Mataranka to Darwin

What a busy few days we have had since our last post! We have been out of range since Mataranka so now we are in Darwin we can fill you in on all that we have been up to.

Our next stop after leaving our idyllic spot at Bitter Springs was Edith Falls, a national park not far north of Katherine. We had arranged to meet up with our good friends from Sydney, the Catteralls, who are 4 months into their 6 months trip. We hadn't heard of Edith Falls so didn't know what to expect - the campground in the national park was fairly unremarkable - so we were keen to explore the nearby falls the next day. We laced up our walking shoes and headed off in the morning for a hike, joined by the Catteralls and our new Mataranka made friends, Michael, Kate, Will and Eleanor Wheatley (also from Sydney) . The walk was quite strenuous, or at least it seemed so in 34 degree heat, 4 year old in tow and a swimming noodle under each arm. We soon discovered that the walk (and the noodles) were well worth the effort, as the falls were beyond anything we could have imagined. Absolute paradise. We spent a blissful few hours alternately swimming in the crystal clear waters and basking on the warm rocks. Definitely a 'champagne day'. Georgie even managed to walk back home again ON HER OWN!

The March of the Noodles

First glimpse of Edith Falls

We made it! Will, Hugo,Tom, Eleanor, Sienna, Teya, James

Beautiful Edith Falls (Ali in blue with Georgie)

 That night we were treated to a concert by the kids. They had great fun rehearsing and performing their individual "acts", including singing, trumpet, guitar, harmonica and flute solos, didgeridoo and tapping sticks, Irish dancing, and a play! - James did a sterling job as M.C. This was followed by a singalong courtesy of Michael and his guitar (accompanied by us struggling to remember past the first verse of American Pie). A great end to a great day.



Georgie learning to play Hugo's "didge"



Curtain call

 

Altogether now - "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car"



After saying goodbye to the Catteralls (enjoy your last 6 weeks guys!) we headed on to Litchfield National Park, where we had our first 4 wheel drive experience (including creek crossings - unfortunately {fortunately?} we didn't see any crocs!) and swam in more impossibly beautiful waterfalls and waterholes. The pictures speak for themselves...



Ahh...this is the life! Tom, Will and Eleanor.



Buley Waterhole - John and James



Water Boy

Another day, another waterfall. Litchfield N.P.

"Tom, Toyotas and Termites". One of the many termite mounds in N.T. This one particularly impressive!

We said goodbye to Litchfield and headed up the highway to Darwin where we settled in for a few days at the Big 4, comfortably cool under a massive Banyan Tree. We have been here 5 days now while we have a few niggling problems with the car and van sorted, and explore Australia's northern most and smallest (population 127,000) city. Highlights have included (in no particular order):

Hand feeding the mullet in Darwin harbour at high tide...

A trip to Crocosaurus Cove where we got friendly with some reptiles...

Swimming in a glass pool next to (whilst pretending to be) crocodiles...

 

Crocosaurus Cove's most dangerous exhibit. The Rapp Children.




Fed the juvenile crocodiles...

And patted a crocodile..

Oh, alright then...

A trip to Mindil Beach sunset markets was also a must do, being one of the experiences written about it in Alison Lester's "Are We There Yet?", a favourite children's book about a family's caravan trip around Australia. We are conducting a poll to see how many family's we meet have been inspired by this book - and so far it has been all of them!

The markets are a mix of art and craft and food stalls. Shopping, eating, and taking in the sunset on the beach is what it is all about. Sounds good doesn't it? And it was (except for John who hates shopping and had a raw chicken curry).

John, James and Tom taking in the sunset.

...the Sunset.

We are only 2 weeks into our trip now and seen so much already. Can't imagine what we will see and experience over 4 months.  We feel quite ashamed of how little we previously knew of our country and how we have underestimated and under appreciated her. Australia, forgive us, for we adore thee! 

We have settled into day to day life in the van and are finding it very comfortable. Preparing meals has been surprisingly easy, now that it is warmer and we can cook and eat outdoors. The fridge stores a good week's worth of food, so that we are not having to shop too often. We are very grateful for a shower and toilet (especially in the middle of the night)! James is finding the sleeping quarters too cramped for his taste, as he often hits his head first thing in the morning, before he remembers where he is! Granted, the beds are more like catacombs, but we had to save space somewhere!  Our pack up times could still do with improvement, at 2 hours it is the same time as it takes our friends with camper trailers, but we are hopeful that we will get better with practice. We are finding time most days to do an hour or so of school work - any reluctance is met with a quick "imagine what you'd be otherwise be doing!" Car trips have become the best time for maths mentals and spelling, and the boys are creating wonderful journals - when they can sit still for more than 5 minutes and are in the right mood!  (yes Tom, that would be you!)

 We are planning to leave Darwin tomorrow and head to Kakadu - so we will post  an update next time we have coverage. Thanks for reading if you have made it this far!