9 Darwin

There is something about sailing into Darwin that we really like.... There are no Opera Houses or big bridges to sail under, just in the distance you see a small city grow and it is not until you get closer that you realise that it is perched up on a bluff.

We were biting at the bit to be one of the first of the ship so we could race up to the city to collect our hire car as we were going to spend our day at Litchfield Park.  We waited on deck as we pain stakedly watched them slowly attach the gangway to the ship, then listen to the quarantine instructions that must of listed every single food item not allowed.... but at last the starting pistol fired... and we were off..

We also were lucky enough to have Ron and Edie with us on our adventure today.  We meet them last year on our European Cruise.  When we finally got our car we headed down the Stuart Highway for our 2 hour drive to the park... 80km, 100km, 110km..... What is that! 130km per hour.... never seen that speed limit before...

Our first visit in the park were the Termite mounds.... huge structures that these little tiny creatures had created.. many many years in the making....

Next was the a look out to the Tolmer Falls ..... all the falls were spectacular today due to the fact that Darwin was in still in the Wet Season... This meant that each of the waterfalls had plenty of water cascading down along the rock faces... But it also meant that we were not able to swim in the very inviting looking Wangi Falls plunge pool...  with so much water and flooding there is a high possibility that the odd croc or two may have found it’s way into the water.. Once in the dry and access limited, the pools are cleared of any unwanted visitors and swimming is permitted again...

The one falls where we could swim were at the Florence falls... but it came at a price... 135 steep stairs to get to the bottom.... and of course the same to get back up... The heat and viewing platform from the top made it too irresistible not to venture down....  Once at the bottom we scurried over the rocks and jumped in the pool... instantly we felt our body temperature drop with the coolness of the water.... so clear you could see those little ( and big ) fishies coming up and nibbling at our toes.

We didn’t stop here long as we had to get back up to car and head straight back into town... Making it back in enough time to visit Coles and the Bottle Shop ....when Garry walked into Liquorland with his world cruise backpack the girl said ” so you must be after 2 bottles of Wine.... “

Back on board it was into the pool, not quite as refreshing as the plunge pool .... but it was wet... One thing that we have found with the pool on the Ocean Princess ... it is really salty you practically have the same buoyancy as you do in the Dead Sea... well not quite, but it feels like it....

The back deck which leads off from the Panorama Buffet is a lovely spot for sailaways, well we think so, but not many others as we seemed to enjoy it as if it was our own private balcony with our own private wait staff... Leaving Darwin is just as pretty as arriving and as the sun starts to set it gives a beautiful light over the city...