the last post............unfortunately..............

this will be my last post for this journey, as unfortunately i have to hop a plane and return to reality tomorrow. Darwin is a great place with beautiful weather and scenery and i could definitely get used to this weather. today's post will be some of the sights around Darwin. Darwin has an interesting history, being firstly flattened by the Japanese launching sixty bombing raids on Darwin during world war 2 and secondly cyclone Tracey. quite ironically the defences forces expected invasion from the sea and the Japanese came by air, most of the defences, gun turrets underground oil storage tanks etc weren't completed until after the bombing raids.

i have enjoyed this journey around some of this magnificent country and will return again, i have seen some amazing sights and met some amazing people, like the young tasmanian bloke and his girlfriend i spoke to at victoria river roadhouse, cycling from cairns around the gulf to normanton and boroloola across to katherine. when i saw them they were heading to do the gibb river road to broome, and the surfing saltwater croc on the east alligator river. scenery wise my favourite would be the victoria river region and the carr boyd ranges around lake argyle. these areas are far more scenic and awe inspiring than kakadu (and a lot cheaper)

in general i have found the caravan parks oportunistic and the national park campgrounds underwelming, too expensive for too little and pretty poor value.

$35.00 plus a $50 deposit for an unpowered site for one in darwin is nothing short of theft, and $10 per person per night for unpowered kakadu (free?) sites with all you get is a luke warm solar shower if you are quick enough otherwise it is a cold shower. on the other hand i would recommend cullen bay resorts in darwin, katherine gorge park campgrounds, springvale homestead at katherine and lake argyle resort as value for money.

the wicked camper has performed well, but in hindsight you really need a fridge in this climate as $7.00 for a bag of ice is a little over the top!

good bye from the top end in 09 (i will return)

now what do i keep out of the suitcase? tomorrow darwin 32c arrival in melb probably about 6-8c hope my central heating still works........................