Oct 17, 2019 - Day 2 of The Ghan

Well good morning sunrise and what a beautiful looking day. We have been told it is only going to be 29 degrees in Alice today - thank goodness for that as there is no way I could put up with another 40 plus day - as all my skin melted off yesterday!! So off to breakfast whilst our room gets made up - once again the food did not disappoint. I had the chorizo dish - yum yum delish. The good thing is that the servings are not too big so you don't get overfull - like you do on a cruise. After breakfast we arrive in Alice Springs and get ready...

Oct 16, 2019 - Day 1 of The Ghan

So today is the day full of excitment going on the Ghan, So up and at em, shower, breakfast, pack and leave room to catch bus out to the train station. Actually an interesting drive which takes about 30 mins from Darwin. Here we are at the station - pics of the Ghan then to find our carriage, There are 39 carriages and the total length of the train is just under 1km. Luckiy we are in carriage "I" which is not quite halfway. So pics with our host then into our cabin. It is compact but has everything you need. So we check out the facilities,...

Oct 15, 2019 - A full day of exploring......

A day to explore huh?? Well I have to say a day is not really enough for up here as there is so much to explore - but we just stayed around Darwin as time was too short for anything else............however before I go on and on and on........... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SAMMI HOW DID YOU GET TO BE OLDER THAN ME? HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Ok then where was I?? Yes so we started off with a light breakfast and coffeeeeeee before heading towards Cullen Bay. I thought I would like this area - but it was very...

Oct 14, 2019 - Travel to Darwin

So.......up early to complete the packing, take the dogs for a quick walk then in the car and off to the airport. Considering the time of day we made it in good time - which gave us enough time for a chillaxed coffee with date and nut loaf!! The uneventful flight to Darwin was good - considering I watched several episodes of Air Crash Investigation before I left........which is normal for me.......but David on the other hand has now become a nervous flyer (beef or cow??) We arrived at our hotel about 2.00pm Darwin time. So did my usual...

Mar 29, 2019 - Litchfield National Park Darwin

We took off in a Sprinter Van from Darwin Harbor with our guide, a typical Northern Territory tough guy heading deep into the bush. We saw tall water falls, wetlands and huge termite mounds. Even thjuough there is a lot of land in the NT, most is controlled by Aborigines and the federal Government; consequently, land is very expensive. Toured around Darwin on the way back. 101 degrees heat index today. Combat touring. 2 days at sea and then we stop in Cairns.

Aug 17, 2018 - Now that's a BIG RED ROCK!

We headed back into Alice for supplies before heading down the Stuart Highway to Stuarts Well which is conveniently located near a camel farm. For $9 you can ride a camel around the paddock which is more fun for me than Grae for some reason. Sadly Grae thought it was appropriate to eat a camel burger that night for revenge. We stopped in to Erldunda to book accommodation for our return journey and became involved in a real live rescue mission that would make Russell Coight proud. A tour bus of Italian tourists had broken down 20 kms down...

Aug 15, 2018 - Alice Springs and surrounds

Alice Springs is flanked by the West and East Macdonnell Ranges and as you drive through they form a gateway into town. The Alice is a modern town with a pedestrianised mall and airconditioned shopping centres. This weekend is the Henley on Todd Annual Regatta in the dry Todd River near town and there is street entertainment as part of the festivities. There are also lots of lovely and expensive Aboriginal Art Galleries and tour companies and overseas tourists. Not too sure why some of the aborigines need to sit on the footpath, they seem...

Aug 14, 2018 - Devil's Marbles, humbug and a large python

We visited the Devil's Marbles which are sacred rock formations to the local aborigines. They are massive granite rocks eroded into relatively round shapes, with some stacked on top of each other. Heading south from here we visited the Barrow Creek Inn. Here the old drovers tradition of signing a bank note and pinning it behind the bar continues, this is so that there would be money available for a drink on your next visit. The other dubious claim to fame is that this is the nearest pub to where Peter Falconio was abducted and killed in...

Aug 12, 2018 - Tennant Creek - hopefully things get better soon

We weren't really prepared for Tennant Creek, it was grim and sad. Lots of closed and boarded up buildings and those that were open had serious security screens. There were mobile police CCTV cameras parked in the street. The town has has been in the news recently for a horrendous crime that has shocked Australia and the world. We missed the Prime Minister's visit by a week, he'd come to talk to the residents about fixing their numerous problems. Living in Sydney we tend to forget that in some places around Australia people have huge...

Aug 10, 2018 - Goodbye Tropics and hello Desert

Leaving Daly Waters we headed for the one time droving town of Newcastle Waters which was a gathering place for drovers on their gruelling overland cattle drives. It is located at the junction of three major overland stock routes, and was an important source of provisions and a place to rest before drovers continued on their way. Pretty much a ghost town now with preserved National Trust historic buildings, there is also a Drover's Memorial Park, featuring a very life-like bronze statue of a drover. It was sad to think that with the...

Aug 6, 2018 - Made it to Darwin - now all we have to do is drive all the way back!

We made it to Darwin where the weather is hot, the grass very green and the breeze off the Timor Sea very welcome. It is very humid and tropical here and this is the dry season! We visited Parliament House which has lovely views out across the sea. The Library next door had a great exhibit about the history of Darwin and the local aboriginal people. We learnt Darwin has been almost entirely rebuilt four times, following devastation caused by cyclones in 1897, 1937 followed by Japanese air raids during World War II, and then Cyclone Tracy...

Aug 5, 2018 - Litchfield National Park

We've always loved Litchfield National Park more than Kakadu so decided to visit it again rather than do both. From the amazing Cathedral and Magnetic Termite mounds at the entrance to the park to the sublime waterfalls and cascades in the park it is a very special place. It was rather hot in the park and the flies allowed us to practice our aussie salutes! We spent two nights at Banyan Tree Resort outside of Batchelor which isn't too far from the park entrance. The word resort is a loose term as we were in a caravan park with onsite...