It’s getting hot so grab an iced coffee

 

 Getting into Darwin early so we can get a site at the show grounds but the last site was taken the night before so a few phone calls and we’re off to a van park 10ks from the city get a number & wait till 11am when they start calling numbers for the vacant sites this should be fun, after sitting for nearly an hour “BINGO” that’s our number & we’re off to set up camp. We spent 4 days sightseeing Darwin the museum was a high light as they had a display from cyclone Tracey & a lot of info of what happen around that time. We had dinner at Stokes Wharf one night where we ran into Max & Rhonda who we met at Atherton they had already been back to Perth & returned to Darwin to meet family for dinner that night on the wharf. We also went to the night markets which was a blow out there was about 500 people there that night, Josh & Clare brought whips & Mick  taught them how to crack them properly.

Wangi Falls

  An early start & we’re off to Lichfield NP where we will spend a few days, when we arrived at  Wangi Falls camp ground we got the 2^nd last site (now that’s planning) a quick service of the car & we’re off for a swim at the falls. The water was refreshing, Josh & I found a hot spring that filled a hole in the rock the hole was about 8 feet deep then we found some rocks to jump off & swam over to the water falls were we could sit under them. After an hour of coaxing the girls they swam over to the hot springs, Clare & Kirsty swam under the water fall but Kylie would only swim close to them, after nearly 3 hours of swimming we needed a feed & then we would come back later. The next day we went sightseeing to the lost city & to Florence Falls were we went swimming again lots of back packers there so we didn’t hang around long, more swimming back at Wangi Falls to finish off the last day in Lichfield NP.

Hot pool next to falls

 The next day we stopped at Bridge creek free camp beside the road, washing day again & Josh & I did some repairs to the cruiser. The following day I washed the van with creek water & Josh went & found some bamboo so he could build an A frame shelter to sleep in that night but while he was cutting bamboo he disturbed 3 fresh water crocs so Mum wouldn’t let him go & get the last bit he needed ( that’s the excuse he used )he improvised, completed it and spent his first cold night in a shelter he had built himself.

Josh sleeping in his shelter

Termite mound in Lichfied NP

The Lost City

  Back in Katherine more shopping & I picked up parts for the cruiser and then we visited the thermal springs before heading out to a free camp for the night. Not much later 4 other vans stopped for the night so a fire was lit & there were lots of yarns told till late into the night. The next morning we went back to Katherine so I could do the repairs to the cruiser & Kylie work as well the kids did some school work before going for a swim in the thermal springs, we then headed back out of town to a free camp further down the track than the night before. The drive through the ranges to the Victoria River road house were just spectacular we love the way the country side changes over the next hill or round the next corner. Around this area there are lots of 4wd tracks that are extreme so it looks like a place to revisit later down the track, the next stop is Big Horse NP on the Victoria Rive,r as we pulled in Ned & Gae were there so it was time for a catch up yarn around another fire that night. After 2 days there & no fish to be caught time to head to the WA boarder ( yep heading into another state already) as we got to the dirt road turn off @ Zebra Rock camp a traveller stopped us to say that the camp had closed, we found out later that it closed 1hr before we got there, so we set up camp on the side of the road to cook up all vegies before crossing the border the next day. Later that afternoon 4 vans pulled in near us as I went out to greet them they had put there vans in a circle like they were wagon trains so I politely let them no Indians would be attacking that night so they would be safe.... oops nomads with NO sense of humour back in the van for me J . Pulling up at the boarder quarantine the inspector checked the fridges for illegal’s trying to sneak across the border, I thought he would have noticed we had Qld number plates not Victorian, a pretty uneventful border crossing so not long till we reached Kununurra where we notice it was very quite in town & once again nothing open... oops Sunday again & we forgot to put our clocks back an hour & half J .

Boab at sunset Big Horse creek