Around Oz the First Time - Chapter 20 - Cooinda to Darwin

Unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye to Kakadu. We will return here as there is so much more to see. Jim Jim Falls, BukBukLuk just to name 2 that are close by. The van park is first rate, the staff here are nothing but helpful rating it high on our experience list so far. And the experience of climbing to an ancient group of pools preceding a magnificent set of falls or standing looking at a 360 degree vista of the land seen only in a movie, is something for the memory banks.

The big thing that has come from all our travellers is we are glad we have done this before we were too old. The driving can be broken up more but some of the places we have walked to in the heat of the day (and it’s not the high of the dry season as yet) have taken it out of us. We see plenty of young families as we travel, some with preschool kids, others perhaps home schooling and plenty of overseas tourists eager to see what Kakadu has to offer. If any of them are disappointed they should take a long hard look at themselves in my opinion.

We had put the awning down for the first time here, it’s now to retract it. I was “instructed” by Silver Leader and Forbsy in its deployment (meaning they did most of it) I hope they are not far away if I stuff the retraction up!

It’s an easy drive today, only 280 kilometres. Through Kakadu to Jabiru then along the highway we drive. The scenery early shrieks of fire, there are burnt out patches regularly. Once out of Kakadu though the land and the vegetation changes quickly. As we head across the East Alligator River the banks are noted for their straightness and colour the same as the water, a dirty grey colour.

I muse to Silver Leader is that all we need to do is get a boat and motor along the banks with lures behind. He simply agrees.

The plan was to lunch at The Bark Hut, about 2 hours into the journey. We drive in and drive out as the place is closed for renovations and seek another venue. A little further up the road the opportunity presents itself in the Corroboree Park Tavern. This place comes with cattle manure all over the ground, Forbsy is so grateful, he was missing this since his Cruiser was doused in it alongside a road train early in the trip, water buffalo, “wild pigs” (in captivity at least) and crocodiles (also in penned up.

There are feeding demonstrations at regular intervals, but we are here to feed only one animal, the human one. Sandwiches, wraps etc are the order of the day, although I am tempted to a premade burger, which I enjoy. We wander through the pub, shop and poker machine section, then head out to the display area, take photos and return to the vehicles.

We are only an hour (even less) from our destination in Darwin at the Free Spirit Van Park. Just back on the road the iPod starts playing the Bill and Boyd song, Santa Never Made it into Darwin. This song always brings tears to my eyes and anger to my heart. In 1974 Cyclone Tracey all but destroyed Darwin on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Day a National Telethon was held. New Years Day was also the day of the Dalton New Years Gymkhana, a local horse event we as children always frequented in our competitive horse riding days.

This particular year we had more than our fair share of luck and myself, my sister (aptly named Tracey), brother and two other families won close to $500 on the day. My god mother putting in the remaining few dollars to get us to the amount. I will never forget getting home and waiting for our names to be mentioned as donors on the telethon only to have the so-called celebrity suggest that the posted amount could not be right, it must have been $5. We were so pissed off. I will never forget or forgive the impudence of the presenter, but we know what we did, and we are proud. It still brings a tear to my eye every time I hear that song.

The caravan park is very large with a significant number of sites. They are all at an angle, differing depending on which section of the park you are in. We head towards our designated spots and reverse in next to a concrete porch. Each van has at least 2 goes to get it right. Some trees and bushes faced significant danger in the reversing process but not on my site (mainly because there were none that I could run over), but Forbsy managed to have a reasonable brush with one. He finishes his set up and immediately parks his reclining chair under the tree as if to say sorry.

Like I said this place is large. They have 4 swimming pools. One is situated adjacent to the bar and bistro. Although it is at the other end of the park we head off to it for a swim and maybe, just maybe a cool lime juice. As we walk along three military V-Stol aircraft fly overhead on final approach to the airport which must be close by. This is the first time I have seen such craft and marvel at them.

But the pool beckons and we wander in and refresh with a dip. Wandering around the pool the sign says “Happy Hour – all day just the prices are different”. With our information packs we have received a free drink voucher. Robyn asks for a glass of Chardonnay, the voucher is used for that. Rosalie goes for a Pimm’s and something, a cocktail looking concoction she enjoys a little too well she exclaims. I text a cousin who used to live in the area that we are here, she replies with some places to see and that she still has a mango farm block interest here. I text back suggesting Robyn would be more than happy to pick fruit for her and how many make a mango smoothie. The reply was “mangoes turn everyone crazy” – she apparently is right, obviously knows my wife too well.

One of the reports of this park we had during our discussions at Cooinda was they have themed food and entertainment nights in the bistro. Tonight happens to be rump and ribs (with a free drink) – $20. No other decision to be made, we are in. We head back to the vans to ready ourselves for dinner. Robyn sneaks in a quick bit of work, in fact it’s the very pleasurable bit of billing that is required.

Dinner, and as usual you put a menu in front of my wife and she simply can’t decide from the myriad of choices, and here the choices are numerous. After everyone else has ordered, gotten their free drink and returned to the table she decides to go with the special of the night – with another glass of Chardonnay. What is the world coming to, my one drink wonder of a wife imbibing a second time in one day – she is obviously in holiday mode now.

The dinner comes quickly and although Robyn has suggested there may be leftovers for breakfast after seeing the size of the meal, it disappears without fuss, except to say there was a semi late call of no leftovers for the morning breakfast as she hoed into the ribs. She does leave a little of the steak which I mop up for her. Somehow, the others are not filled by the meal and order desert. This driving caper really makes you hungry obviously. Sticky date pudding for the men and a fruit plate for Rosalie, which she needs help from Robyn to devour, and devour they do. The boys are non-committal on the sticky date pudding – it has never been an order choice of mine, one with thumbs up the other with a simple grunt to the question of its quality.

Dinner over we discuss the plan for our time in Darwin. Tomorrow it will be an exploration of the city. This is expected to take the form of the three boys walking down the street while the girls dart in and out of shops to look at sparkly things etc. There may of course be some diversions to drinking establishments, but we are expecting lots to see as we travel along the water’s edge etc, bit that’s a story for tomorrow.