Day 38 Darwin- RFDS Museum, WWII Tunnel Museum

 This morning we had an early start with going to collect the new starter motor for the generator and the guy kindly offered Matt the use of his workshop and tools to do the job. This meant the task took half the time with all the specialised tools and equipment. The generator then started first time. Phew! 

funny how 2 hours slog can be summed up in 3 lines, dissapointing really. actually i was really impressed with this guy, electrotech marine, as he at first offered me a hydraulic hoist trolley to lift the generator down out from under the bus over the weekend and drop it back to him on monday,  but i couldn't lift it on my own into the bus so i declined his offer, so he then said " i'll move the truck and you can back it into the workshop and use it here, I've got paperwork to do so I'm here till 10am." so i took him up on that, as it as 7.30am, and the RFDS museum didnt open till 9am. 

i had the generator out in about 45mins and replaced the starter, cleaned everything off, and had it all back in and running by 9.30am. so much easier than trying to lift a 150kg generator whilst trying to bolt it up. great bloke. 

We could then start our day and we headed back to Stoke Hill Wharf and returned to the Royal Flying Doctor’s displays and museum. The same lady from yesterday greeted us and because of what happened yesterday, she let us in at ‘Senior’s rates’! There was another big section on the WWII bombing of the wharf area and memorial to all the wharfies that were killed. There was Virtual reality (VR) goggles to visualise the event, holograms of some of the people retelling their stories, curved video wall presentations, mirrored projections for a mini theatre presentations and more. Matt was in his element absorbing all the AV gear and knew the $$$$ that it would have taken to create it. The other half of this was of course devoted to the RFDS and again there were VR goggles, a decommissioned plane you could climb in, holograms of Mr Traeger who invented the communications devices that outback properties used to connect to both RFDS and school of the air, samples of a medical chest that remote properties are given to manage health and injury situations over the now tele health format. All very interesting and again you feel grateful for what Rev John Flynn did and how many lives his idea and persistence to create this health service, has saved over almost 100 years. To think that they rely on sponsorships and donations to run this vital service. i would've liked to have been a pilot for the RFDS. they provide such an important service.unfortunately pilot training is not something that i have been able to afford. 

sal didnt want to be photographed so i only got her legs in it.

 

We headed back to Bridget and found 2 Curlews beside her, one sitting and the other standing. We got to stare them down a bit, and I noticed their eyelid blinks from side to side and not up and down, (shifty) and when they sit, their knees bend backwards and their body still hovers above, looks awkward and uncomfortable and weird. 

After lunch we wandered over to the nearby WWII Tunnel museum. This time, the guy doing the entry automatically said 2 seniors is $20! So for the 2nd time that day and 3rd time this trip, we have been blessed with being ‘seniors’! Well Matt might be grey, but I’m not and I didn’t think either of us looked that old, but who is going to argue and give up a much cheaper entry price😜. Sal is old by association, that's twice now that some one has looked me in the eye when i've asked the entry price, and without hesitation given me the consession rate. The tunnels were built with mostly prison inmate labour with minimal machinery and constant issues with water and the monsoon seasons. They were to house fuel for the wharf and RAAF for the war. But so many setbacks and cost blowouts, they were only partially finished, and only one of the 5 tunnels were used, long after the war, and then it failed and partially collapsed and pushed the fuel out of the air pipes and into the harbour.

We headed up the hill and walked past Parliament House, the Supreme Court, Administrators Office and Government House, before retreating back to Bridget to cool down and we continued driving around to explore the coastline. We drove past a Greek festival in full swing, a fish feeding area, (not sure how that works with crocs around) Mindil Beach and the Darwin Museum, (which we hope to visit tomorrow). I needed a nap and so we returned to the caravan park for a rest and Matt continued to work on the new wiring and repairs for the solar and batteries. Every new bit he does is improving the system already. Still more to do to finish it though. He was glad that a swim in the pool was an option to cool down.  So we are just chilling for the rest of the day here.

Sorry mum for not putting up yesterdays post on the right day. we haven't died, i just got too busy connecting wires together... promise i'll be more diligent from now on, so you don't panic. 

Day 37 Darwin- Sunset Fish and chips cruise

 We caught up on a few errands and chores this morning and did a big grocery shop. Nothing is too far away here and traffic- it takes about 15 minutes to go from one side to the other. Finally my TPN arrived at the Royal Darwin Hospital and we went and collected it and all the other stock to keep me going for the next 5 weeks or so. Matt is getting very good at cutting up the boxes and finding bins to dispose of them, as we also have all the boxes and padding that came with the new solar panels, that are working really well. Matt is yet to install the new battery. From the hospital we raced down to the wharf area to go to the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctors Service) displays but they don’t let people in after 4pm, and it was 4.03. So we have to return tomorrow. Out of fairness to them, it’s because there is so much content that we would need more time than an hour to experience it all. So we will try again tomorrow morning. 

So we sat and waited another hour or so until it was time to board our evening entertainment which was a sunset cruise on the Darwin Harbour served with fish and chips. seagulls are nationally annoying. Manly or Darwin they are exactly the same squawking fighting rats of the sky.We headed out on this jet boat and they took us along side where a few naval ships were docked, and past a few headlands, before taking us to Cullen Point and they collected the fish and chips and everyone got a box to enjoy. From there we were taken out to the deep and we watched the sun set while everyone enjoyed their dinner. We continued to follow the coastline and then they took the boat out further at speed for a bit of fun, as we continued to watch the colours in the sky change. It was a great sunset and the smoke haze added extra colour to the sun and clouds. We then headed back and enjoyed the pretty city lights along the coastline. Upon our return to near the dock, they threw in the leftover chips and we watched the fish and seagulls fight over them. It was a lovely night and the all girl crew were a delight. I can recommend it for anyone heading to Darwin to while away Winter. Sal did also note that the boat had 4x 300 horsepower v8 outboards on it, so expected it to be fast. her sons have had an influence on her observations.

Also this boat had no windows and was open to the elements bar a roof , was faster than the ferry to Tiwi, and yet i got wetter inside the Tiwi ferry.😕

Matt and I enjoyed the stroll back to where we had managed to find a carpark big enough for Bridget, Constant battle i know how caddliac owners feel... it was a lovely temperature and the sights and sounds around us were pretty, with fairy lights and cheery restaurants with people enjoying their meals. It was nice to be this relaxed and not in a hurry, but to enjoy each other’s company and the atmosphere around us. We returned to the caravan park, and I brought in the washing under the moonlight, and I pondered how I never thought a chore could be this pleasant! Amazing what happens when you are on holidays. Meanwhile, Matt  got caught up with new neighbours asking the usual questions about the bus; and then was cutting up boxes and packaging, whilst being accosted by a Curlew.

 every night this curlew is looking for something from me, mainly cause im the only one silly enough to be working on wiring etc after dark, cause everyone else thinks holidays are for sitting around reading and drinking stuff. i'm pretty sure it wants to steal my screwdriver. they're a shifty looking bird.... they blink funny, and they sit funny. see tommorow's post.