Palmerston Sunset Retreat Darwin

... First there would be one long streak that would go up from the cloud and burst into fingerlings and race across the sky. What was so amazing to watch was the streaks as they went up. I've never seen lightening go up and not down to the ground before. I loved it. And I haven't ever seen lightening with some many fingers on the streak. Unfortunately it wound down Fantastic show of nature.

... gorges – my first thought had been to do a canoeing trip but I heard the stewards on the rain saying it was not recommended for novices – it was self guided and there were crocodiles in the water so definitely scratched that as a plan. It was good to get out and stretch the legs after being in various uncomfortable positions overnight but I started to get an idea of the heat I would be facing – it was 35 degrees and not a breath of wind. Back aboard and ...

... br>The Aboriginals have also provided one solution to my nutritional needs as well. Have you ever seen those shows where the fools eat just about anything while you are sitting in your living room succumbing to a wave of nausea watching? I tried something today that just might make one of those shows. Some interesting ants roam these areas but they aren't just any ole ants. They have a swollen green butt the size of the round thing on ...

... know why! Box jellyfish and Crocodiles. Nice.

After a few drinks we finished the evening by going along to see some Aboriginal dancing as part of the festival. It was really interesting. Everyone sat around a big patch of sand that had been dumped on the park and after a bit of a smoking ceremony about four different tribes got up and did their stuff. Some dudes were playing music on a didgeridoo and wooden blocks and singing. It’s a really traditional Australian sound. The ...

... safe from crocs), past government and parliament house then along the smith street mall back to the hostel. That was kinda Darwin in a nutshell - small but cute and a fun place.
There is a night market at Mindl Beach on Thursdays and Sundays so we walked down to the beach to watch the sunset and check out the markets. I dont think I have ever seen quite so many people crammed into one part of a beach before but it was worth it for the sunset. The market was lots of ...

... and 10 crew already working on the boat, it was good to know we weren’t the only crazy people who had signed up for this type of work. We got through it though; we learned to live with the constant smell of fish guts and worked together as a team, finding new ways to keep ourselves entertained. Thomas, our new found Dutch friend, told us stories of how he was related to Elvis, the skipper Steve told very inappropriate jokes and ...

... the owner, we went to * few more b*rs *nd then finished the night *t Shen*****n's, *t the f*r end of the strip. In f*ct we spent so long in there listening *nd d*ncing to the live b*nd th*t it w*s suddenly 2:30*m *nd we were being chucked out of the b*r due to closing time (* record for us these d*ys!). It w*s just * short st*gger to our hotel, *nd then we cr*shed out in our lovely big bed, with cle*n crisp white sheets- blissful slumber *t l*st!

... into a shallow 'baby's pool' and then there were 2 narrow tropical waterways which led to 2 more pools which were a lot bigger and deeper. The snorkel equipment was reached for again and we spent 3-4 hours swimming up and down the different pools and snorkelling in the Pandanus-fringed shallows.
We saw archerfish, big catfish, small toe-nibblers and another big fish who I have no idea what to ...

... and Florence waterfalls which was really cool as we got to have a swim around in there. Then we went to a river where we went on a boat to see crocs in the wild and that was very cool - saw loads of them and big ones as well!! Didn't go swimming in there though! We drove to our campsite which i named prison camp as the beds in the tents were actually what you get in Brentwood police station!! hehe But still was good fun - i have slept ...

... has enjoyed some male company in the evenings!

Today we have been cleaning up ready for departure and we managed to sneak in a trip to the driving range but I definitely need another lesson I think.

We will be in and out of email and telephone contact until we get to Broome on 16th August but I will update the blog as and when I can – best wishes to everyone from lovely sunny Darwin    

Photos will be up soon on Steve’s Picasa site:  http://picasaweb.google.com/SteveGoddar d1