Day 41 Daly River and a day of challenges and disappointment and some highlights

 The day started off with Matt enjoying pancakes with maple syrup and mixed berries, before we packed up and left Robin Falls. We headed out to visit the Daly River, and as we explored, we spotted two salt water crocs sunning themselves on the beach beside the river. We found the old river crossing weir and cautiously went to the riverside and had a look at the river, which was flowing over the weir. We didn’t spot anymore crocs there. We then drove to the town which housed an inn and a police station.

As we headed back down the road, aiming to see if the Douglas Hot Springs had been opened up, Matt suddenly lost the tacho and the ampmeter was reading zero, and the volt gauge didn’t look right; immediately concerned he pulled over. He raced down to the engine bay to check on the alternator and found it was hot. This alternator was brand new and had been installed before we left Sydney. So we decided to limp the bus to the nearest town, being Adelaide River. The bus still runs, it just uses the battery and the battery isn’t charged anymore, and as we drove along the radiator cooling fans were draining the battery and after an hour of driving the battery got to the point where things like the indicators weren’t working. Matt started to call around a few auto electricians in Darwin, but alas, no one either touches 24 volt alternators, or doesn’t carry parts. So then Matt contacted the auto electrician he bought it from in Katoomba, but he was taking the day off, but would work on a warranty claim tomorrow hopefully. So then Matt called the Darwin office of the supplier of the alternator and they didn’t have any in stock and said the closest one was in Perth, Melbourne or Launceston. So Matt decided it wasn’t worth our while to return to Darwin. He had fortuitously brought the old alternator, something told me I would need it. I guess I know my luck and the quality of aftermarket parts, even if they cost $800. The old alternator still works but wasn’t as big and capable as the new one, to charge as much as he wanted to charge. So he removed the new alternator, and noticed a small blow out hole in the side of the regulator component on the alternator. He then installed the old alternator; and 2 hours later, phew the bus was able to run and charge.  I did get to see the Ghan train go by while I waited for Matt to do the work. By then it was late afternoon and so we headed back down the road and to another free camp ground just further down the road from Robin Falls. 

We had the campground beside Burrell Creek all to ourselves, and as we pulled in, Matt noticed what he thought was a movement on the sandy beach beside the lower part of the creek. So I stood there for a bit and stared and thought I saw some underwater movement further up the lower creek. We pulled out our chairs and Matt got out the fishing rod and lure out and he fished in the upper part of the creek, while I cooked his dinner. It was nice for him to chill out with a beer and fishing. I joined him with dinner and we sat there and enjoyed the serenity, birds were flying home for the night, the sun had set, and the crickets were chirping. I took a short stroll to look at the lower creek again and lo and behold, I saw a floating log near the sandy beach! Matt went and got the camera out and zoomed in and the photos confirmed our suspicions - it was a crocodile! So we moved out chairs and sat them closer to the lower creek and the croc and watched it, and we suspect it was watching us. There was a steep, rocky bank on our side of the creek, so we weren’t worried that it would come near us, (apparently they don’t like climbing on rocks, as they have a sensitive underbelly). As the almost full moon lit up the sky, and the stars started to appear, we watched the croc. At one point, we heard a couple of strange noises which we suspect were the croc snapping at something. Soon it became too dark to see him, and we headed back to Bridget for the night. It was good to end the day surrounded by God’s creation, and to see a croc without being on a tour. It was a small consolation for the concerns we have now with the alternator. Matt is hoping it might be possible for a quick process with the warranty claim and a new one could be sent out to us either at Kununurra or Broome, but we suspect they will want to assess the broken one before they replace the broken one. So Matt will have to hope the old one lasts the distance and the load for the rest of the trip. We will keep you posted on what happens.

tonights campspot

tonights neighbour... we watched him he watched us...

Day 40 Robin Falls

 After Matt installed the bracket he made for the new battery, we left Darwin and headed back south. We went past Adelaide River and turned off to go to Robin Falls. There must have been some event at the Adelaide River show ground as there was a police drug and breath testing operation, as people were leaving the Showgrounds and every car that left the Showgrounds was getting tested. Lots of horse floats and trucks. Looking for horsey people on horsey tranquillisers. We got waved on through. We weren’t horsey enough.  It wasn’t far to reach the campground and we found a flat spot to camp up for the night, and it was free too, bonus! Matt had an early lunch and then we headed further up the road and to the falls. The walk took us past the creek, which had multiple dam walls built out of rocks, presumably by people who had been camping here, and each created a little rock pool. The walkway up to the falls was very rocky and full of tree roots, but worth the effort. We had to do some rock climbing to make it up the falls to check out the rock pools beneath each of the falls. We climbed up to the top pool and sat there for awhile. Matt decided to climb further and up to the very top of the falls, despite how steep the climb was. He found up the top was just a small creek that fed the water falls beneath. He had an even steeper climb back down but made it safely. I was being careful. 

While we sat and enjoyed the cool, a lady made it up to where we were sitting, along with her very playful Border Collie, and the dog loved anyone who would throw her toy stick into the water and she would go and swim out and return with it for more. The water was quite stirred up and murky but cool and refreshing. Neither of us felt like a swim. Eventually we headed back down the rocks and to Bridget and I had a nap, while Matt chilled. We returned to the creek later and Matt opted for a soak in one of the rock pools and I watched the little fish. Matt sent leaf boats to me. Most of them sank. I’ll stick to making busses.  Again, we both just enjoyed absorbing the beauty around us and relaxed. We headed back to Bridget and Matt enjoyed a BBQ dinner, and I got my IV fluids. We sat outside and watched the birds return home, the almost full moon shine between the tree branches above us 

and slowly as the sky darkened, we watched the stars start to appear. Before long the biting insects came out and we retreated into Bridget to write this up. Nice to have a slower day.

Day 39 Darwin- Darwin Museum and Mindil Beach Markets

 had another night of my pump alarming far too often, it reminds me of what it was like when we had a small baby😜. Matt was back up on the roof of the bus to finish up all the connections for the new solar panels and then creating space in the boot for the new battery. He does have to create a new mount for the battery but the beginning work is done. With the new solar panels fully operational, they are producing 3 times the amount of power that the old panels produced. I kept myself busy with more Inphase work and looking ahead to where to explore next.

We then headed out to the Mindil beach area and parked Bridget up near Darwin High School, which is next to the Darwin Museum. We took a stroll down the coastal pathways to the museum and then spent the heat of the day inside the cool of the museum and myriad of rooms of displays. There was a giant croc called sweetheart, stuffed animal displays of the local fauna, fossil displays of the local megafauna, models of the types of sea life, a huge display dedicated to Cyclone Tracy, historic stories about the political history and formation of the Northern Territory, and a big collection of all types of fishing boats used over the past century or two in the local seas. The display on Cyclone Tracy was very interesting, and it had a phone that would ring in one display, and so Matt answered it and it had a message about the long range forecast for the incoming cyclone. There was a booth that you hear a recording made by a Catholic priest of the storm itself, so you could hear what it was like. After all this learning, our brains were exploding so we headed back to the bus for lunch and a lie down, while the generator was running so we could have the air con running. We are spoilt.

took this one for Juliet, she loves big spiders.

cyclone Tracey exhibit

cyclone Tracey exhibit

cyclone Tracey exhibit

We headed back out and down the hill to Mindil Beach where we saw the big race in the annual beer can regatta that was being run at the beach. Lots of people about cheering and watching on. The sand on the beach came alive if you stood still, with most of the shells containing hermit crabs of sorts and they would move when they thought it was safe. The popular Mindil Beach markets were on, so we headed to the park and walked along with the other several hundred people walking past all the street food stalls and vans, clothes, jewellery, art, herbal shops and the like. There was a local entertainer performing and people everywhere. Matt got some Japanese food and later some ice cream to cool us down. We enjoyed being back on the beach before heading up to the lookout to watch the sunset. This was our last chance to be at the coast for awhile and the last Darwin sunset. People started to gather on the beach to watch as well. It was still about 29 degrees with a slight breeze, a beautiful evening.

We headed back to the caravan park for my IV care and connection for my nutrition and to rest up, we move on tomorrow.

 

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.

Day 36 The Tiwi Islands

 An early day, we got to watch the sunrise as we headed down the last stretch of the Stuart Highway (Bridget has now been driven down the full length)  and into the Darwin CBD and to the Cullen Bay Marina. We caught the Sealink ferry to the Tiwi Islands, which is a 2 1/2 hour journey. The engines were loud, and Matt being bored used his noise level testing app to see how loud the drone of the motors were, and it turns out it’s 83dB! At one point as we neared the islands, we assumed they were trying to wake up the passengers as the boat was gently veering from left to right repeatedly. But when we commented to the boat crew that afternoon, we found out that the auto pilot was playing up, but the guy was amused that we had picked up on it, as they had commented that the passengers would get woken up, when it had occurred.

We were welcomed at the wharf by a friendly Tiwi guy named Phelan, who was our guide for the day. We were taken to an area for a welcoming smoking ceremony with a few older Tiwi ladies and men hosting it. They also showed us some dance moves that represent various animals.  We both observed and felt like this was something they had probably done too many times, as their enthusiasm and effort was pretty poor (but who can blame them with all the tourists like us coming over so often). From there we had tea and damper. We split up into 2 groups and our group had a workshop in screenprinting. Tiwi arts is a big thing over there, and had been set up with assistance from the Catholic mission over 60 years ago. We got to choose either a tea towel or t-shirt to print on, then chose a screen print design, and were assisted with the paint and doing the print itself. We both chose the t-shirt option, and mine is of a turtle with rainbow colours, and Matt’s one is a pattern with various shades of green. Lunch was packs of sandwiches and fruit that were provided for the group. Our group then headed out to see the museum. The museum was full of information and history and had a pretty fancy AV presentation complete with a working smoke machine. Phelan was very passionate about telling us about the Dreamtime story and about the clans and the story about the Catholic mission there and how they have integrated faith and Tiwi culture well. The Tiwi islands were only really affected by white man since 1911, but the decline in their health and well being was quite swift, compared to the longer time frame it took for mainland Indigenous peoples. Phelan took us to the historic Catholic Church, made famous in the movie ‘Top End Wedding’ written by and starring Miranda Tapsell. She also happens to be Phelan’s niece. Sadly the church needs a lot of work, and is waiting to be heritage listed before it can be restored. So we were unable to go inside and see the amazing artwork painted in it. He told us a few stories of how the first Catholic priest on the mission connected with and helped the community, especially saving underaged brides from being forced to marry older men. They seem to love and appreciate what the mission did, and although it’s been closed for a long time, it has many current services and support available for the islanders run by the Catholics. This includes the school of 200 or so kids from years K-13. The island is also a no alcohol zone.

 AFL is also very big on the island and a few stars have emerged from the community. We were also shown the coastline and how beautiful and inviting the water is, but swimmers beware in the Top End, including on Tiwi, crocs, stingers and jellyfish are in the water. We didn’t get to see much of the island, but I did get to talk to one of the non Indigenous residents, and she said that unfortunately technology is one of the big problems for the kids, and the loss of language as they prefer not to speak the full Tiwi languages but rather a mixture of the Tiwi language with English. This is something the older folk are saddened by. Although the healthcare is available or they have visiting specialists, in an emergency, it’s a matter of if Careflight or RFDS are available and can make it over in time, and people have died as a result of waiting too long for emergency care.

Soon it was time to leave, and we had to board the very full ferry, as many islanders were heading to Darwin for the funeral of Phelan’s brother. We shared a seat with an NDIS worker, who had spent the day with a client on the island. Matt had to sit under the air conditioning unit which was dripping condensation, especially every time the boat lilted, and poor Matt got dripped on. Im pretty sure it was wetter on my part of the boat than under it, we've sat under waterfalls with less water coming out of them.  It was a bit of a rough ride home, and there must have been a fault in the boat, as we happened to be sitting right in front of the floor access to the hull, and the boat engineer made a few trips down into the hull and we could see the fuel tanks and pipework right below us as our feet dangled, while the access panel was off. Well it made the trip home more interesting.

We returned back to Darwin in time for Matt to do my IV care, and eat dinner and then we headed out to enjoy the sunset out to sea. We also found an open ice cream shop and enjoyed some; a perfect evening to enjoy it. i learnt that you cant get ice cream in a waffle cone in Darwin, as the cones suffer too much from the humidity, and go floppy. Weary from the day, we headed back to our caravan park.

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Day 35 Darwin - WWII Military Museum

 My IV pump was being over sensitive again overnight, alarming for air bubbles far too often, so we didn’t have a great night. So we got up early and packed up and headed back onto the dirt road, traversing the creek crossings and rough parts of the road. Before long we were back cruising down the Stuart Highway and on our way to Darwin. We made it into Darwin mid morning and went around to the various suppliers that Matt had ordered parts from to fix the various issues or replace parts for the solar system and other parts of the motorhome fit out. We also ventured into Bunnings, and were pleasantly surprised to discover it was air conditioned and not just the big roof fans. 

After lunch we went to East Point along the harbour and went to the World War II Military Museum and enjoyed the various presentations and displays about the bombings in Darwin from 1942-43. There wasn’t much there about what the military did when my Grandfather was up there serving, but an interesting museum. It even had a section for the holocaust survivors and the history there. It was refreshing to see a list of other events where genocide has happened, including Australia’s treatment of our Indigenous people. Inside the main museum was a lot of interactive audiovisual projections and recreations of the bombing of Darwin. It was pretty well done and they have a huge collection of military stuff I there. We’re not massive military fans but it’s was interesting and I like big machines, and there was plenty of those 

We were able to pick up the solar panels and battery that had fortunately arrived in good time, that we had ordered and Matt is currently up on the roof of Bridget and removing the old ones that were failing, despite it now being dark. He was able to enjoy a great sunset up there and watch some Air Force or Navy Osprey planes that can land vertically and whatever else has landed as well, as the caravan park is right next to the runway. 

Update , old solar panels are off , new ones are mounted and two of them wired up.