August 11th-24th, 2011-Oasis Caravan Park-Darwin

Thursday August 11th saw us say goodbye to Dundee Beach and travel back to the Stuart Highway and North to the Oasis Caravan Park near Palmerston. We checked in late in the morning for two weeks. The park is lovely and clean. The sites are quite small and crowded but the owners, Gary and Rose are very helpful getting you set up and there is quite a bit of shade. From what we have heard it is one of the best in Darwin and much more reasonable than most as well. We set up during the early afternoon before travelling into Darwin to pick up a few basic groceries and a quick drive around the Darwin Harbour area. We then went to the Mindil Beach Markets again so Di and Terry could experience them. We got there much earlier than the previous time but it was still quite busy. Mainly food places and we did enjoy another nice Chinese meal. We got to view the sunset this time which was nice but no comparison to the Dundee Beach sunsets we enjoyed.

Friday saw Stephen and I busy cleaning our respective caravans for the girls arrival back in Darwin. I gave the other ladies in the park a good laugh when I washed out our blanket in Di's washing bucket. I may have exceeded the recommended dosage for laundry soap and had bubbles everywhere. I have told Sandra the next time she needs to wash to just add water and it should start bubbling up on its own. Stephen and I picked up the girls at 1:40 AM and returned to the park for a sleep.

Saturday we had a bit of a sleep in from the late night picking up the girls at the airport. We then went into Palmerston and stocked up on groceries. Spent the afternoon doing laundry and resting up.

Sunday morning we went into Darwin and found the Rapid Creek Market. This was very different from  Mindil Beach  as was almost entirely fresh produce. It would appear to be in a predominately Asian area and the selection of food was incredible. There were a number of fruit and vegetables that I hadn't seen before. We tried a few new things and enjoyed them. We then travelled into Darwin with our first stop at Fisherman's Wharf. We got a few pictures before loading back in the car in driving to Stoke's Wharf. We had lunch on the wharf and explored before travelling on around the harbour. The Captain Cook Endeavour replica was on show but we didn't pay to tour the inside. We explored on foot from the Bicentennial Park, to Government House, the Deckchair Cinema, and the Waterfront Precinct. Darwin appears to be a very well laid out and clean city. The gardens at Government House were beautiful and the Waterfront Precinct is a wonderful park area for swimming etc. The wave pool is also there. We enjoyed an ice cream at the water's edge before climbing about 300 steps back to Bicentennial Park and the cars.

 Monday morning saw Sandra and I off to Casurina Mall which is the main shopping centre in Darwin. Sandra needed to make an eye appointment as she has been having trouble reading. We were able to make one for Tuesday. We did a bit of shopping before driving to Darwin Harbour. We had to do some illegal turns to get out of the shopping centre without wiping our roof pod out on the covered parking. We enjoyed a quiet lunch by ourselves at Shenanigan's Pub. Had a walk down to the Waterfront Precinct where we toured the Underground Oil Storage Tunnels. Built during the Second World War at a cost of 1.1 Million pounds but never used. What a waste. One of the tunnels would have held 38,000 million litres of Oil. There was actually more information about the war than the tunnels themselves. It was amazing to find out that there was several times more bombs dropped on Darwin during the initial surprise air raids than Pearl Harbour.

Tuesday morning we picked up Di and Terry at Tyrepower where they were having their Patrol's tyres replaced. We then met Carol and Stephen at the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery. It is a beautiful exhibit and amazingly free of charge. We really enjoyed the Cyclone Tracy display. There was a good selection of art as well, mostly Aboriginal. I am not a huge fan of Aboriginal art but there was some very nice work on display. We drove from there back to Casurina for Sandra's eye appointment. Did some more shopping before taking Di & Terry to pickup their car before returning to campground.

Wednesday morning the six of us drove down to Cullen Bay where we took the Ferry to Mandurah. It is about a 20 minute boat trip. We enjoyed a nice swim and a beautiful lunch at the Mandurah Pub. The meals were nice and good value considering their location. The view from the Pub is amazing as you have water views for about 270 degrees. We lazed by the pool for a couple of hours before taking the 3pm ferry back to Darwin. I managed to get myself hugged by a very drunk aboriginal man while waiting for the return ferry. Sandra almost died and wiped me all over with wet baby wipes before I got on the Ferry. I still smelled when we got back to the caravan park so jumped straight into the swimming pool. Some times I wish I wasn't so damn lovable!

Thursday we had a lazy day around the caravan park. We gave the caravan a wash which was long overdue. I drove Stephen back and forth to Palmerston as they were having their car serviced. Unfortunately, their car was run into while at the service shop. Not too much damage but still estimated about $2000 and a big pain in the ass to try and get fixed. Still waiting to see how or when it will be repaired at the Smash Repair. I think they will try a prebook it to be repaired a one of our future stops.

Friday we all went into Darwin again to Crocosaurus Cove. Got to see and hold a number of reptiles in the morning before watching the Barramundi Feed. We then saw some large Crocodiles being fed. Pretty tame stuff as they have been in captivity for a while. They have an attraction called the Cage of Death where you go inside a glass enclosure which is then lowered into the crocodile enclosures. What a rip off as it costs about $100 each and the Crocs don't even bother opening their eyes let alone swim near you. Don't waste your money! Apparently when the Crocs were new it was quite good as they were more aggressive. We enjoyed the reptile display and the fish feeding. The crocs are interesting as well as you can see them from above and below water level. They are amazing how they seem to move effortlessly and can stay under water for hours. Don't ever think you are safe in the water if they are around!

We then went back to the Waterfront Precinct for a picnic lunch. It is a beautiful location and we loved it there. We were planning a swim but were all lazy and just enjoyed a nice shady spot with a beautiful sea breeze. The weather in Darwin has been wonderful. Every day is about 31-32 degrees dropping down to 17-18 degrees overnight. Every day is the same, sunny and beautiful. Luckily we have a nice swimming pool at the caravan park. I jump in several times a day just to cool off. We spent a couple of relaxed hours at the Waterfront Precinct before going back to Government House.

We had seen earlier in the week that they were having an open house from 3pm which we attended. Had a wonderful tour of the gardens and residence. There was a horticulturist on site to answer any questions about the gardens. Well she definitely got more then she bargained for with our girls as they had lots of questions. We got lots of lovely photos of the garden.

Saturday we planned an easy day with just a short trip to Woolies planned. Di and Terry asked if we would like to stop at Fannie Bay on our way. We agreed and off we set. Well on the way we passed a very conjested area which we discovered was the Parap Markets. We stopped and ended up spending a few hours there. Very, very good markets. Lots of fresh produce like Rapid Creek but also lots of nice clothing stalls etc, better than Mindil. We had a ball and ended up having lunch there. We eventually made it to Fannie Bay which is beautiful. The water is such a lovely colour. There was actually about 4-5 different colours of blue/green with the tide partly out. We had a short walk before continuing on to East Point Reserve. It is a wonderul park with a large man made saltwater lake called Lake Alexander. We eventually made it to Woolies before arriving home late afternoon. So much for our easy day but it was a lot of fun.

 Sunday we returned to Lake Alexander for a relaxing picnic. We arrived in mid morning and lazed around to mid afternoon. We had a nice walk around the lake and waded in the warm waters. Had a lovely shaded location with a cool breeze. Beautiful Prawn and Mango salad for lunch. The mangos are beautiful here and cheap. We got a box of 19 the other day for $15. We returned home and enjoyed a beautiful baked dinner on the Barbeque. Life is really, really hard!

Monday morning saw Sandra and I up early to travel back to Berry Springs to tour the Territory Wildlife Park. We got there when the gates opened at 8:30 and were the first ones there. We caught the train to the Billibong and watched the Pelican feeding with one other couple. It was a beautiful peaceful morning with the water like glass on the Billibong. I got a couple of lovely reflection photos. The Pelican weren't that cooperative with the feeding as they have been over feeding them lately because they are raising babies.

From there we walked to the aquarium building. Lots of colorful fish life, turtles, and some huge Barramundi. The aquariums are nicely laid out with natural settings. We then walked the short distance to Oolloo Sandbar. Here we got to see the Barramundi, Archer fish, and Whiprays be fed. Sandra had the Archer fish spit grubs out of her hand and I got into the water and fed the whiprays. Beautiful creatures.

We then got back on the train to go the the Bird of Prey show. Very interesting again as they had a number of Raptors on display. The Osprey was interesting as it dove in the water at a high speed to retrieve it's fish. The Brown buzzard which looks similar to a Wedgetail was very clever as it used a rock to break an egg shell to get at its food.

We then walked back around to the Aviaries and the Wetland Walk before finishing up at the Nocturnal display where they gave a talk on a flying fox. The displays were all well laid out, walks were good, and all the staff were very friendly and informative. Definately recommended for a visit when in the Darwin area. Allow a full day as we got there at 8:30 and never left till 2:30.

 Tuesday morning saw us enjoy a big breakfast/brunch. Bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, grilled tomato etc. We had most of the caravan park walking by and trying to invite themselves for breakfast.
We then went back to Casurina Square to pickup Sandra's new glasses. She can read again. I will need to be careful what I write about her now. We did quite a bit of shopping getting ready for the next leg of our journey.

Wednesday was a rest day for the Bewells. That is if you can call laundry, cleaning caravan inside and out, washing car, doing Blog etc restful and relaxing. We are ready for our move tomorrow. We have really enjoyed Darwin and I could see myself spending more time here. However, we need to keep moving so we can be farther south in Western Australia when the wet season begins. We have seen so much already but I still get overwhelmed sometimes when I look at the map and see what we still have left to see. Tomorrow we begin our next adventure in Kakadu. We are planning about 8 days at this point. We are all looking forward to it and the wonderful sites we are about to see. Talk to you again soon.

August 2nd-10th, 2011-Dundee Beach- Lodge of Dundee

Tuesday August 2nd saw us travel west along the Cox Peninsula Road and Fog Bay Road to Dundee Beach. Both the Ransleys and Butlers have some friends that live here during the dry season. We met Paul and Sharon Smedley at the Boat Ramp for a quick tour around and to explore possible camp sites. We ended up staying at the Caravan Park at the Dundee Lodge as it is very central to the boat ramp etc. We checked in and set up camp in the early afternoon. We made our way down to the beach in the late afternoon for snacks and drinks, to enjoy the nightly happy hour/sunset watch at Dundee Beach. This appears to be one of the main daily activities in Dundee. We enjoyed the experience and the sunset was beautiful. Our first over the Timor Sea to the west. We returned to the caravans for dinner. Dundee Beach appears to be very laid back with people that enjoy the uncomplicated and relaxed lifestyle that it brings.

Wednesday morning we were up early as the three boys were going out fishing with Paul. We headed out 27Km in the Timor Sea to have a crack at deep sea fishing. The water got rougher as we got further out. We caught one Spanish Mackerel. It was a smallish one (10KG?) but still gave a fair bit of fight when I was pulling it in. The trip back in was slow and rough as we were going against the tide and waves. Had a good time and hope to give it another crack before we leave.

Shaz took the girls on a whirlwind tour of Dundee Beach. They first went to the cemetery which is a huge field of magnetic termite mounds. Sandra says they were far better than the ones at Litchfield which are much more well known. They also went out to the Finniss River and Finniss Station. They also went to Boat Creek where they collected sea shells.

Paul filleted the fish for Terry to cook up for evening tea. We had a late tea as Paul took John and Stephen out on a tidal creek to set crab pots. This was an amazing experience as we basically put the boat off the trailer in a mud puddle and waited for the tide to come in. We then slowly made our way down a very narrow channel covered by Mangrove trees. Eventually we hit a bigger channel and a bigger channel. Eventually we ended up in a huge body of water which they call Bynoe Harbour. Huge!
We set our 10 crab pots and returned to the camp. You have to time the tide right or you end up stuck in mud flats for 6+ hours until the next high tide. We really enjoyed the Spanish Mackerel and the one fish fed the eight of us with several helpings each. Yum! Oh and another fantastic Sunset by the way.

Thursday morning we were up early again to go collect our crab pots. A beautiful sunrise as we made our way down the mirror like waters of the creek. We had a good haul as we collected 7 good size mud crabs. We let a few smaller ones go and re baited all the pots for the next day.

We returned to Paul and Sharon's place where we started a roaring fire to cook the crabs on. It was quite a process to get them all cooked but we all had a great feed of mud crab! Oh how tough our lives have become! Paul got a surprise invitation for a 4 day fishing trip down the coast and packed and left quickly.

Stephen and I took Carol and Sandra into Darwin later in the afternoon. We enjoyed the Mindil Beach Markets before delivering the girls to the airport. Carol and Sandra are taking a short trip home to Newcastle and Woy Woy to visit their children for a week. Stephen and I returned to Dundee Beach arriving home around 11pm.

Friday morning Sharon took the boys out to collect the crab pots. A bit of a challenge as they were well hidden and Paul wasn't there to guide us. Sharon did a great job and we found them all eventually. Not as good as the day before but we still had 4 new crabs to go with a couple left over from the day before. We spotted a small saltwater crocodile about 10 feet from one of our crab pots. I retrieved that one with extra care.

We returned to the campground to spend the rest of the morning. We then repeated the fire and crab cooking at Sharon's place. She then took us down the beach in her 4WD where we enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch on a tidal creek draining into the ocean. Outstanding!

We returned to camp in time for happy hour/sunset. Another beautiful sunset! We finished off with a BBQ steak dinner. We were all stuffed and vowed to cutback tomorrow on our food intake. No doubt we won't succeed but we better give it a try or we won't be able to move without assistance soon.

Saturday morning saw Stephen, John, and Terry borrow a small tinny from Paul/Shaz and try our hands at fishing in the tidal creek. Took us a while to get everything working and organized but we enjoyed a couple of hours fishing and luckily found our way back to the boat ramp well before the tide had receded. Terry caught a nice 6KG Golden Trevally. It gave him a hell of a fight as we were only using light fishing gear. Terry only had 6lb line but successfully battled him into the boat. It was a toss up for a few minutes who would tire first, Terry or the fish. Terry finally got him near the boat after about 15 minutes and I was able to successfully get a gaff hook into him. First time lucky as I had never used one before. Had a few other decent bites and Stephen landed a stick and a 6 inch Cod but nothing else to keep. We decided we will upgrade our fishing equipment for a bit heavier class of fish before trying again tomorrow. Terry has loads of different equipment to suit all types of conditions.

We enjoyed a quiet afternoon around the campsite working on photos, Blogs, etc. We had the Trevally for tea before going over to the Lodge Pub to watch the weekly Saturday night entertainment, Fat Thommo. Well what an evening; the guy was hilarious and we all had a great time. There was a lot of non voluntary audience participation in his performances. I won't give all the details but someone you know ended up with no shirt on and performing as the Sailor out of the Village People, singing YMCA and disco dancing through the crowd. There was also a very uncoordinated group version of the Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show. The plan was to deny everything but it turns out Rans has video. No pictures for the Blog as it is best left to the imagination! OK, just one.

Sunday morning we were all a bit sluggish from all the singing and dancing (not the drinking!) the night before but we were still up and off fishing by 8:30. No luck this time. Easy afternoon today with me doing a bit of cleaning and organizing in and around the caravan. Of course we got our requisite Sunset shot.

Monday Paul and Shaz picked us up for a trip out to the Finniss River for some Barra fishing and Crocodile spotting. What a great day! We had a bit of trouble getting there as the tide was high and we couldn't use the beach access. The alternate route had a wet boggy hole that of course Paul tried to go through with the boat behind. We got our selves well and truly bogged. Eventually we were able to push the Landcruiser through. We then pulled the boat and trailer through with a rope. Needless to say none of us were quite as clean after this episode.

We loaded back in the car and travelled the rest of the way without incident. We put the boat in at the mouth of the Finniss River and the four boys went our for some Barra fishing. Rans caught a 65cm Barra fairly quickly. Unfortunately this was the extent of our success for the day. We had a good time trying and spotted a number of Saltwater Crocs along the way. Would not want to go swimming in this river as it is full of big Crocs. We also saw a dolphin chasing a Barra and a number of Sea Eagles.

We returned to the shore and the two girls took the boat for a cruise down the river to spot Crocodiles and bird life. They spotted 12 in just over an hour and some were huge. The boys had lunch and entertained themselves on the beach until they returned.

 

The tide was very low when we were loading up and we had to drag the boat up the beach with the rope again so we could load on the trailer. We enjoyed a nice drive along the beach on the return home because of the low tide. After cleaning up the boat etc we did up the Barramundi for dinner. Very nice but the general consensus was that the Spanish Mackerel and Golden Trevally were every bit as good eating if not better than the Barra.

Tuesday we had a relatively quiet day around the camp doing some paperwork, computer work, cleaning etc. Rans and John returned Paul's boat in the afternoon and we had Paul and Shaz over for a baked dinner to thank them for all their hospitality. We enjoyed a lovely baked dinner, lots of drinks, and loads of laughs. We viewed all the incriminating videos from Saturday night again and Shaz went through my 2000+ adventure photos. She is a real trooper as she went through them all and even seemed like she was enjoying them. We said our goodbyes as they are going into Darwin on Wednesday and we won't see them before we leave on Thursday morning. By the way it was another great sunset!

Wednesday was another quiet day as we prepared to leave Dundee Beach Thursday morning. Lots of cleaning and getting rid of leftovers in our fridges. Looking forward to our next stop in Darwin and picking up Sandra and Carol from airport on Friday. We have really enjoyed our week at Dundee Beach and may come out for another day when the girls are back with us. The only downside was that there was no place to have a swim to cool off. The ocean is beautiful but off limits due to sharks and crocodiles. The caravan park is installing a pool today so will be able to cool down in that for future stays. Talk to you all soon.