August 2012

Jabiru is quite a small town and would not exist without the nearby Ranger Uranium Mine. They have a Police Station, a Medical Centre, a supermarket, a newsagent, a bank, a service station, a bakery, two tourist lodges and a caravan park, and not much else. We started the day with a visit to the supermarket and the newsagent for essentials, and a visit to the nearby National Park Visitors Centre for our Park Passes - $25 each for 14 days - Territorians get in free!

After lunch we drove out to Cahill's Crossing to see the tide come in - 90 kms from the coast. When we got there there were plenty of fishers chasing the barramundi, some with plenty of success. Those fishing from the crossing have to keep a good lookout for crocodiles, as there were plenty about, both upstream and downstream from the crossing. About an hour after we got there the tide came in and the East Alligator River started to flow upstream. The crossing is quite busy and while we were there one vehicle raced across the crossing and got all the fishers wet.

Di on the road to Cahill's Crossing

View from the road

Rocky outcrops

More rocky outcrops

Looking down the road

Cahill's Crossing 1 hour before high tide water flowing downstream

A salty taking the sun

Local tour operator

Do you think that it is big enough?

I think that I'll keep it

Approaching high tide - water now flowing upstream

An aboriginal group were fishing from a sand-bank on the other side of the river. They were using hand lines and one was using a net. Each time the net was cast it seemed to land at his feet, but on one cast he pulled out 2 barramundi.

Aboringinals fishing with hand lines and a net

Casting the net

Pulling in the catch

Another hot day at 37 degrees - we have the airconditioner running all day now to keep the van cool. To finish the day we went over to the Bistro for a couple of drinks and dinner, we both had Scotch Fillet with roast herbed potatoes and vegetables which was very nice - just as well as it cost $39 each.

We were up early this morning to pack up before it got too hot - but still quite warm at 7:30 am - 23 degrees with a forecast maximum of 33 degrees. We eventually got away at about 10:00 am for the 250 km trip to Jabiru, and headed south on the Stuart Highway for about 30 kms before turning east onto the Arnhem Highway. We stopped for a cool drink and a muffin at the Bark Hut Inn at Annaburroo which is about halfway between Darwin and Jabiru. We arrived at the Kakadu Lodge Caravan Park at about 1:30 pm and booked in for 4 nights, and we were left to select our own site. The park is only about half full, but all the nice shady sites were gone, so we selected a nice grassy site not too far from the Swimming pool, Bistro and the Bar.

By the time that we had set up camp we were suffering from the heat - the temperature had got to the forecast maximum of 37 degrees - so we settled down with a couple of beers to recover. Late in the afternoon there was some respite from the heat in the form of a few clouds, officially described as partly coudy. While we were enjoying our drink we had a visitor who came to say hello.

Leroy the Lizard

Another hot day today - while it was 32 degrees in Darwin, it was more than that at our caravan park. Di did some washing this morning and we started the packing up process as we are leaving Darwin tomorrow for Jabiru. It might be out of the frying pan and into the fire as Jabiru has been 37 degrees for the last few days and is forecast to be 37 degrees again tomorrow.

After lunch we filled up the Navara with diesel, and went to Casuarina again for papers, a coffee, and groceries at the Woolies supermarket. We may not see a decent supermarket for a few weeks so we made the most of it to restock the larder and the bar. Casuarina is a very large shopping centre with Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, K-Mart and Big W, Dick Smith, and dozens of boutiques and specialty shops; it also has a very large food court.

Our itinerary from here is Jabiru for 4 nights, Mataranka for 3 nights, then Banka Banka and Devil's Marbles, before Gem Tree for 3 nights, then a series of one-night stands on the way to Adelaide, where we will stay a week. After Adelaide we are planning to go back around the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne where we will spend a week before we catch the boat back to Tassie on 30 September.

No photos again!

We were barely out of bed this morning when we got a phone call at 7:45 am from the local Dometic agent to say that the replacement shelves for our fridge had arrived. We picked them up ($70 each) on the way to the GPO in the City to collect our second mail parcel while we have been in Darwin. While we were in the City we picked up the papers and had a coffee.

At 5:00 pm we boarded the bus from the Caravan Park for another trip to the Mindil Beach Markets - we were well prepared this time with a picnic rug and a cool bag with some drinks. However the rug was not required as we managed to grab the last two seats and a table left on the lawns. We were joined by a couple from Geelong in Victoria who were inpressed by David's Cats stubby holder - they turned out to be Carlton supporters but they have given up for this year. While we were chatting he got a call to say that they were booked on the plane to go home on Saturday - their trip was cut short because he had fallen backwards off a raised deck at a restaurant and broken a couple of ribs.

While we waited for the entertainment to begin we sampled the food from some of the food stalls. Honey and Soy Prawns, Mini Dim Sims, Vegetarian Mini Spring Rolls followed by Fried Rice. As it got dark a street busker started his show which was built around lots of fire and flames. At about 8:00 pm we wandered through the market with an ice cream while we waited for our 8:30 pm bus back to the caravan park. Our bus driver was quite entertaining pointing out the sights of Darwin on the way to and from the market.

The Busker preparing his patch at Mindil Beach Market

The start of the show

Juggling fire sticks

Woke up to a foggy morning, but it did not last long. Ended up another sunny blue sky day with a forecast temperature of low 30s. David sat up late last night finishing reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo", and now has his nose in Stieg Larsson's second book "The Girl Who Played With Fire" - he can't seem able to put them down. We both spent the morning reading our books, and after lunch we went to the pool for a swim. A generally lazy day, interupted only by a quick visit to Casuarina Shopping Centre for a paper and a coffee.

No Photos today.