It has taken us 3 weeks, but we seem to be acclimatising to the persistent heat and humidity, being that we have managed to sleep with no need for power hungry electrical fans or air conditioners running overnight. Nothing more than making sure the windows are thrown open before bedding down, to allow for at least some movement of air has been required for the last couple of nights. We were woken to a blustery breeze this morning though, which sounded like it was threatening the structural integrity of our annex, and had bits and pieces of tree bouncing off of the van roof. While the dried leaves were falling with such regularity and in such quantity that they sounded like rain pelting against the roof, the larger pieces of branches sounded like pebbles falling from a great height onto the tin siding, making an awful, sleep depriving din.

So much for the sleep in I had envisioned for myself, as I wrested myself out of bed with a gut ache and a throbbing head ache that felt like someone had clobbered me over the back of the head with a baseball bat. I can’t even blame the copious amounts of alcohol I consumed last night at the rodeo, since I had settled on just a couple of beers for the evening. I ended up sitting in the annex, a book in my lap, and dozing fitfully until such time as Bec woke.

Three weeks ago today, we fulfilled a similar series of activities as what we had to accomplish today, only in reverse. It was three weeks ago that we dropped into Darwin, wet beneath the ears to some extent, and not knowing fully what to expect. Yes, on that Sunday we parked the van and spent the day unpacking all of the things we would be needing for an extended stay. Today is our final day here in Darwin, and thus it was time for the unenviable task of repacking everything.

So, rather than unfurling the annex, we were furling the canvas sheets. The awning was retracted back into its travel position and all of the sundry items that had made their way out into the annex during our stay needed to be found places to store. Not since the days prior to leaving Melbourne have I felt this level anxiety about getting ready to get on the road again. It is surprising the amount of rubble that we accumulated in the time we were here and it would seem that all manner of things that we didn’t have room for in the van whilst parked here, have been shoved unceremoniously out beneath the annex. Much like a garage or shed might be utilized to hide unwanted and unneeded junk at home, the annex became our go to place. The annex and awning now packed away, our piles of bulk buy toilet paper, paper towel, dog food and soft drinks just looked silly sitting on the concrete alongside the van. It was with more than a small amount of trepidation that I began to play a life sized game of Tetris to successfully cram all of our belongings back into the van. You could almost hear the suspension groaning beneath the extra weight we were asking of it to carry.

It was no easy task, either physically or mentally as our palatial two room abode was halved in space. It was a surreal feeling to exit the van, to be confronted with an open air vista rather than the more familiar annex room. Bec even admitted to walking back from the bathroom, the same way as was required when the annex was in place, rather than straight across the now vacant area. Yet another symptom of GNS obviously. Even the dogs are put out by the change in living arrangements, as they are no longer free to come and go from the van to the annex as they have become accustomed.

I may have mentioned it once or twice before, but Darwin and the top end was the primary locale we had hoped to explore, and I think that we have done the area justice. While here we also had the added extra excitement of receiving our visitors, which had been in the winds for such a long time, and yet was over before we knew it. It mystifies me now however, that when I think about our time here, it feels at the same to time to have passed quite rapidly, as well as seeming to have lasted for ever. We’ve had our ups: Beautiful sunsets, swimming with crocs and swimming at waterfalls rank amongst our favorite times. And we’ve had our downs: I was depressed for days after everyone went home and our couple of no doubt heat induced spats spring to mind. I am sure there are places that we missed, either because we have been there before, or because we are leaving them for a future trip, but overall we can most definitely say that we have been and seen.

I have to admit to thinking about the next segment of our journey with a mixture of excitement and anxiousness however. I have gotten used to being here in Darwin, staying in one place and ingratiating ourselves on the environment almost as locals. There has been no need to be on the go continuously to see everything in a limited amount of time. Nor has there been a need to be up and out of caravan parks first thing in the morning, and consequentially, there hasn’t been the need to rush to arrive in good time at the next park. This is about to change as of tomorrow though, as we embark back into the unknown. We will, over the next few months, keep up a pace that will see us staying here and there for a couple of nights at a time, before moving on to the next destination that takes our fancy. Not until we reach the southern parts of Western Australia, are we due to have another break of more than a week in one place.

With the van finally as ready for travel as it is going to get today, it was time to take a spell and have a break. With a lack of an annex beneath which to relax, we were relegated to the stuffiness of the van. The heat of the day still doesn’t agree with Bec and the dogs, and following my day of manual labour, I too was happy to flick the switch on the air conditioner, and relax under its cooling breeze, while we ingested another couple of episodes of our current favourite program.

It was just after 6:00PM that we fired up ‘The Beast’ and steered in the direction of Fannie Bay to watch a final Darwin sunset. Far from the perfection we witnessed early in our stay, the horizon was playing host to a low whispy string of cloud. Despite not being able to actually see the setting sun, the colours with which the sky was illuminated was well worth the effort.

The setting sun over Fannie Bay.

Dinner was next on our schedule, and having been given plenty of good assessments of the Darwin Sailing Club, we ventured just a short way down the road. If the car park was to be any indication, all of the great reviews we’ve heard are likely to be true. The car park was chockers, with cars parked at odd angles all over the place just to take advantage of any spare available space possible, whether it be a marked spot or not. We were lucky to watch a mini bus drive out, leaving us with a perfectly sized space in which to leave ‘The Beast’.

Inside the club, it doesn’t appear to be anything special. A simple bar and a serve yourself carvery, where the vegetables were laid on, in an eat as much as you could pile on to your plate style and for which there was an extensive queue in waiting. What made it all the more special was the terrific view over Fannie Bay from the open air dining area on the lawn, from which we able to watch the final vestiges of light fade from the evening sky. All accompanied by a huge meal that was as close to home made as you could get, both in taste and in quantity. A big thanks goes out to everyone who suggested we dine here.

My view.

Becs view.

Our view.

It was certainly a fitting conclusion to our time here in Darwin.

Just for good measure, I photo of one of Becs ‘Frenchies’.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.