Tag Archives: Darwin Sailing Club

Leaving Darwin

I was sad to leave Darwin, well sad to leave the family, but we couldn’t stay forever and Kyran and Vanessa had to settle into their new lives after nearly seven years living remotely in Nhulunbuy. We all went out for dinner at the Darwin Sailing Club since it was our last night. It was a very balmy evening, and it was perfect sitting by the ocean eating and drinking. The boys found some boys to kick a football with, so they were too busy playing to sit with us for long.

 

 

Kyran wouldn’t let us go the next day as planned because he felt that we would roast in the new van. There is no air conditioning but there is a fan above the bed. Vanessa suggested we buy a little Sirocco fan for the front cabin which we did. Kyran wouldn’t listen when we said we would be fine. He took off to Bunnings without John and came home with a mobile air conditioner which would have cost a fortune. Then he put insulation on the ceiling of the sleeping compartment of the van. There was no way we would overheat now! We really appreciated the effort he went to.

 

So that night – the evening before we actually left – we stayed home, had a barbecue and sat out by the pool. It was Territory Day, the only day in the year when Northern Territorians are allowed to buy and set off fireworks. I believe it is the only State in Australia that allows fireworks at all. Kyran didn’t buy any this year, and he and Vanessa turned down invitations to go out to friends’ places. They were exhausted from unpacking and organising us. As it turned out, fireworks exploded all around their house, so we were able to have our barbecue and drinks as well as enjoy the fireworks. Kyran cooked both pork and lamb in their smoker and it was delicious.

 

The next morning, we packed up. After hugs and thanks, and lots of tears from Joey, we drove off heading towards Western Australia and home.

 

 

Our first stop was Edith Falls just three hours out of Darwin. We had previously camped there and loved it. Being off-grid and in the Nitmiluk National Park, it was peaceful. It was our first night sleeping in the campervan and I felt quite excited. Unfortunately, John, who had been suffering with a sore back for more than a week, crawled into bed and immediately got a bad dose of vertigo! Last visit, we had swum in the waterhole, but we didn’t this time. The water was cold and we just wanted to be on our way.

Edith Falls

   

 

We drove on to Timber Creek where we had stayed on the way up to Darwin and liked. We booked into an unpowered, shady site and had a pleasant overnight stay. In the evening, we had a drink in the outdoor bar but cooked on the camping cooker at the van.

 

The following day we headed for Doon Doon Roadhouse. We had stopped here for fuel before but hadn’t camped. It was a pleasant stay as the camp was basic but quiet. On our way, we stopped off to look at the Durack Memorial. I had always been interested in the Durack pioneering story, so found it very interesting.

John was keen to go back to Lake Argyle which we had visited on a Kimberley bus tour a few years before.  As we reached the turnoff, 34 kms from the camp, we noted our fuel was low. It was 40kms to Kununurra, a big town with fuel. I thought we should go there then come back to Lake Argyle as I didn’t remember there being a garage there. John disagreed and said there must be. He turned towards the camp but the sign showing amenities had no picture of a fuel pump. I urged John to go back to Kununurra and not take chances. We had only just bought the van and didn’t know its little idiosyncrasies such as how much reserve fuel it had. However, John spotted a couple stopped next to their caravan and he asked them if there was fuel in Lake Argyle. They didn’t know but the lady looked up her phone and said it looked like there was.  Once again, I told John not to take a chance but he was sure we would be fine.

Of course, we arrived at the camp with very little fuel in the tank to discover that the only fuel in the area was back in Kununurra. John looked a bit pale and was paler when we were charged $87 for a night on an unpowered site.

We agreed just to enjoy our stay and worry about the fuel in the morning.

 

And we did enjoy our stay. The infinity pool with the most amazing view was our first port of call. The water was cool but we just plunged in and soon enjoyed the freshness of the water after the dust of camping. We swam to the side and just took in the view. That alone was worth $87! Later, we made our way over to the outside bar for happy hour. They had football playing on the oversize television under a tree, but it wasn’t our team, so we didn’t pay too much attention. We did notice, however, that there were lots of Collingwood supporters there glued to the match.

We held our breaths and made our way to Kununurra hoping to make it without running out of fuel. We hadn’t gone far when the fuel light came on and the car started beeping. However, we made it to a garage by the skin of our teeth.

 

 

Darwin Life

We have been in Darwin about a month. I am not sure exactly, but what does it matter? One day is like the next and we don’t need to be worrying about what day it is or what date it is – except for golf days of course. John has played Darwin, Palmerston and tomorrow will play Humpty Doo. He enjoyed Darwin, wasn’t impressed with Palmerston and won’t go back, and is looking forward to checking out Humpty Doo. But, for me, I don’t ever know what day it is. I have put my name down for relief at a few local schools, but no-one has rung and I am quite happy with that. I’m enjoying my days in retirement.

 

A couple of weeks ago, Kyran, Vanessa and the boys came for a few days.  Kyran, Tommy and Joey drove the track overnight from Gove to Darwin. I think it took 26 hours as they had a flat tyre. Vanessa had to work so she flew in a couple of days later.

 

 

The main reason for the visit was because Tommy was playing AFL at half-time in the big match between St Kilda and Gold Coast Suns. He was super excited about the game as he is football-mad, and I was super excited to spend time with them all. As well as going to the match, Kyran and John had a lot of deliveries to unpack; their new furniture for the house had started arriving. (Not only furniture but also an ice bath and sauna!)

 

The day before the football match, the kids were invited along to the St Kilda practice session where they met a few of the players who were kind enough to give them autographs and chat to them.  Tommy was in heaven; in fact they all were. Even Joey got some autographs. Afterwards, Kyran, myself, the boys and their friends who were also here from Gove went to the Darwin Golf Club for lunch. That was really lovely.

 

 

Vanessa got tickets for the match and we all went along. There were lots of people Kyran and Vanessa knew and all Tommy’s team-mates from Nhulunbuy were there to play of course. It was a very warm evening. We enjoyed the football – particularly the beginning where Tommy and his friends did the Guard of Honour for the St Kilda team. They all had beaming smiles as their football heroes tagged them as they ran past. It was exciting for both kids and parents to have the kids’ team play during the half time break. Kyran said that he really wanted Tommy to get a touch of the ball but, not only did he get a touch of the ball but he scored a goal! What an exciting moment that was! We were all tired by the end of the match but the boys wanted to play Kick to Kick which the club had organised for afterwards. We waited until they cleared the oval and when the second siren went off, all the kids streamed onto the grass with footballs and smiles. What fun they had!

 

 

 

During their visit, I took Tommy and Joey along to their new school – which is conveniently located at the end of their street – as they had to be fitted for uniforms. The school is a lovely, small, Lutheran school but Tommy wasn’t impressed with the button up shirt he will have to wear.

“It’s a grandpa shirt!” he whispered to me when the office lady was looking for his size.

Both boys love their school and friends in Gove but are very excited to move to Darwin. They have lived in a house provided by the Health Department in Gove for over seven years so it is exciting to move into their own home at last. The boys love their new bedrooms especially as they were allowed to choose their own furniture. Joey chose a racing car bed with a Spiderman quilt cover and practical Tommy chose a double bed and desk. Now that most of their clothes, toys and books are in their rooms, it feels very real for them. The other thing they love about the house is the lovely warm pool. They spend hours playing in there and it is sometimes hard to get them out.  While they are still in Gove, John has been looking after the pool and making sure it is nice and clean for them coming back in June. I also started to help clean it. With all the greenery around, it is a constant battle to clear out the leaves. I did decide to scoop them all out from the side one day but didn’t realise on top of the pile was a massive cane toad! Needless to say, I will leave the pool cleaning to John.

 

 

 

Because we have explored Darwin previously, we have been quite content to stay home and enjoy the warmth of the sun, the warmth of the pool and the cool of the air conditioning inside. We have both been reading lots and I have been knitting for the new baby. We did make a trip to the Mindil Markets one afternoon and had dinner there while listening to the singer. It was a very warm evening and it was pleasant wandering around the lovely stalls. We also checked out some cafes nearby – The Beachside Cafe at the Sailing Club, and the Night Cliff cafe at the beach and next to the Night Cliff pool.  We were impressed with both.

 

We have very fond memories of Darwin and one of our favourite places to go was Cullen Bay. First though we drove to the waterfront for a wander. I have previously been in the Wave Pool with Tommy but this time it was just nice to have a look!  By the time we did look around, it was getting close to lunch time and it was hot. So we drove to Cullen Bay to enjoy a cold drink at Lola’s Pergola – a fabulous pub on the water.

 

 

For the most part though, we are quite happy to hang out at the house – which kind of feels like a holiday resort to us – and relax. For me, I love to take my coffee and breakfast outside by the pool before it gets too hot. I don’t know what it is because we have a pool, sun and palm trees at our place at home, but it feels different here. I love to float in the pool looking up at the blue sky, the tall palm trees and the green tropical bushes. The bushes, the flowers, the lizards  and some of the birds are different here and I love to watch them.

 

When the kids came for the football, they left us some company in the form of their beautiful, black spaniel, Luna. They actually have two dogs but they will bring Skylar with them when they move here. Meantime, we are being smothered with love by Luna. She seems quite happy with us although I think she misses the boys as she wanders into their bedrooms quite often looking for them.  I can’t wait to see her reaction when they arrive a few weeks from now. When we go out to the mailbox, she carries on like we have been away for years.