A flying visit to the Capital of the Top End

1 - 4 August

Darwin

We hadn't booked in Darwin as we weren't sure where to stay or how long we would be there but we had heard that the showground and Polo club both did overflow so we weren't too concerned.

WRONG!!! 

After phoning just about all of the 11 caravan parks and finding out that they were all full, as was the polo club, we were getting a bit worried. We couldn't find any contact details to the Showground so TJ put in a call to the SDA church hoping they might do something as we have stayed with them in Broome and Perth.  

She spoke to the Pastor's wife who said that they used to have campgrounds but only recently the council had told them that the area wasn't zoned for it and they would have to stop. But they were having a Winter camp that weekend and they would have people coming from various places who would be camping so one more should be ok. She just wanted to check with her husband.

So we got the address of the showground and drove over there. We pulled off the road and into some shade, had lunch and tried to phone them. Finally I got a hold of someone who told us they don't take campers. DOH!!

We were now getting  officially worried. If the SDA church didn't come through we were going to be in trouble. Fortunately we received a call from Sue telling us that her husband Mark was ok with it and gave me details of where and whom to contact. Very lucky.

While we finished our lunch someone from the showground came over and gave us the hurry up telling us that we were on private property but we could finish our lunch before leaving. We were a little put out but understood when another couple of caravans started pulling off the road and stopping under some trees. We are sure that it wouldn't take long for the area to be turned into a free camp site if the grey nomads were given half a chance.

We went over to the SDA which was in the grounds of a school that had stopped operating about five years earlier. They had put power and water to about 15 campsites and as the camp wasn't starting until the next day we had a great choice of places to set up. The caretaker Peter was reasonably friendly and showed us to our site and let us know where things were. I asked him about the fenced off houses in the streets we had seen when driving in as they all had cyclone fencing around them and they reminded me of the abandoned Housing Commission properties I had seen that were awaiting demolition. He said it was because of the local Aboriginal people and the vandalism and break ins that occur. HMMMM not so comfy with that but it unfortunately is how it is.

Anyway shortly after Mark the Pastor came over and we were made to feel really welcome and invited to any of the activities that were being held over the weekend. We thought it would be nice to go to something to say thanks for their hospitality but didn't commit as we told them we only had a few days to see Darwin and would be in and out.

We were just so pleased to have somewhere to stay.

 

While in Darwin we went out to Stokes Wharf for a coffee, did the heritage walk around town, read up about the bombing of Darwin during WW2, about 50 attacks during the war. We went to the Museum to see and hear the cyclone Tracey information. Which included a recording of the storm while standing in a darkened room, really impressive and realistic. I was amazed by how much destruction there was and the impact on the city. Well worth reading about if you get the time. So too was the WW2 information. I didn't realise that it was the same attack group that had bombed Pearl Harbour 10 weeks earlier that hit Darwin. The city had been partially evacuated with the women and children being moved out as soon as Japan came into the war and only about 10000 people remained. The heritage walk showed us lots of places that had been destroyed and rebuilt either after being bombed or blown away by the cyclone.

 

We also made it to the Mindil markets which were really cool and then grabbed some dinner and walked down onto the beach to watch the sunset. The colours were amazing and so were the crowds. We then went back to look at the rest of the markets and were mesmerised by the continuing changes in the sky as the sun went further down turning the sky into incredible reds and oranges.

We also went to the Wave pool on the water front and then for dinner out on Stokes Wharf where you can feed the fish over the side, huge bat fish fight over the chips that are thrown in. We had run low on oil a couple of days earlier so decided to get the car checked out before heading out on another remote drive and were lucky enough to get into Toyota and then walked down to the Botanic gardens for lunch which was beautiful.

Stokes Wharf

 

Botanic Gardens

 

Wave Pool

We did some shopping for a restock. As we had missed all of the Church activities we decided we would do a morning service and have breakfast with them. They were a lovely group of people and couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly. So much so that after asking which way we were heading they introduced us to the couple who looked after the Katherine church and insisted we stay with them. They also gave us contact details for the Townsville church if we want to stay there. After all that, they only charged us $25 a night to stay there which is incredible as we were quoted $50 plus for a non powered site elsewhere in Darwin.

Small world as it turned out that Mark the Pastor had lived in Hornsby for a while before attending the SDA church in Waitara. What a lovely group of people they were and we can't help but be thankful for having somewhere to stay when it wasn't looking too good for a while.

We haven't converted to The Adventist Church but are really appreciative of their hospitality.