Darwin and Surrounds

Another short drive today of just over 200 km. After spending the past seven days in Kakadu, we joined the Arnhem Highway and soon stopped at the Mamukala Wetlands. The wetlands are at their best late in the season when the water begins to recede, causing the birds to gather together. We managed to take some wonderful photos from the largest bird hide we have ever seen, located on the edge of the wetlands.

 

My parents lived on Myilly Point in Darwin in the late sixties, and I attended my final years of schooling there. Our house was on a cliff overlooking Mindil Beach. This was before the casino was built.

The accommodation at Myilly Point was reserved for the heads of all government departments, including the Army Colonel whose residence was at the very tip. The only exception was the private residence of the Paspaleys, who own the largest pearling company in Australia. Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974, causing widespread destruction that included demolishing all the houses on Myilly Point. 

Aside from the houses that make up the Myilly Point Heritage Precinct, the only remaining house on Myilly Point is the rebuilt Paspaleys' house. We had planned to stay at the Free Spirit Caravan Park, but after hearing about the conditions there, we chose to camp at a park in Hidden Valley instead. We pre-booked a site while still in Kakadu, but it was unnecessary as most southerners had already left for home to escape the high temperatures and humidity, being so late in the season.

We recommend the Hidden Valley Tourist Park.  

We chose a premium, large powered site out of six available. There are 180 powered sites in total, most of which have en-suite facilities. When we arrived, it was lucky if 50 were occupied. We had planned to stay for a week, but due to low occupancy, we extended our stay by another week.
 
The Top End, like the rest of Australia, has been experiencing unusual weather. 
Much of Kakadu was closed due to rain, and we have been experiencing thunderstorms most afternoons, accompanied by rain.
As we drove along the Stuart Highway on our second day heading towards the Mindil Beach markets, the heavens opened up, reminding me of life during the wet season.

Each day has been spent heading off to a different point of interest in the morning, then returning after lunch to relax in the pool and our lovely, air-conditioned van.
 
The Truma Aventa air conditioner now being installed in Bushtracker vans is just fantastic and far superior to the one in our previous Bushtracker. With outside temperatures well above 35 degrees, sometimes nearing 40, and the humidity sapping our energy, this air conditioner keeps the van's interior at a very comfortable 26 degrees or below every day.
 
Some of our outings have included:
Cullen Bay..

The Darwin Military Museum is situated at East Point, about 8 km east of the city centre. The museum primarily exhibits the defence of Darwin during the Second World War. On 19th February 1942 at 09:58, Darwin was attacked by 188 aircraft from Japanese aircraft carriers. There was a subsequent raid involving 54 aircraft at 11:45, which resulted in 235 fatalities.

Also located nearby is the East Point Reserve, which exhibits evidence of Darwin's wartime history.

We ventured south from Darwin one day to swim and photograph Litchfield National Park and Berry Springs Nature Park. Litchfield is located 129 km south of Darwin. We last visited here in 1996, and boardwalks have been added in many places to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. This termite mound is over five metres high and is estimated to be over fifty years old.

These magnetic termite mounds are aligned north to south to minimise the exposure to the sun.

Access to Florence Falls was closed when we visited, so we took our photos from the lookout.

Wangi Falls is the most popular because of its easy access.

Berry Springs is 58 km south of Darwin and is a lovely spot to cool down.

Today, we visited the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre just down the road from where we are staying in Berrimah. There are some impressive aircraft on display, including a Spitfire, Mirage, F111, several helicopters, and the B52, which dwarfs all the other aircraft.

We spent several hours along the waterfront before stopping for lunch.

On another outing, we visited Doctors Gully to see the Aquascene fish feeding that takes place during high tide. This scene has been happening since the 1950s, when wild fish come in and are hand fed slices of bread.

We were very disappointed with our visit to the Darwin Botanical Gardens. We last visited here twenty years ago, and even though it's towards the end of the dry season, we thought the entire place was badly neglected.

On our 2nd last day we visited the Skycity Casino for lunch. The casino overlooks Mindil Beach.

Just as we had finished cooking our dinner on our last evening, a significant downpour lasted for about fifteen minutes. The build-up to the wet season has indeed begun.