V8 Super Cars ~ Vodaphone Pantech




Alan standing inside B747 Engine




Underground Hospital




Delivery Suite




Dinasaus Foot


Saturday 19th June
Three Ways to Camooweal
We left early in the morning heading to Three Ways which is where the Stuart Highway meets the Barkly Highway.We drove until we reached the Barkly Homestead where we refuelled and enjoyed a morning cuppa. We continued onto a thriving metropolis called Avon Downs ( just a police statiion ) where we had lunch.


Sunday June 20th
Camooweal - Mt Isa
Arrived in Mount Isa around 4pm. Reg, Alan and Vicki went to the Information Centre and the IGA store to replenish supplies. No other shops were open on Sunday. Claire stayed back to do laundry and try out the Net4 internet connection that the Big4 caravan parks have. She was able to use skype to talk to Benjamin for a while.

Monday June 21st
Mt Isa
We all did a variety of activities today. Vicki and Alan checked out the local shops. Reg was able to do a mine tour and Claire went to see the WWII Underground Hospital.
The Underground Hospital was dug out in 1942 after Darwin was bombed. It was never needed fortunately and fell into disrepair. The equipment was scattered around various places in Mt Isa. It was reopened seven years ago as a tourist attraction after volunteers had reconstructed the inside of it over 6 years. The museum above houses a vast collection of antique hospital equipment such as a metal catheter (Ouch!), old X-ray machines, examine chair, etc. Claire spent nearly an hour engrossed in rediscovering some equipment she’d last seen in Prince Henry Hospital in the 70’s.

The mine tour was great. After kitting us all up in overalls, gumboots, crash hat , battery & belt with a light attachet to the helmet. We headed off to the mine. Due to OH&S constraints we couldn’t go down an operating mine, but we went down a mine that was built for the tourist industry. Altough not the real thing, was still quite an experience.. they had all the blasting and excavation equipment down the mine. A mine blast was simulated with wth noise and vibrations. After walking 1km underground we had coffee in what they call the crib room. After that we were driven out in a toyota mine troop carrier. A gret 3 hour tour.

Tuesday June 22nd
Mt Isa - Winton
After a long day driving we were happy to get to a little caravan park and be packed in with a lot of other vehicles. After Alan had made a Teriyaki chicken dish we went to “The Shed” to listen to two very funny bush poets. For over an hour these two ladies entertained us with yarns jokes and poems. Getting to sleep was a bit hard as the park is right next to where the road trains pass by the town.

Wednesday June 23rd
Winton - Longreach
We opted for a shorter trip so the guys could see the Qantas Museum. Vicki and Claire instead spent a few hours in the local shops. We ( the boys) need to tell you a little bit more about the Qantas museum. It was a wonderful tour , our guide gave us all the facts and figures about the Boeing 747 which was donated to the museum after 19,000 hours of operation which is when they are decomissioned. Alan had never set foot inside a jumbo jet and was amazed at the size and seating capacity remembering that this plane was 25 years old and the the new ones are almost double the size. We also went through a Boeing 707 which was the first that Qantas bought. The thirteenth 707 is owned and flown by John Travolta. This particular plane was the one that flew theBeatles, Michael Jackson and Madonna before being sold to a Saudi Arabian ( whose name or status they would not divulge) who transformed the interior to a luxury jetliner, including gold trimmings, but we were not able to take any photographs of the inside of the plane due to some privacy deal which had been struck. Winton is also the place where dinosaur fossils have been found ,and we were lucky to find a dinosaur foot ,believe it or not in the main street ( see photo)

Thursday June 24th
Longreach - Tambo
Arrived in Tambo around 2 o’clock after a very bumpy ride. We were interested to see the Tambo Teddy shop which was a bit of a disappointment. Ended up having a cappacino at the pub and then found a nice caravan park in which to stay for the night. Teddy town may have been a bit dissapointing, but we now all have a ticket in a raffle for a teddy, to be drawn in October sometime.

Road Train ~ Tyre Change



Darwin Sunset



Darwin Sunset



B52


B52

Tuesday June 15th
Darwin
The day commenced with an early morning cuppa, 4am to be precise. Turned on the soccer for a little bit but watching paint dry would have been more interesting! After breakfast Zeny, Claire and Vicki went to Casuarina for some retail therapy. Alan and Reg had a day looking at A-Frame caravans then off to Aeroplane Heritage Museum where they have an entire B52 Bomber inside the museum. An awesome sight! On leaving the museum Alan and Reg went and did some grocery shopping for the trip south. Tuesday night we all went out for dinner to a local club, a most enjoyable night.

Wednesday June 16th
Darwin
Did nothing much during the day. At 5:30pm we went to see a Darwin sunset with out happy hour nibbles and bottle of wine. Found a nice spot overlooking the Arafura Sea. The sun sets very quickly. You could actually see the big yellow ball of the sun sinking below the horizon in layers of light pink, yellow and red cloud surrounding the sun. Another magnificent sight! Back at Zeny’s and Bill’s we sat down to a BBQ tea. Then an early-ish night for an 8am departure in the morning.

Thursday June 17th
Darwin to Mataranka
An earlier rise than usual since we have been in Darwin. Packed the motor home for travel mode, said our goodbyes to Zeny and Bill and departed at 8am. Morning tea was at Adelaide River. We heard a rattle coming from underneath the motor home. On further investigation we found a guard plate hanging on by one screw, removed guard plate from around a couple of cables and the noise stopped, and continued on our way to Pine Creek for a lunch of delicious wraps and a cuppa. After which we headed to Mataranka, arriving at 3:30pm. The dinner selection when decided was spaghetti and meat sauce , it was a team effort, Reg made the savoury meat sauce , Vicki and Claire boiled the spaghetti and Alan was charged with making the nibbles which was a fine selection of imported cheeses , salamis, pickles and nuts topped off superbly with red wine and Gin and Tonic.
Later in the evening Alan, Vicki and Reg went down for a swim in the thermal springs which was absolutely magnificent looking up through the majestic palms at diamond stars in a crystal sky. An early to bed night for a 7.30 getaway in the morning.

Crocs



Big Croc



Gun Emplacement ~ East Point



Darwin City



Claire Kissing Croc



Jumping Croc



East Aligator River



Escarpement



The Plane plus us


Thursday 10th June
Having showered with lots of little green frogs we departed Cooinda for Jabiru. It was only a short drive to Jabiru of about 50km. We had a choice of two caravan parks to stay at and we selected the smaller of the two. To our surprise it was not only one of the cheapest we stayed at, but also the best! We had our own ensuite site where we parked the Motorhome right outside the door. Closest we were to the shower and loo of all our stops! Having settled into the site, we then went for a 30 minute flight from Jabiru taking in more of the sights of the Kakadu National Park than we would have ever seen from driving through it. The flight was truly fantastic. Vicki & Claire were apprehensive about flying in a “little plane” and were not helped by the pilot trying to start the plane 4 times before it finally fired, but their fears were allayed once we got into the air. On returning to the caravan park we soon met our neighbours (Dave & Sharon) for the night and started chatting. We enjoyed our happy hour with them which went on and on! The sun went down on Jabiru which meant meal time so Alan & Reg cooked the BBQ while Claire & Vicki made the rest of the meal. Our day in jabiru was over.

Friday 11th June
Today we are heading into Darwin. After a hearty breakfast (Alan & Reg) of a delicious Omelette made by Alan we packed up the Motorhome and left for Darwin around 10.00am
We had quite a distance to travel stopping for lunch at a place called the “Bark Hut” After lunch we headed towards the Adelaide river where they have the jumping Crocodiles. We arrived there at 1.07pm and the boat tour left at 1.00pm. We missed it by just 7 minutes! The next tour wasn’t until 3.00pm so we decided to give it a miss and head straight to Darwin. We stopped briefly at the Humpty Doo Hotel for photos (which was made famous by “Crocodile Dundee”) We arrived at Claires brother in laws (Bill) place in Palmerston around 2.30pm, but as no one was home, we went to the local shopping centre for an hour or so. Reg bought new sandals, Vicki bought a couple of tops and we all had cuppas from the food outlet where Claire’s sister in law (Zeny) works.

Saturday 12th June
Still in Darwin - lazy day - rest and relaxation.

Sunday June 13th - Darwin
Vicki and I went with Zeny while Reg and Alan went in Bill’s car to look around Darwin from one end to the other. Firstly we drove to East Point to look over the gunning placement from the second world war. Then over to Nightcliff beach and along Fannie Bay and Mindil Beach. Happy hour as usual around 5 o’clock on Bill’s balcony, slop on the repellant and relax, heaven. BBQ for dinner round 7:30pm.

Monday June 14th - Darwin
We have our usual lazy wake up, cuppa time and get ready to go to out around 10:30. We decided (using Google to check options) to go to the Crocodylus Park (which is quite close) to see the crocodiles being fed. Since they had a Seniors discount of $8 our entry fee of $22 was excellent value. The feeding tour started at 12noon. They first fed the crocs in the main lake. then proceeded to feed 6 more in smaller areas. The guide made sure everyone got a good viewing position. At the end they brought out juvenile crocs and people got to have a hold. Back to Bill’s for a roast lamb and Zeny’s yummy potato bake.