Day 60 22/05/2011 Darwin more sightseeing

Day 60 22/05/2011 Darwin more sightseeing

Pete has now changed the name of our trip from the de Rooy’s great adventure to the de Rooy’s stimulus package, well at least that is how it felt today!!



the kids catching juvenile crocodiles



We were up and away early as we were headed to Crocasarus Cove, yep you guessed it, this is a place totally focussed on crocodiles and a few other reptiles.  We had a great time and I am now convinced that we all know as much as we will ever need to know about crocodiles and other reptiles that inhabit the Northern Territory.  The highlight for the kids was getting to go crocodile fishing with the juvenile crocs…..they got to do their own jumping crocs, should have heard them squeal when the little crocodiles jumped at them for the meat.

I love the way theme parks always tunnel children and parents through the gift shop as they are leaving, and Crocasarus Cove was no different.  But it was here that the kids found locally made boomerangs and one’s that were not made of plywood!!  So in keeping with stimulating the economy the three kids are now the proud owners of a boomerang each and a book on the history and how to throw a boomerang.



Pete relaxing after a busy day stimulating Darwin's
economny!!



After Crocasarus Cove we headed down to the Darwin Wharf Precinct to look at the WWII tunnels.  These tunnels were built by the navy in the early 1940’s to house oil as the Japanese army had already started to bomb Darwin.  Within the tunnels were lots of war photos which we found really interesting.

Then it was off for a stroll around the area that looks out over Darwin Harbour and we got the opportunity to read further about the bombing of Darwin in WWII and about the role that the area strategically played in the war.  If you think about it Darwin is a pretty unlucky city, it was bombed in 1942 and then hit by Australia’s most destructive cyclone in 1974, the city has had to be rebuilt twice!!

This is Jack, the man who made and painted
my new didgeridoo.

Because it was Sunday night we decided to head back to Mindil Beach markets, for one last look and to just stimulate Darwin’s economy a little further.  I found a lovely man who made and sold his own didgeridoos.  He explained to us that didgeridoos are hollowed out in the NT by termites and the sound a didgeridoo makes depends not only on its length and width but also the termite tunnels within the wood.  The boys are keen to learn to play a didgeridoo so I found one with a painting that I really liked and we are now the proud owners of one.

On Thurday night when we were at the markets Claudia was admiring the pretty butterfly sun catchers but she was trying hard to be sensible with her pocket money that she didn’t buy one for her room, today she decided being sensible isn’t always fun and now she has a pretty one for her room. 

Zac of course was attracted to the fishing stall and came away with some soft lures that he is hoping will catch him the “next” big one as we head down the WA coast.

And we were all surprised by Callum’s purchase, as we were walking in he spotted Mick the Whip Man and he just wanted the opportunity to be shown how to crack a stock whip, I explained I could do this at home with Poppy’s whip but he wanted to be shown by a professional.  So we stopped and within two minutes Mick the Whip Man had Callum cracking a stock whip, Callum was so hooked he left the markets the happy owner of a new stock whip. 

Thank goodness for pocket money is my reflection on the day, it was also really interesting to watch the kids work out how much money they had, what they could afford, and then have the discussion with themselves about what they should buy.  As Callum summed it up “Mum I’ve thought about this for a good 5 seconds, I’m going to buy a whip”

The stimulus package though couldn’t be stopped as we headed back to Stokes Hill Wharf for burgers beside the harbour and a splash in the water.  When we returned to the van we were certainly tired after such a busy day. 

Today was our final day in Darwin as we start our trek back down the Stuart Hwy tomorrow we plan to spend a couple of days at Litchfield National Park and then it is on to Katherine and then on the road to Western Australia.  We have certainly spent much longer in the Northern Territory than we first planned but there has been just so much to see and do that if we didn’t have to eventually get home for work and school we could have spent so much longer. We would recommend the NT to anyone as a travel destination just don’t forget your sunscreen, hat and insect repellent!!!