Darwin

23 weeks pregnant, while I'm still comfortabel enough to travel and sleep on a blow up matress, we book tickets to Darwin. In the middle of winter, the temperature is still quit allright (read bloody hot!). I think everybody is with me when I say 32 degrees in Winter is pretty good...

About 5 hours by plane (Mackay-Brisbane-Darwin), we pick up the rental car and spend the night in Darwin. The next day we drive to Katherine (300km) to stock up and drive the last bit to Nitmiluk National Park (previously know as Katherine Gorge). Tim is sick with a nasty fever and sleeps a lot. We carry him around in the sling where he sleeps peacefully having us both close by. We check out the Gorge with a boat tour and a hike up to the viewing platform.

The next stop is Cooinda (250km) in Kakadu National Park, where we go on the Yellow River Cruise at sunrise. The light and views over the wetlands are spectacular at sunrise. You don't want to go for a swim up here, it is infested with crocs. Tim is starting to feel better again and learns himself a new sign for mandarine (I first massage the mandarine before I peel it, Tim rubs his hands if he wants a one).

We drive back to Darwin (250km) and spend the rest of the day in the city and feeding the wild fish that come to the shores at high tide. That night my parents, Paul & Margriet, arrive in

Darwin and after a broken night we pick up their camper and drive to nearby Berry Springs. We pitch up our new tent and go for a well deserved swim. Being very impressed with the swimming holes we go back the next morning for more.

In the nights it cools down to 22 degrees, we don't even bother with putting the fly over our tent, instead we enjoy the cools breeze through the mesh and en clear view on the Milky Way.

Litchfield National Park is another short drive and we have a refreshing swim at the Florence Falls. At the Wangi Falls we set up camp on a very nice bush camping and spend the next two days visiting other (crocless) swimmingholes and waterfalls. Tim is such a water rat, with the support of one hand under his tummy, he is of! Times flies and before we know it is time to say goodbye to my parents and drive back to Darwin. We spend the last night in a hotel on the Esplanade and fly back very early the next morning. Back to cold (20 degrees) and wintery Sarina.