Darwin - Day 60

Fletcher : today we went to a World War 2 mine tunnel, which is a storage tunnel for oil.  It had tonnes of photos and on the other wall was one of the soldiers hand prints.  Then we walked around town and went up a lift and over a bridge.  We went to a shopping centre and had subway for lunch, Mackenzie had a chicken sub and I had a meatball sub and we shared a frozen sour citrus from McDonalds.  Then we went back to the caravan park to pick up Bentley from a day care and then we had to go to the shop again.  When we came back we met some friends and they were going to the pool and we were going to so we played with them there.

Mackenzie: Today we went to the World War 2 tunnels it has lots of pictures of the war.  Then we had a look at the beach and the wave pool, tomorrow we will be doing it.  Then we went to the shops and we had subway and shared a slushie.  Fletcher went to EB games and I went to a book store.  We went back to the caravan and got Bentley because someone was looking after Bentley.  Dad got some mince then we went to the pool and we met some people and played with their kids.  For dinner we had spaghetti, yum.

Today was the big day, Bentleys first time being looked after, Day care as the kids called it.  We had him booked in for 10.30am and pick up at 4pm so he was in for a big day.  We took him over, all the way to the van across the road!  Julie was waiting for him and was happy to see him, we said goodbye without making a fuss and then remembered we wanted to tell her he wasn't a dog you could have off the lead, I went back over and here he is sitting up on the chair next to her where she was working on the laptop, I think he is in for a very exciting day of spoiling.  Off we went towards Darwin, we found a high rise park that was free for the first 2hours, we were so shocked we were reading the fine print for the catch, none- just free for 2 hours, got to love that.  We walked across the road to the World War 2 Oil Storage tunnels which is a self guided tour.  The lady gives a little bit of information before you go in and some pamphlets.  So here I am without thinking walking into these massive underground tunnels, well I have been in a cave so what's a tunnel between friends?!  She said to watch the water on the ground, oh great now my hearts beating fast.  It was only when I came out I asked her why there is so much water in there, "there was a blow out in the base of the other tunnel", glad I found this out after the tour, but it happened 30 years ago so not much to worry about I think.  The other water is just natural runoff  as they are on a water table but hey these tunnels are from WW2 and built by hand, the Burnley tunnel leaks and it is modern engineering at its best.  The tunnels were mainly built by men who were unable to fight in the war due to injury, illness or age.  They are enormous and amazing, it is so overwhelming to be in them and like the memorial at Adelaide River it is sad to think what these men and women went through.  The kids are both learning so much, emotionally too,  Mackenzie said today she can not believe that these people fought to save us and they didn't even know us & we weren't born yet.  And Fletcher wishes he could meet them and say thank you for looking after our country.  It is as much as I had hoped them to take in, I was proud of both of them. The photos in the tunnel showed a story of a different life & time to ours and again makes us embarrassed to be complaining about the heat or a dirty camp site. There were also many photos of the planes and Darwin being bombed, it was great to see these as an adult, I do remember studying at school but you have a different understanding & appreciation as you get older.  We headed out of the tunnels, there is still 2 used by the services for training purposes and also one that is under the parliament house, she said the front entrance has been sealed from view and she has no idea what it is used for but knows it is still in use, I would love to be a fly on the wall to see what is down there.  We went for a look at the wave pool and beach that they have made at the waterfront and walked across the bridge link to the city.  We went to Casuarina Shopping Centre for a look around and we stopped at Harvey Norman for a hand vaccum for the van as we were sick of using the half pan and brush, it was time for us to go to pick up Bentley.  He was very happy to see us but I'd say sad to say good bye to Julie, he'd been for walks, been to the pool and shared Jatz biscuits with her.

Darwin - Day 59

Mackenzie: Today we drove into Darwin and went to a caravan park, when we set up the caravan, mum went to the supermarket and we came back to the van for lunch, we made nachos.  Mum and dad went to the office and me and Fletcher played.  When they came back we went to the pool and we played tiggy, for dinner we had chicken.

Fletcher: today we went shopping, it took ages for mum to come back from coles.  We went back to the van and had nachos, then we went to the pool, it was warm.  Then we had dinner which we made southern fried chicken.

We packed up this morning from Berry Springs quite early and headed into Oasis Caravan Park which is closer to Darwin.  We were guided onto our site by the owner Gary, who was funny and up for a chat, he was from Mildura so he and Dan compared notes.  We had one of those moments today where we got the van on site 1st shot and jockey wheel down, unhooked,  drove the car to the back of the van and then went, nope that's not level by any means, well similar words!!  As we were staying for a few days, back the car came and we got some blocks to get it level, Gary has plenty of concrete pavers for this reason so all was good.  Chatting with the bloke next door later he tells us his story - exactly the same thing, he didn't feel so bad when we said we did the same thing a few hours earlier, we luckily didn't have much of an audience, he had all the grey nomad happy hour watching him.  We went into the local supermarket and got some fresh bits and pieces, looking at Fletcher's diary I was obviously a long time?!  This was the 1st time I went anywhere on my own.........hmmmm so maybe I was gone a long time!  It was only Coles but still nice for a few minutes to myself.  Back to the van to organise lunch and when we drove back in we were really happy with the park, our site and pleased we moved in closer to town.  There is green bull ants on the tree between our sites but so far they haven't bothered us, might have something to do with the 7 year old next door eating them, yep she says you can eat them and they are sweet, so I have been in a cave this year, that's my big move, I have no intention of eating bull ants, she did offer me though, even offered to catch it for me, she really does eat them constantly, I'm hoping they are safe.  We have a concrete pad here under the annex so Dan is feeling very comfortable without all the sand and dirt.  The kids got the lego out and played outside on the green mats for a while until we had packed away shopping and lunch and went to the pool.  There was a sign up for a doggy sitter so we thought we would go introduce ourselves and try book Bentley in for an afternoon, Julie was just starting up and had only put up the signs a few days earlier so Bentley would be her 1st client.  She was lovely, studying so she is stuck at her van all day so thought she may as well make some money and it would force her to take breaks from study to walk & play with the dogs.  We went over to the pool for a long time, it is great, with a little side section with spa jets.  Julie was there and we met her husband Graham who is an electrician working at the new jail being built, they had decided to pack up and hit the road and this job came up straight away so it is working out really well for them, they are such a lovely couple and I'm feeling really good about Bentley spending time with her tomorrow.  By now it was almost dark and we had to head back and make tea.  Crumbed chicken and vegies, as usual my kids only say southern fried chicken to make me out to not be able to cook.  The owners have hundreds of movies at the office they get in Bali each year so we borrowed some of them to watch, I got a few chick flicks and Dan got some horror suspense ones.  He watched one of his tonight and loved it.  I am up to my ears in magazines that I have swapped at the laundry here so I am reading all the gossip.

Berry Springs - Day 58

Mackenzie :  We slept in today and then we went for a drive today and took our bathers just in case we could swim.  We went to a restaurant for lunch and when we got there me and Fletcher went halves in a burger, it was yum.  Then we went to Berry Springs, when we got in we saw tonnes of fish, they nibble at your feet, there was a waterfall and dad went under it and then mum said lets go to the main pool and I saw a sign that said salt water crocodiles so we didn't go in to that one.  We went back to the caravan and mum gave me a haircut she cut it up to my shoulders.  For dinner we had wraps.

                                        Me and dad getting ready to go under the falls

Fletcher : Today we slept in and wasted most of the day.  First I had breakfast which was a crunchy nut muesli bar and yogurt.  Later on we went to a restaurant that dad really wanted to go to and is call Mandora pub, we had a hamburger, so and dad and mum had a hand fried salt water barramundi salad.  Then we went to Berry Springs, it was nice, it showed a sign of a yabby biting someone's toe.

                                  The falls really hit you hard in the face, it was great fun

                                      As soon as dad let me go the water pushes you so quick

We slept in today until about 8.30 so although Dan & I were up before that we decided to stay in bed and read in the peace and quiet.  We were on a bit of a go slow but we knew we wanted to see a few things before packing up in the morning and heading closer to Darwin.  We went back to look at the crocs and they were sunning themselves again, if we didn't see them moving and slide in and out of the water you would think they were fake and put there each day in a different spot.  We headed out to Mandorah Pub which was a fair drive and was poorly sign posted and not helped by all the surrounding area being given a name change although the pub remains the same name and there is only one road leading out there!  Dan had wanted to go out to see it, it is where the ferry goes from across into Darwin and you get an amazing view across the water of Darwin.  I love that the kids said a restaurant as this was the most layback, open air casual pubs I have been too.  It would be a ripper place to see a band and dance, it has no outside walls to speak of and is really like a huge carport/pergola off the bar, it is fantastic.  The barman was very accommodating of Bentley, offering him a drink, even though he wasn't meant to be there.  The grounds are manicured and green and palm trees, even a beautiful pool for the hotel guests and there is a sign  saying to ask if you aren't staying there before going in, a pool at a pub, love it.  So there slogan is "we don't do hot chips........get over it"  so I was guessing hot chips and gravy was not happening for us today, we all had a lovely meal which was cheap as chips, no pun intended!  We went to get a drink and he said the 1.25lt bottles of soft drink was cheaper to get, than separate drinks and Dan got a beer straight from an esky full of ice, slipped straight into a stubby cooler, loving this barman.  The view was fantastic and it was a really strong breeze coming off the water so it was a nice change to feel cool.  We dropped off Bentley and headed out to Berry Springs, we had been before but the kids were 2 &3 so don't remember it.  It was fantastic, there is the springs with the waterfall, the main pool and a lower pool.  We were very happy at the one that had the cyclone fenced section to keep the crocs out although the yabby biting toes sign was a little concerning and the fish here were quite large in comparison to the other springs we have been to and not shy at all so we had them nibbling on our legs.  One of those moments as a mum when you try to stay cool for your kids sake and tell them its ok when really all you want to do is scream and jump straight out of the water.  I just kept telling myself at least it wasn't a croc!  The force of the water coming over the falls gave you a pounding and the water was running really quickly,  all the dads struggling to hold themselves up and kids to get photos, Dan could only hold one of the kids at a time as the current was so strong.  The kids went under the falls, Dan went under, up the top of them and he also went behind the falls and looked out, there was a foot or so between the rock and the water flowing that you could get under, there was a knack to get under, pushing off a rock against the force of the water to get you in behind was the only way.  I have photos of Dan's dad and the kids here and it looks just the same 8 years on.  We went and looked at the main pool and lower pool but we were happy with where we had been, so back for a quick dip and then back to the van.  The boys were going to have a haircut so when Mack said she thought she would too I had scissors in my hand as quick as a flash before she changed her mind.  So she had her haircut to just below her shoulders it suits her, looks gorgeous and healthy and best of all she loves it.  As for the boys, what can I say Dan blade 1, Fletcher blade 3, they look gorgeous??!!  This is haircut 3 since we have been away so I'm pleased we brought the clippers yesterday.  My hair is in a permanent ponytail or under a hat and I will wait till I get back so my hairdresser will be in for a bit of hard work!  The mozzies are bad here so not much time after dusk to be outside so been quite hot and squished cooking in the van.  And the humidity is really high again so even though it is hot the clothes aren't drying as its so sticky.

                                    The flow of water - not to close to be holding both kids

                                                        The beautiful Berry springs

                                                                  The lower pool                  

                                             Dan waving out from behind the wall of water

Berry Springs - Day 57

Mackenzie: Today we left Adelaide River to Darwin.  Today from Ojo's box I got a Glitz & Glamour.  It is where you style clothes, it is fun.  We were going to have lunch at the café at the caravan park  and mum asked for chips and the lady was talking another language, it was a bit weird, mum thinks they weren't making lunches today.  They have a TV room opposite the café and they also have a river with crocs in it, but there is a fence around it, yay.  There is a pool too.  For lunch we had biscuits and dip.  We had a look around Darwin and went to the market.  We had a look around and saw a slushie place that you buy a cup and there are 10 flavours and you can chose as many flavours as you want.  We saw a lady that writes your name on rice and I got it in a necklace.  We had soooooo much food, even ice cream.  I had lemon sorbet and rainbow, then we went back to the caravan park.

Fletcher:  Today we left Adelaide River to Darwin.  We packed up in a flash then left we kept going and never stopped.  Then we got to our caravan park which is called Tumbling Waters caravan park, there is a restaurant, internet café and a crocodile bridge, we saw 3 crocs.  We set up the van, we walked around the park and had biscuits and dip for lunch, then dad went to the pool, there were leaves and it was all mankey at the bottom.  Then we went to Harvey Norman to get a price on a ipad, we are thinking of getting an ipad mini.  Then later on we went to a market called Mindil Beach Market, for dinner I had fried rice.  We were walking around and I got a light tshirt which is a superman tshirt that lights up when it hears sound.

Today we left Adelaide River, we loved it and will definitely stop there on the way back, such a beautiful park.  We didn't have far to drive today so we got to Berry Springs quite early.  Tumbling Waters was a place that we had really been looking forward to.  There is croc feeding and crocs on site and an outdoor cinema and so many palms.  You get to chose a site and we found a nice peaceful one.  We had booked for 2 nights but had pencilled in a week but after a quick look around we were happy to stay the 2.  The park is lovely, green and tropical but it is in need a bit of love and attention and lawns mowed and the lighting is non existent at night.  The showers are the same as Adelaide river, bit hard to explain but, 4 showers behind shower curtains and a common dressing area, bit like prison showers!! Little bit weird and hard to co ordinate, most people shower in bathers or don't care!  We went for a walk around the park and checked out the crocs, they are amazing and were sunning themselves to warm up.  You walk over a rickety bridge which is also fun, we missed the feeding as it happened the night before and also the outdoor movie.  We went to the café but the girls who spoke very broken English said they only served scones and coffee during the day.  We checked out the TV room which had internet access and some books to read, so there is everything you need here, our biggest problem is that it is so far out of town and we want to do so many things in Darwin.  We took a drive to Havery Norman to price Ipads, kids are nagging but novelty has worn off for us but got hair clippers for the boys while we were there.  We had a look at 2 other parks that took dogs but were closer to town, 1 was in a very bad way and we made a booking at the other for when we leave here.  We went into Mindel Beach Market where you get the best food, beautiful gifts and the most amazing sunset on the beach.  Daniel and Fletcher went for a drive to Fannie Bay to see Cameron & Jane's house, which is lovely, while Mack and I had a quick wander around the market, the Sunday market doesn't have as many stalls as Thursday so we got half way around before the boys were ringing us.  They met us in the car park and they went in for food and then we went back in to finish looking at stalls.  There is so many different food stalls from so many different countries, we were undecided what to get so we got a few different things and shared it out.  Mack got her long awaited rice necklace, lucky as the cut off is 10 letters and she has 9.  I watched the lady write it and can not believe that you can see her name on a grain of rice, clear as day, she chose a beautiful tube to put it in as a necklace.  I went back in so Fletcher could have a look around at all the crocodile stalls which he loved but believe it or not he was drawn to a stall that had dance music pumping out and it was dark inside except for laser lights flashing.  He never really asks for anything at all ( well except Pokémon!) but he was set on getting into the stall and had to have the t-shirt they were selling.  These t-shirts have battery packs hidden and he chose a superman "S" logo one, the light cells on the S flash on and off to the beat of the music or voices, it is amazing, something I never thought he would like, Mack yes, him no, he loves it, and I loved seeing how happy he was to get it.  We went for a drive around the city, it has got such lovely buildings.  We drove through all the open air restaurants and clubs with all the music going and lights flashing, the kids loved it, the atmosphere was contagious and Dan pulled up out the front of one and the kids and I found ourselves having a little dance in the car.  By now it was really late so we headed back out to the caravan park.  We have no service at the park so I am writing this a few days late and will have to ad photos later too :(

Adelaide River - Day 56

Mackenzie: Today we slept in and went to the market, mum, dad and me went but Fletcher didn't go he stayed at the caravan.  Then we had a rest and went to the pool.  We went onto town and went to the war memorial, sad :(   Then we went to look a another caravan park and saw a controlled burn, they were putting fire on the grass and then they put water on the flecks and where they didn't want to burn.  We had chicken and corn soup for tea yum.

Fletcher: Today we had a sleep in and had breakfast, later on we went to the pool and we spent hours there. Then we went for a drive around town then came back.   When we were in town we saw the fireman putting fire on the grass, this is called a controlled burn.  We went to the war memorial because of the Japanese fighter planes that released bombs on Adelaide river.  We had lunch at 5pm and then we had tea which was soup and toast.

We have decided to stay an extra day here so we booked for the night, you could easily stay here for so much longer as it is both beautiful and relaxing.  The caretaker said 7 out of 10 bookings book for a night and then book for longer.  It still amazes me that our best stops have been at roadhouses / truck stops, well apart from lake argyle but that pool is going to take a bit to beat.  There was a market out the front of the BP which is on several days, incl Sat & Sun, there was only half a dozen stalls but it was lovely to go to.  Fletcher who loves markets-not- decided that he wasn't coming so as it was on the same property we left him in the van with Bentley reading his new interest of That's Life magazines, not much to do on the road but raid the laundries for magazines so he has taken a liking to the stories, especially the ghost ones in each issue, I have to read the stories first to make sure they are suitable but he has learnt a lot about people from the mags and from the trip.  He locked the door and had the phone set to dial and we took keys and the other phone, we got back and it was like we hadn't even gone, I'm thinking they grow up way too quickly and as Dan and I reminisced at the pool watching a baby in a floating circle that both our kids loved as babies its hard to believe he is 11 in a few weeks.  We went to the pool and spent most of the afternoon there.  Chatting to a few travellers, one from Nambucca heads where we were in September and loved, we got speaking to her husband as he had car trouble and Dan had a few things he could lend him, it turns out he lived in Frankston and worked just down the road from my parents house for 30 years and then when he moved he went to Somerville where I moved to out of home and I lived in a court and they lived on the main road my court was off, he walked past my house everyday for the 13 years he lived there.  The other lady was from Nagambie and had moved there from Pakenham.  It is such a small world and its best to be good as someone knows someone- that 6 degrees of separation.  The 2 ladies at the pool had met in Alice Springs and have travelled behind each other for 6 weeks, a few weeks in one said they had a couple minding their house while they were travelling, the other lady said she knew a couple by that name, she had worked for them for 10 years and quit her job to retire and do this trip - yep the couple minding the ladies house was the other woman's boss -way too small a world!
We went for a drive to the war memorial, the most beautiful resting place for our soldiers, the gardens and lawns are manicured, it truly is beautiful.  During World War 2 Adelaide River was a large military base with the 119 Australian General hospital and the main American Headquarters.  The memorial was created for the service men and women who died on Australian soil during the war years and a large stone at the centre of the cemetery is a memorial to the missing.   Such a sad place too as so many of the soldiers were so young.  We drove out to the showgrounds which is also a caravan park that takes dogs, have you ever seen a showgrounds with a swimming pool?  It was great, more expensive than our park and a bit dusty but still it was good if you wanted a bit of space.  Did I mention our park is only $28 for the 4 of us, it is so cheap and considering it is such a well maintained park its fantastic.  While out at the showgrounds we watched the fire brigade do a controlled burn of the hillside area behind the grounds, great to watch if that doesn't sound like I'm a fire bug, I just mean, to see them in action is unbelievable, setting the fire but in total control with water hoses, so experienced and I think most were volunteers but the others worth every cent they are paid with how they protect us.  The amount of hawks circling above just waiting for the little creatures to escape the fires and they were swooping in and leaving with their dinner.  So now to the bad mother bit and I knew one of the kids would print it, we didn't eat lunch till 5pm.  We ate at 11.30 but as it wasn't lunchtime this obviously didn't count as lunch to my family, so at 5pm we ate and then again at 7.30, so before anyone calls child services, they had their 2 fruit and 5 vegies today just not at appropriate times!  After it raining all night here it was hot and humid again today and we actually had the air con on a few times during the night as it didn't drop below 25 degrees.  Come 5.30pm today it started raining again, it was sunny and hot but raining and its now 10.30 and is still raining and its still really hot.

                                                                   The War Memorial

                                                                            

                                                     The fire trucks doing there thing

Adelaide River - Day 55

Fletcher: Today we left Katherine to Adelaide River, we woke up early and left and it wasn't long before we got here.  We set up the van had a rest, then dad, me and Mackenzie went to the pool.  Later on we went for dinner we saw tonnes of bats and guess what it finally rained.  For dinner I had spring rolls.  We saw a buffalo called Charlie he was in a movie called Crocodile Dundee, he is dead now but they stuffed him and put him in the bar for everyone to see.

Mackenzie:  Today we left Katherine to Adelaide River, when we setup the van dad did the washing so we could get to the pool quicker.  When we went to the pool me and Fletcher played chasy, then we played at the caravan for a while.  We went to the bar for dinner and on the way there we saw bats and there was a really small bat.  We went in to the bar and saw Charlie the Buffalo from Crocodile Dundee.  For dinner I had spring rolls.  It was raining for the first time.

                                                                       the pool

We had to say goodbye to our lovely ensuite today, what a luxury it has been, next van we get will have a bathroom for sure, no more torch light 3am trips to the toilet, ok so a new van is at least 8-10 years off but we can dream.  We packed up and set off for Adelaide River which was only just over 200kms, we stopped at Pine Creek for a look and a coffee at Maseys which is widely advertised as a great café to stop at, we of course got our hot chips and gravy, while Dan couldn't take his eyes off the sausages and gravy, he resisted and got a homemade sausage roll which he loved,  but as a type this 2 days later he was only talking about the sausages 10mins ago and wishing he got them!  We got to Adelaide River which is a gorgeous spot, the caretaker sees you to your site and helps if needed.  He is from Echuca and we told him we had a place in Barmah, he couldn't believe what a small world it is.  We got set up and Dan and the kids went for a swim while Bentley and I read for a while in the air conditioning and may have closed our eyes for a while too.  We have just had a few comfortable mornings without the terrible heat and humidity but its back with a vengeance.  The pool is fantastic, big pool and big surrounding area too.  The park is soooo green its like its out of a brochure and there are palms everywhere, you almost forget that you are parked behind a BP petrol station.  This is by far the nicest park we have stayed and it is part of a petrol station.  The Inn - pub is all open air apart from a bar area that is a large room with a few stools and merchandise and of course Charlie the buffalo out of Crocodile Dundee and also another room that is where you order meals and the buffet is.  We had a walk around the park and the block and then decided to have tea at the pub, yes we had chicken in the freezer but a pub meal sounded appealing.  It was so pretty at night all lit up with coloured lights and all the tables outside, we found a spot under a ceiling fan and a little roof.  The kids had spring rolls and Dan and I decided on our meals only to be told that the all you can eat was actually a little cheaper tonight and had exactly what we ordered on it.  So shanks, mash and vegies for me and Barra, shanks and vegies for Dan, we may have gone back for 2nds with some salad, well it was all you can eat!  There was a raffle for the local school which was a huge meat tray, we entered but had we won could never have fitted it in our fridge, one of the local ladies won and some of the other ladies at a table near us were less than happy as the lady who won had said she wasn't going to buy raffle tickets tonight! Cattiness at all ages!  Lucky we had our little roof because just as we finished our meal it rained, it was tropical, hot and wet and both the kids danced in the rain, it was lovely to see. 

Our lovely site surrounded by palms

                                                                The pub at night

inside the 303 bar

Katherine - Day 54

Mackenzie : Today we slept in and we had to go on a tour and it starts at 11.00, so we were running a bit late but we needed petrol.  When we got there he took us to the cave with a bunch of other people.  The man said you have to be careful because there are snakes, bats and spiders so I was a bit scared but I still went in.  There are lots of rocks on the roof so they might fall down.  We were half way now and the man shows us limestone, it has lots of sparkles on it.  The aboriginal people thought they were stars and they stay there during the day and go up at night.  When we got to the back of the cave the man said we couldn't go any further because it gets hot and there are bats.  Then he said he will show us how dark it is when I turn off the lights, and I was a bit freaked out so I stayed close to mum.  When he put hem back on we got ready to go, was really fun I think and then we went back to Bentley at the caravan and had lunch.  We went out again to go to the hot springs.  When we got there we saw a sign that said warning fresh water and salt water crocs are in there but they are far away.  It was really nice but the current pulls you out and me and Fletcher found a slippery rock.  Fletcher and I went down it and it was fun and dad showed me another rock, it was the one where the current takes you.  Dad got ready to catch me.  We went back to the shallow bit and got out, luckily we didn't see any crocs and then went back to the caravan and me and Fletcher played outside in the dark until tea.  For dinner we had mild mince curry.

                                                              in the caves

                  the sparkles that made the aboriginals think that there was stars in the cave

Fletcher : Today we slept in until 9.30 and went on a tour which was called Cutta Cutta Caves, if your wondering what cutta cutta means it means light.   Aboriginal people were too scared to go into the cave because of the sparkles in the rocks they believed that the stars lived there during the day and when it was night the stars would fly out of the cave like bats into the night sky.  The animals that live in the cave are creepy such as spiders, ghost bats, snakes and much more but the ghost bats are scarier because of the fangs they are like vampires , they love blood and are meat eaters.  After the cave we went home for lunch we had chicken wraps.   Then we went to a hot spring there was a waterfall so me and Mack slid down it.  But on one of the shots I slid down on my tummy.  After that we went shopping and later we had dinner which was curry.

                                                                   inside the caves

                                                         The Katherine Hot Springs

The kids slept in until after 9 today, we had planned to do the 9am tour of Cutta Cutta Caves.  We messed around for the morning and got petrol before we headed out to the caves.  We had a 15c off per litre docket at Woolworths so we saved a massive $11 which is great.  The caves are only 27 kms south of Katherine and we got to the caves at 11.05, we are so good with cutting things fine!  Just by chance the tour guide had to get batteries for his torch so had sent the group ahead, so he let us go with him on the short cut to the cave entrance and we could pay the entry fee later.  What a great guy Ethan our tour guide was, he was aboriginal with so much knowledge of the area, Dan said are you from Katherine, expecting him to have strong ties to the area and Ethan says No I'm from Brisbane!  We met up with the group and ventured into the cave, has anyone noticed I am saying we, yep I went in the cave, all the way in, I was so stressed I could barely concentrate on what Ethan was saying but I did it.  Mackenzie was also scared but not of the confines of the cave but all the critters in there.  It didn't help when he actually mentioned not even half way into the tour that the snakes lose grip on the ceiling and free fall drop at any time, on tours last year the snake fell on to tourists on 2 separate occasions, oh my gosh we were all looking up by now.  The cave was both beautiful and unbelievable, again mother nature is amazing.  The kids explained it really well when it came to the aboriginals beliefs, there is no evidence of them spending time in the caves only around them, this could be for many reasons- it was too dark in the caves, that they were in fact scared of all the "stars" going in there during the day and that in the wet the caves actually flood right to the top.  There were stalactites and stalagmites and in some places they actually nearly met, these take millions of years to grow to this stage.  During World War 2 the soldiers would use the cave for target practice and line up the stalactites/stalagmites and take aim and shoot.  So sad for these amazing natural things, there is new growth that has taken 60 years and is approx. 2cm.  The cave system has a dimly lit walkway right through and in only a few spots you have to squeeze through cave walls but it was all very comfortable, I say this even though I lost my body weight in perspiration, I am going to say it was because it was so hot down there not that I was scared crazy.  It is actually very hot and by the time you are at the turning point it is extremely warm and you can go no further as it would be on your tummy pulling yourself through and the humidity further in gets up to 100% and the air is very thin.  It is at the end point he turns the lights off and its a bit of a giggle to start with but then as he explains your body and mind starts to become uncomfortable, and it really does.  He said that over time in complete darkness your mind starts to play tricks on you and you can go a little crazy, some people using it as a form of torture.  The lights were put back on and we were able to wander out at our own pace with Ethan heading up the rear still discussing things and answering questions.  The tour went for an hour and was $57 for the 4 of us and like all the things we have done the information was fantastic.  You could then look and read back at the information office which was air conditioned and like a fridge.  We headed back to a very excited Bentley and had some lunch.  We headed into Katherine Hot Springs which were fantastic.  This place you could sit all day but we were warned to be out by dark as the locals turn it into a drinking area, although the police did patrol through while we were there.  The kids had a ball.  The current was quite strong in sections but in the quiet areas it was really relaxing to just float around.  There is a deep section that the kids used as a slippery slide and the current was really strong, they did very well to swim against it over and over again but I still had Daniel waiting in the middle of the pool just in case.  In this deep section there was a rope swing and one of the mud hills had been turned into a slide too.  These were both being used by a few European backpackers with 6 pack abs, oh did I say that out aloud?!  We really could have spent a whole day here as there is toilets 150mts down the path and you could have taken a picnic.  We saw no crocs much to Mackenzie's relief, who had no intention of going in because of the crocs but after seeing the waterfalls she was the first one in.  There is also a section here for wheelchair/disabled access with ramp and rails to come into the springs, which is so good to see.  We headed over to the supermarket for a stock up of snow drop soft drink and a look in the dollar store, like our $2 shops. It was now after 5.30 and the alcohol had got the best of a lot of the aboriginals and the kids were in for a show, its so sad, with arguments and yelling down the streets, fist fights and passed out sleeping people everywhere on the footpaths outside the shops.  At one point 2 grown men were fighting, they were strangling each other and punching each other in the face and then as quick as it started it was over and they actually shook hands and waved goodbye to each other!  We headed back to the van and I opened the back door and a bottle of snow drop fell out and exploded open, Dans liquid gold was spraying out all over the ground, well we got some silver masking tape onto the hole and filled our glasses and drank it, a little warm but still great.  We move on in the morning but will be coming back through Katherine after Darwin which I'm glad of because it is a lovely town and a gorgeous caravan park.

                                                              the beautiful sparkles

                                                                    almost touching

                                             so many different shapes, sizes & textures

                                                          proof that I went in the cave

                                                    the kids slip-sliding off the rocks

                                                            Fletcher going face first

                                                                     the tranquil hot pools