Judy & Brian Tour Oz

Oh, rats, another week, or two slipped by without me noticing! Let me give a short precis of our second week here. We went to the Botanic Gardens, which always holds so much promise but always leaves you a bit short on satisfaction. The entry way and natural amphitheatre are lovely: lush green, shady trees, flowers, proper paths, water features and the like. But somehow we are always led up to the top of the hill where there is a glasshouse full of orchids and other exotics, which are nice enough, and then you come out and take the next obvious path, which disappears behind some old buildings. So you take a chance on another dirt path and a sign suggesting a Rainforest. So down we went and then we realised this path wasn't the path, nor was that one, or maybe it's the one over there? Anyhow we chose one, wandered past a scene of devastation, courtesy of the last cyclone, and ended up at the Waterfall. From there you could go back down the otherside and try that other path for...

Has it been a week since we arrived in Darwin? Yes it has, so I guess we've both been overwhelmed by 'Darwin' time! Oh well, what have we done with the week? Having been here a few times before, our range of activities is restricted down to things that we want to do rather than the 'must dos'. In very rough order of appearance: Visited a couple of new shopping centres, ostensibly to buy food but I suspect that the ice-cold air-conditioners may also have been an attraction. Yes, it's been hot-ish most days around 34ºC and not much less at night. Even our 'air' in the van has been getting a bit of a flogging. Went looking for birds out along our favourite boardwalk into the mangroves at East Arm, but the tide was way out and must have taken the birds with it. Mudflats. East Arm. Darwin NT Ducked into the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery where we have idled away more than the odd hour. Cafe: Closed. Aboriginal Art: Replaced by some dreadful unfat...

We have kept up a steady pace of swimming, reading, lounging about etc interspersed with some other tourist type activities. We had a wander around the relatively new Waterfront Precinct, which wasn't finished last time we were here. Apart from the wave pool, the new ocean lagoon (fully screened-off from real ocean bities and stingers is now complete and a hit with the backpackers and families. Also they have finished the 5? accommodation blocks so you can stay right here on your holiday, which wouldn't be too hard to take. 'Oh happy campers are we...' Judy at Darwin waterfront precinct  Swimming lagoon, looking back across past the wave pool and the entertainment centre. Darwin waterfront Cafe, promenade and accommodation. Darwin waterfront Seagull just hanging in the fairly stiff breeze coming over the wharf. Darwin waterfront. One of our regular 'must dos' is a dinner cruise onboard the Cape Adieu, an older boat built for fishing in Bas...