Darwin

We finally arrived in Darwin and it is hot!  Very hot!  We were not very comfortable, and we found ourselves having to plan the day to either be in air conditioning or at the pool.  No air con in the van made things a bit tough.  Saying that, it was nice to have a big (well bigger) city fix, with lots of things to see and do.  We went for a steamy walk around the botanical gardens one morning and found a great kids play area where they use plants to make little tunnels and alleys for the kids to run, a massive bird cage thing, and interesting paths with different mosaics.  The tropical plants were great to see, and the boys had a roll down a big green hill, and we strolled through the rainforest!

  

Thats where bananas come from!

The birdcage high in the trees- a slide is the quick way down!

Flynn found the bikini stand!

We checked out all the markets around Darwin, including the Mindal Market.  We enjoyed the fantastic food, and there was such choice!  We are very spoilt in Melbourne with choice, and Nick and I have been hanging for some nice Thai food since we left.  The mango smoothies were yummy, and the entertainment was great.  We checked out an electrified didgeridoo band which Aidan loved- he charged up the front and had a dance.  We then went to a busker show with lots of fire twirling and crazy outfits.

...........and snow cones

Our first rain in months- a temporary relief from the heat

Aidan checking out the Darwin waterfront- no stingers or crocs!

Berry Springs

We went for a swim at Berry Springs which is just out of Darwin.  We weren't in the water long and Nick and I both got a bite from some very friendly fish.  People told us that they give you a little nibble, which we disagreed with, it was definitely a bite!  So we didn't swim for very long and Berry Springs turned out to be a bit of a fizzier!  The next day we heard on the radio that they had pulled a 2m long saltie out of the springs, and the parks person mentioned something about needing to step up their crocodile management!  We were quite happy that the fish were biting on the day we visited!

Croc hunting!

Cool sticks around here!

Birthday Boy

Cage of death (man lowered into croc cage)

We celebrated Flynn's third birthday in Darwin.  He was excited to have a digger and dump truck.  We went to Crocosaurus park for his birthday which was fantastic.  Every half an hour there was demonstrations of the animals, feeding and the opportunity to touch and hold.  It was great for little kids and the exhibits were easily seen by little people!  We finished the day with a swim and a bit of birthday cake.  For the more adventurous or stupid adults, there is the cage of death.  The day after we visited, the cage of death fell into the water when a cable broke and some of the glass sides broke.  Luckily there was a back up cable to drag the people out.  Also luckily, the crocs are so used to people going in and out of their cage that they dont even bat an eye lid!

Olive python

Flynn holding baby croc- they are very cool to touch!

Aidan loved the croc

I think he liked the cake!

We have been trying to get some work in Darwin, and I was offered a job that was advertised as providing accommodation, but unfortunately that didn't happen.  With accommodation expensive in Darwin and the caravan not being an option for the wet season, we decided to head out to Litchfield National Park.  We stayed just outside a little town called Batchelor, which is a really lovely, green, pretty town.  It is very peaceful out here and cooler than Darwin.  We are much more comfortable.  We were going to stay two nights and ended up staying a week.  This was mostly because both boys were quite unwell, between them they had school sores, a chest infection, an ear infection and conjunctivitis.  Poor little things!  Flynn as usual had his high temps which dont come down easily, and he started refusing all fluids.  The health care here is amazing.  I was about to take him to Darwin late one night, but they have an after hours Remote area nurse service which was fantastic.  They are able to prescribe drugs and they kept a close eye on him and started some antibiotics.  (At no charge to us!)  Both boys have bounced back now and hopefully Mum and Dad can catch up on a bit of sleep!

In the meantime we have got a caretaker position for the Batchelor Museum, where we have accommodation in air-conditioning in exchange for some work on the property.  So we have found a gorgeous, safe place to stay for the wet.  More about it next time- stay tuned for the Batchelor tour!