another healthy dinner. Tonight we have Fatz Thommo on here at the bar, apparently he is good so w'll give it a go, its currently 33deg.

Well, we went to see Thommo.... we sat at the front seat right in front of the stage, well, we had Sharon, Di & John all up doing songs, dancing, beating drums, the time warp & John being the sailor out of the Village People (& I thought I couldn't dance!!) it was a great nite with Thommo taking off Barry Gibb, Elvis, Meatloaf,  Blues Brothers and many more, we didn't get to bed till 1.30am. It was so good sitting under the stars in thongs, singlet top/shorts, having a few quiet ones with free entertainment. SUNDAY... The boys are back fishing by 9am but we did no good, maybe it had something to do with a real lack of energy!!! Rans did get a good bite but it freed just as it got close to the boat.( another ONE THAT GOT AWAY STORY !!) Its Seniors Sausage Sizzle this arvo at the pub,so we go back down by the water and set up with drinks have a couple of snags for tea, a good arvo but we were all tired after sat nite..sleep well.  MONDAY.... Smeds arrived back home yesterday arvo had a great time, but he is ready to take us out again, so we all head off about 9.30am to go fishing up the Finniss River, well we get bogged in a salt water crossing, so its all out pushing, that doesn't work, so we unhitch the boat trailer, push the landcruiser out, then pull the trailer through, this is great...what a laugh, enjoying it heaps, we then see a bunch of wild pigs, a big boar a few sows, and 8 or so piglets, ( mmm roast pork for tea) well, we stop and give chase but they take off and hide so fast, ( maybe we'll have fish instead !) we had no luck but it brought back memories of the greasy pig at Woy Woy oval during my younger days.

We continue on and get onto the sand of the beach, we stop when we see schools of popyee mullet, so Smeds gets out the net and tries but they are so fast, no luck, we continue on until we get to the mouth of the Finniss River, this is where many HUGH crocs are and only the Mary River may have more. We boys head off upstream leaving the girls on the bank. We only go 1km when we see our first croc sitting on the bank, we go near approx 4' away from it but it doesn't move, its big enough not to worry about us, we continue on and start fishing.

Within 15min Rans has his first Barra a 65cm 3kg fish, not much of a struggle but it did jump out of the water, great stuff. We continue for a while longer but no more success, so head back to girls, have some lunch, and swap as the girls go croc spotting. We hang around with another couple & try netting plus fishing with live bait, get 2 small bronze whaler sharks but put them back, we then see a huge croc across the bank sitting next to a crab trap.

We then see one swim past us approx 30ft away, we also see a dolphin jumping for a barra. The girls then come back and we boys head off across the bank to where the croc was, guarding the pot, but he has slipped into the water, Smeds jumps out, runs up in knee deep mud, and gets the trap, cause it had a lure on it, we grab it, throw the trap back very quickly..... oh boy... not for me!!! there is no way I would get out of this boat !! We then go for another fish, Rans sees a few more crocs, but no luck with fishing, Rans is  the "fisho of the day", we head back along the beach, which its low tide now, so we can go all the way along without going near the mud !! we get back clean up and have a beautiful barra, salad and chips for tea, its about 8pm, so a another big day, but well worth it, having the time of my life, Smeds & Sharon are the best couple.

TUESDAY...... Wake up to a heavy fog over the park and sea, it turns out warm but there is a great sea breeze, we didn't head out today, had to get a few things done around the place, baked dinner with       Smeds & Sharon they are coming over tonight. Carol is having a good time with her boys and friends, she has not stopped seeing everyone, plus dinners, lunches etc, I think she will need a holiday when she gets back !! Heading off to Darwin on Thursday, Take care , Blogg again soon, . Love to all Rans & Carol xxxxxxxxxxx

MONDAY 1ST AUGUST 11 BERRY SPRINGS

Well we have internet/phone/tv service again. Its been a while so now we are approx 45km from Darwin.
Things have been going great, touch wood, having an AMAZING time, you wouldn't be dead for quids!! so here we go with whats been happening since our last blog.
SUNDAY 24/7..... we packed up and left earlish at Springval Park, as there were people lined up waiting to go on our sites!!! We travelled through Pine Creek,which is a nice little town, then onto Douglas Daly Van Park, which is close by to the Douglas & Daly Rivers.......really!! After setting up we went for a drive further along in the park to a number of campsites beside the River.

 One place is called the Arches, it says no swimming due to croc's, not the freshwater ones but the mean salties, anyway Kath, the lady at the Park, says its safe & been passed for swimming, but you can imagine the discussion between the boys and the girls about swimming!! We wern't allowed until another group of oldies jumped in..... so John & Rans went in BUT they weren't allowed to go toooooo far from the shore!! After a quick dip we then made our way back along the river and came to a spot they called the thermal pool, well John made the fatal mistake of going straight in, thinking it wouldn't be too deep, hadn't even taken his glasses off...  he just disappeared, completly went under & he come up spluttering, still with the glasses on.. thank goodness!! Laugh, Rans went in too but was ready for that first step !  MONDAY.....  we headed off to the Douglas Hot Springs . The water in these springs can get to over 60 deg cel.

They are very warm and in some places very very hot. It was enjoyable not as good as Bitter Springs at Mataranka. We then return for lunch & then the Bewells & Ransleys went for a drive along a road to the Daly River. Well what an experience we went from river edge, to open plains, to cattle, to swamp lands, to rainforest, to fields of watermelons, hay & creek crossings & then finally the Daly River.

When we get there, we see a croc over on the other side of the  bank (thank god ! he was a good size) It was a great drive. On the way back we saw wild pigs and then when we almost got back we saw Terry fishing off the bridge, but when we pulled up, we also saw this HUGH python on the road, (between Terry & his car) it was approx 12' and Terry wouldn't return to his car until it had well & truly gone. (he hates snakes)

TUESDAY.... We packed up & left  taking the scenic route north going past the Adelaide River township, which was nice clean town. We then set up in the Litchfield N.Park at a park just outside Batchelor, it is a nice park with plenty of shade which you require as its getting quite warm 30-33deg most days. We set up and then went for a drive to the Termite Mounds,

 then the Lost City a 10.5km dirt track which takes 45min & when you finally get there,  it is rock formations that are unique & look a lot like they are from a Lost City. We then return and drove into Batchelor as we have no phone service (only 90km from Darwin !! so much for next Telstra G) to call the boys. WEDNESDAY.... The Bewells & Ransleys head out to the Cascades, a new area that has opened up to the public within the Nat Park. It is a up hill walk to the cascades, with Rans meeting a boar along the path, we don't know who was the most fightened & who shit themselves the most!!!

The walk was well worth it, with beautiful cascading falls into ponds, we all went for a swim with the girls staying in the water longer than the boys, we then went for a drive to the cheap camping spots in the park but let us say they are not worth it, very small, no shade etc, We then went to Wangi Falls where we met up with the Butlers for lunch, we weren't allowed to swim here as the level was too high for the undertow near the falls and also allowing crocs into the pond.  We then drove to Tolmer Falls which would be the best to see during the wet season & its also the best to see at sunset. We then drove to Buley Falls which is a great spot for swimmming with a number of ponds cascades/falls, Rans & John had a quick swim & then we returned to our site for happy hour.We sat outside after tea and watched the stars which were AMAZING. THURSDAY.........We got early and headed off to Florence Falls which is near to Buley, both of which get very busy during the day. It is a short walk down to Florence Falls which has a large plunge pond at the bottom, just as John & Rans was going to jump in we noticed a large python sitting on a rock on the waters edge, the boys did have a swim but they kept one eye on the python which moved around a bit.

We then went to Buley for a swim, it wasn't busy so we had a pool mostly to ourselves with the 3 girls doing bombs into the water, which was very deep, we stayed there for over an hr as it then started to get busy, so we went back to our site and then into town to do Internet stuff etc.

 We parked under some big trees near the cricket oval & it was great, cleancool area, we then went back and had a baked dinner for tea...yummie FRIDAY.... The 5 of us went out early to Blyth Homestead, it's a homestead out in the middle of nowhere, which took us 20min to get to from the main road, where a couple brought up their 14 children, its next to an old tin mine, but the home would be lucky to fit 4 people. We then continued on through a 4WD track until we came to the carpark for Sandy Creek/Tjaynera Falls,we then walked 1.7km into the falls, which is a beautiful area, with 2 falls,cascading into the pool, John & Rans went snorkelling and they say it was very deep and eerie as it was so dark under water & they expected a croc to come out and take them !! A fish came from the dark at John & he did say it gave him a bit of a fright,.

The girls had a swim close to the edge !!  we then returned to the car & decided to go to a picnic area close by but we made a wrong turn and ended up near Wangi Falls, so we decided to have lunch there, which turned out to be a great decision as they had just opened the falls/pond for swimming an hr before, so we had some lunch and then the boys went swimming and got up under the falls. It was a great day one of many that we have been having. SATURDAY..... An easy day, we headed into Batchlor as they had a Festival on, with stalls music etc. They also had a game of AFL between to college teams of aboriginals, we set ourselves up under those huge trees again listened to the music playing, watching the footy, it was a good arvo.

SUNDAY... We headed off to Berry Springs, set ourselves up at a c/park. We have come this way as we are heading to Dundee Beach on Tuesday, for just over a week, at Paul Smedleys place, a bloke Rans & the Butlers know from Woy Woy. Once we had set up ,we went for a drive into Coolalinga for shopping then back to the Berry Springs for a swim. These are warm springs but with  a lot of rocks between the falls & main pond, but still a nice area with picnic tables etc. We all went in for a swim which was enjoyable. It is here where the lady last week was bitten on the ear/head by a salty,it had snuck in past the traps.... the croc was shot. We then went for a drive to a fish farm and then back for happy hr again!!!!!!!! Monday....... Rans, Carol & Di went to Berry Springs Nature Park, it was great, they have it set up so well, we enjoyed all the exhibits, they really made it feel like the wild, Carol even went onto the Sandbar & hand fed the Whiprays ( type of stingray) she really enjoyed it.

Mid afternoon we headed to The Litchfield Pub & met up with the other 3 for lunch....another great day. Well time to sign off again, not sure when we get to Dundee Bch if we have Ph or Internet service so it could be a week or so before we catch up with u all again.....to Ken & Thomas, have a great "boys" week away at Lake Eyre, you'll love it, birthday wishes to Margaret W, Scott H, Bro Mark R, Deb H & a big Happy 18th to Mitchell Manson xxxxxx (we can go to the pub tog when we get back !!)  hope you all have great birthdays.Once again MISS YOU ALL, take care, love you heaps, Rans & Carol XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX