Darwin and surrounds

We have found the best camp site ever!! We have a beautiful setting which is quiet & secluded, we have wonderful owners who have gone out of their way to be kind and helpful, we have 3 lovely children to remind us of the ones we are missing - plus we even have 2 friendly dogs who seem to have adopted us - until the family come home! We are at Girraween at the property of Craig & Megan and we are so grateful for their hospitality, their friendship and their tourism tips of what to see and do. 

Using this as a base, we’ve toured around and feel we have a good grasp of this area. On our way here we stopped at Berry Springs for morning tea in their beautiful gardens. The pool is still not open for swimming after the wet season but I have fond memories of enjoying this area on previous visits. 

Along the Stuart Highway we stopped to read the information about the WW2 airstrips - both Darryls and Tops’s Dads worked on these strips during the war so it’s nice this bit of history is being recognised. 

We enjoyed a day in Darwin and we were very impressed with the city. Dennis encouraged us to go into Parliament House and watch from the gallery and it was pleasing to see orderly behaviour and no yelling or rudeness.

The waterfront area is lovely and we should have come prepared for a dip in the lagoon. We visited Cullen Bay and ended up enjoying a delicious lunch at the boat club in Fannie Bay. Our day finished with a tour of the new military museum which was very well done and we could have spent hours there. 

Dundee beach is a very popular destination for fishing folk and we had contemplated staying out there but the common theme was it’s mosquito and midgie heaven so we decided a day trip was better seeing we didn’t want to face itchy lumps again! The beach there is lovely and it was very pleasant sitting under the trees watching the fishing boats - but of course no swimming due to crocs! 

We also popped into Crab Claw and were impressed with the facilities there and having a drink on the deck, overlooking the sea, was very peaceful. 

Our final day of touring was out to The Bark Hut Inn. Along the way we stopped at Fogg Dam where there was an abundance of bird life which Darryl enjoyed. The Bark Hut proved to be an excellent spot for a lovely relaxing lunch and we were especially intrigued by this crocodile - which we initially believed to be fake, but when we looked again he had disappeared, only to pop up briefly. Then we knew he was real! 

This is the turn around point of our trip so a little sadly we pack up tomorrow and start meandering south. Our plans are still very lose and when we reach 3 ways roadhouse, we’ll have to either turn east into Queensland or south into SA. We’ve enjoyed this part of Australia - their life style is relaxed and friendly and we’ve been made feel welcome wherever we’ve been. I’m not sure where we’ll be for the next episode of our travels - but we will no doubt be enjoying another spot. So on signing off, we can’t thank Craig & Megan enough for their kindness. ❌❌❌❌from the Brays & Greenwoods.